How to pass Mercury verification with a New Jersey LLC
What Mercury asks for at signup, and which New Jersey LLC documents satisfy each requirement.
By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 4, 2026
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.
Mercury is a fintech banking platform whose deposits are held at FDIC-member partner banks (currently Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC), making it popular with startups and small businesses including those with non-US founders. To open a Mercury account for a New Jersey LLC, you must provide the company's formation document (in New Jersey, the Certificate of Formation), an IRS-issued EIN confirmation, a government ID for the beneficial owner(s), and a physical US address. Mercury supports all US-state LLC types and is commonly used by foreign founders who have formed a US LLC, since it does not require founders to be US citizens or residents.
In New Jersey the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing a Certificate of Formation, which costs $125. New Jersey does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Mercury review. Because New Jersey names a member or manager on a routine public filing, the owner name Mercury asks you to confirm is already a matter of public record.
What Mercury requires, and how a New Jersey LLC meets each
| Requirement | How your New Jersey LLC satisfies it |
|---|---|
| LLC formation documents | Upload the Certificate of Formation New Jersey returned to you, stamped and approved. |
| IRS EIN confirmation letter | Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of New Jersey. |
| Government-issued ID for owner(s) | Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your New Jersey filings. New Jersey names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records. |
| US business address | Use a US street address registered to the LLC in New Jersey (your New Jersey registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected. |
New Jersey-specific things to watch
- New Jersey names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so Mercury's beneficial-owner check will line up with public state records — you still upload a government ID for each owner. (The Certificate of Formation (N.J.S. 42:2C-18) requires only the name and registered agent/office, but the annual report (N.J.S. 42:2C-26) must set forth 'the name and addresses of the managing members or managers,' so management identities become public each year.)
- New Jersey issues a Certificate of Formation rather than "Articles of Organization." When Mercury asks for "formation documents," upload your Certificate of Formation.
- Budget for New Jersey's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your Mercury margins: LLCs classified as partnerships with more than two owners and NJ-source income owe an annual partnership filing fee of $150 per owner (capped at $250,000); LLCs electing corporate taxation are subject to the Corporation Business Tax instead. Otherwise no franchise tax beyond the $75 annual report.
New Jersey sales tax & nexus rules for Mercury sellers
New Jersey charges a 6.625% state sales-tax rate. Payments through Mercury are not covered by marketplace-facilitator laws — you collect and remit yourself. Registration is required before your first taxable sale if you have physical presence in New Jersey (an in-state location, inventory, or employees), or once you cross New Jersey's remote-seller economic-nexus threshold of $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions in the previous or current calendar year.
New Jersey taxes most tangible personal property and some services. The state is unique in that it offers a reduced 3.3125% rate (half the standard rate) in certain designated Urban Enterprise Zones. New Jersey taxes digital products including SaaS and streaming services as of 2022. Register through the NJ Division of Taxation's Business Registration portal.
Register for New Jersey sales tax directly with the state: www.njportal.com/DOR/BusinessRegistration.
How to verify your New Jersey LLC on Mercury
- LLC formation documents. Upload the Certificate of Formation New Jersey returned to you, stamped and approved.
- IRS EIN confirmation letter. Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of New Jersey.
- Government-issued ID for owner(s). Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your New Jersey filings. New Jersey names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
- US business address. Use a US street address registered to the LLC in New Jersey (your New Jersey registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.
Non-US founders with New Jersey LLCs
Mercury explicitly supports non-US founders who have formed a US LLC, New Jersey included. A non-US passport is accepted for identity verification. The entity must be formed and registered in the United States, and a US business address is required, which a New Jersey registered agent address satisfies. No US Social Security Number is needed from the founder.