How to pass Shopify Payments verification with a Maryland LLC
What Shopify Payments asks for at signup, and which Maryland 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.
Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe) requires identity and business verification before activating payouts for your store. For a Maryland LLC, Shopify collects the IRS-registered business name, the EIN, a physical US address, and personal information for the account representative and any 25%+ beneficial owners. Single-member and multi-member Maryland LLCs follow the same base checklist, with multi-member LLCs needing details on all qualifying owners.
In Maryland the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing Articles of Organization, which costs $100. Maryland publishes a turnaround of 6-8 weeks. Because Maryland names a member or manager on a routine public filing, the owner name Shopify Payments asks you to confirm is already a matter of public record.
What Shopify Payments requires, and how a Maryland LLC meets each
| Requirement | How your Maryland LLC satisfies it |
|---|---|
| IRS-registered business name | Use the exact LLC name as Maryland recorded it on your Articles of Organization; it must match your bank account holder name. |
| Employer Identification Number (EIN) | 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 Maryland. |
| Physical US business address | Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Maryland (your Maryland registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected. |
| Owner / representative identity | Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Maryland filings. Maryland names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records. |
| ACH-eligible checking account | Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Maryland Articles of Organization. |
| Active business phone number | Provide a reachable phone number for the verification code. Maryland does not put a phone number on the LLC filing, so this one is a platform check with no state record behind it. |
Maryland-specific things to watch
- Maryland names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so Shopify Payments's beneficial-owner check will line up with public state records — you still upload a government ID for each owner. (Maryland requires an authorized person on the Articles and files a Personal Property Return; management information is available on public filings.)
- Budget for Maryland's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your Shopify Payments margins: Maryland LLCs owe a $300 minimum annual Personal Property Return fee.
Maryland sales tax & nexus rules for Shopify Payments sellers
Maryland charges a 6% state sales-tax rate. Payments through Shopify Payments 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 Maryland (an in-state location, inventory, or employees), or once you cross Maryland's remote-seller economic-nexus threshold of $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions in the previous or current calendar year.
Maryland has no local sales taxes and a flat 6% statewide rate. Notably, Maryland taxes digital products and services including SaaS, streaming subscriptions, and digital downloads. Maryland was one of the first states to enact a digital advertising tax (though it has faced legal challenges). Register through the Maryland Central Registration portal.
Register for Maryland sales tax directly with the state: interactive.marylandtaxes.gov.
How to verify your Maryland LLC on Shopify Payments
- IRS-registered business name. Use the exact LLC name as Maryland recorded it on your Articles of Organization; it must match your bank account holder name.
- Employer Identification Number (EIN). 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 Maryland.
- Physical US business address. Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Maryland (your Maryland registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.
- Owner / representative identity. Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Maryland filings. Maryland names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
- ACH-eligible checking account. Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Maryland Articles of Organization.
- Active business phone number. Provide a reachable phone number for the verification code. Maryland does not put a phone number on the LLC filing, so this one is a platform check with no state record behind it.
Non-US founders with Maryland LLCs
Shopify Payments requires personal identity information for the account representative, whichever state the LLC was formed in. For non-US representatives, Shopify's documentation indicates a passport photograph may be accepted in lieu of an SSN or ITIN for LLC entity types, so confirm that option during onboarding. If a government photo ID is not accepted, the alternatives are designating a US-resident representative who can provide a US SSN, or applying for an ITIN via Form W-7 if the founder has US tax-filing obligations. The entity itself must be US-registered, and a Maryland LLC qualifies on that count.