How to pass Shopify Payments verification with a New York LLC
What Shopify Payments asks for at signup, and which New York 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 New York 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 New York LLCs follow the same base checklist, with multi-member LLCs needing details on all qualifying owners.
In New York the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing Articles of Organization, which costs $200. New York does not publish a processing time for LLC filings, so treat state approval as the open-ended step in your timeline rather than the Shopify Payments review. New York also requires newspaper publication after formation, so the LLC is not fully settled on the day the state accepts the filing. Because New York 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 New York LLC meets each
| Requirement | How your New York LLC satisfies it |
|---|---|
| IRS-registered business name | Use the exact LLC name as New York 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 New York. |
| Physical US business address | Use a US street address registered to the LLC in New York (your New York 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 New York filings. New York 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 New York Articles of Organization. |
| Active business phone number | Provide a reachable phone number for the verification code. New York does not put a phone number on the LLC filing, so this one is a platform check with no state record behind it. |
New York-specific things to watch
- New York 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. (The NY LLC Transparency Act (effective 2026) requires beneficial-ownership reporting to the state, and formation requires newspaper publication of the LLC's existence.)
- New York requires newspaper publication after formation. Budget extra time before your Shopify Payments application, since the LLC may not be finalized until publication is proven.
- Budget for New York's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your Shopify Payments margins: New York LLCs treated as partnerships/with NY-source income owe an annual filing fee of $25-$4,500 based on NY gross income.
New York sales tax & nexus rules for Shopify Payments sellers
New York charges a 4% 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 New York (an in-state location, inventory, or employees), or once you cross New York's remote-seller economic-nexus threshold of $500,000 in sales AND 100 transactions (both must be met).
New York requires BOTH the $500,000 revenue AND 100 transaction thresholds to be met simultaneously — exceeding only one is insufficient. New York's state rate of 4% is low, but New York City adds 4.5% and the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District adds 0.375%, bringing the NYC rate to 8.875%. New York broadly taxes digital products and SaaS.
Register for New York sales tax directly with the state: www.tax.ny.gov/bus/st/stidx.htm.
How to verify your New York LLC on Shopify Payments
- IRS-registered business name. Use the exact LLC name as New York 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 New York.
- Physical US business address. Use a US street address registered to the LLC in New York (your New York 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 New York filings. New York 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 New York Articles of Organization.
- Active business phone number. Provide a reachable phone number for the verification code. New York 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 New York 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 New York LLC qualifies on that count.