The first step toward processing credit card payments with PayPal in Joist is signing up for a PayPal Business account. We've put together a detailed step-by-step guide on how this works to help ensure everything goes smoothly for you.
If at any point you get stuck or have questions during the signup process, you can call PayPal directly at 1-866-745-4039 and they will be happy to help you.
For quick access to a specific section, use the links below. Otherwise, scroll down to follow along step by step.
Step 1: Get Started
First, start the signup process by clicking here. On the following page, you need to click continue/sign up and you'll be asked to enter the email address you'd like to use for your account and select your country (your country should already be selected).
If you already have a PayPal Business account and you would like to use this with Joist, enter the email address associated with that PayPal account. Click the Connect Your PayPal Account to Joist button and follow the steps on the screen. Note that this does not apply to personal PayPal accounts.
If you don't have a PayPal Business account, click the Sign Up for a PayPal Business Account button and continue with the process outlined here.
You'll be taken to the start of the signup process where you'll be asked to enter an email address to use as the login for your PayPal Business account. Note that if you already have a personal PayPal account, you can't use the same email address as you do for that account.
The email address you sign up with here is what you'll use to sign into your account any time you want to check on the status of a payment, update your banking information, see your list of your transactions and more.
We suggest using the same email address you use for your Joist account, but that's up to you.
Step 2: Sign up for a Business Account
Next, you'll be asked for your business contact information. The information you enter here should be the same as what you would put on a tax return.
For the business name field, if you don't have an official business name, just put something down that best represents what you do.
Step 3: Tell us about your business
On the next screen, you'll be asked for some information about your business, starting with the business type. The options here are:
You are a Corporation if you have incorporated your business with the IRS.
You are a Partnership if you have a registered partnership agreement.
In all other cases, you would be considered an Individual/Sole Proprietorship.
If you're not sure, you can call 1-844-353-0785 and a PayPal representative will point you in the right direction.
Next up on this page is the service you provide, such as carpentry, electrical, HVAC, etc. As you type, examples will appear for you to choose from, as shown here:
In some cases, what you enter might not be recognized, like here where I've entered HVAC:
All I had to do here was start typing out the words for HVAC and a suitable option became available:
Next up is a drop-down menu for indicating your monthly sales. The ranges here are fairly broad, so no need to break out the calculator or call up the accountant to get an exact number.
IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND:
Monthly sales means the total amount of money your business takes in, as opposed to the profit you make or the salary you pay yourself.
Make sure to give yourself some room to grow here. So if, for example, your monthly sales average out to around $40,000, choose the next range up of $50,000 - $99,999.
It's better to choose a little higher than a little lower so you don't bump into a processing limit that could hold up your funds later on down the line.
If you have a business website, you can enter the URL on this page as well. If you don't have a website that's fine, you can just select the No option.
If you chose either Corporation or Partnership as your business type, you'll also be asked to provide your EIN (Employer ID Number), which would have been assigned to you by the IRS.
If you chose Individual/Sole Proprietorship, this field won't be on your screen.
Step 4: Personal Information
Here is where you'll add a small amount of your personal information, used to verify your identity and protect you from fraud. PayPal is also required to collect this information to remain in compliance with government regulations.
Note that for your SSN, they only need the last 4 digits. And for the home address, just make sure to include a valid street name and the unit number -- this has to be a home address, so PO Box is not applicable here.
Step 5: Confirm your account
Once you hit submit, you'll be taken to a landing page with instructions to check your inbox for a confirmation email from PayPal.
Open the email, enter your password and click the confirmation link to get to your new PayPal business account dashboard.
Steps 6 & 7: Banking & automatic transfers
Now that your PayPal business account is setup and connected to Joist, you'll need to add your banking details and setup automatic transfers so that when your clients pay you the funds are transferred from your PayPal account to your bank account.
To do this, open up your Joist app and go to the Payments Settings. You'll see a progress list that looks like this:
Tap Connect bank account, then follow the steps to confirm this step is complete.
Return to this section of the Joist app and tap Setup free transfers to your bank and follow the steps to confirm this step is complete -- if you don't see the option for Automatic Transfers inside of your PayPal account, please contact Joist Customer Support for assistance.
Once these final two steps are marked as completed, payment processing will be enabled in your Joist account and you can begin collecting online payments from your clients.
Any further questions
If PayPal needs any more information from you to complete your account, they will reach out to you by email. Be sure to follow through on their request to ensure your payments flow smoothly.
And remember, if you have any questions or need help at any stage of the signup process, our friends at PayPal are here for you at 1-866-745-4039. For questions about Joist, you can reach us on live chat in the Help section of the app, or shoot us an email at hello@joist.com