Getting Started With Square - Online Seller Education Series Follow-Up

[Andrés]

Hi Seller Community!

First, thank you to everyone who joined our “Getting Started with Square” sessions last Wednesday and Thursday! We truly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to learn how to get the most of Square. In case you missed the live sessions or just want to watch the presentations on-demand, you can view the recording for both sessions below:

In Part One, you’ll learn how to:

- Compare Square’s fees across payment types. 
- Compare Square's hardware to see what's best for your business. 
- Sign up for Square and link a bank account for deposits. 
- Customize and send your customers digital receipts.

Watch Part One On-Demand. 

In Part Two, you’ll learn how to:

- Accept payments using Square's hardware and software.
- Compare deposit options and schedules.
- Run reports for sales, fees, and deposits in your Square Dashboard.

Watch Part Two On-Demand.

We had a ton of participants and unfortunately ran out of time to answer everyone’s questions, but we’ve accumulated responses to some of the top questions below!

1. What fees are applied when selling Gift Cards?
2. How do I know if I’m getting a 1099-K for 2017 sales?
3. What’s 2-Step Verification and do I need it?
4. What can account Administrators access? Do they get to see all my account details?
5. Do you send any daily sales reports?
6. Are there any additional charges to using Square?
7. Can I print a duplicate receipt a few days after my transaction?
8. Do you have a simulation or trial mode to test or practice how to charge a transaction?
9. Can you add "customer name" in your receipt part?
10. How do I confirm a sale was processed as credit?

What fees are applied when selling Gift Cards?

First we should remind everyone that you have the option to sell both physical and digital eGift Cards.

You can purchase physical gift cards for their business, which can be fully customized with their branding, and quick card packs that come pre-printed with some great seasonal and evergreen designs.

When selling a physical gift card, Square’s standard processing fees apply to that sale depending on how it’s sold. So, if a customer purchases a gift card by dipping their chip card into the Contactless and Chip Reader, you’ll still pay a per transaction fee of the total ticket just as if they were selling any other item. You won’t pay any fee when a customer then pays using said gift card, since customers are paying using the balance on the gift card, and you have already been deposited the funds from the sale of the physical gift card.

eGift Cards are digital gift cards that are sold online via a free order site Square creates for you when using this option. Customers simply visit the order page that you can share on your social media account and website, and send eGift Cards via email.

With eGift cards you will pay a card-not-present processing fee of 2.9% + $.30 when the eGift card is purchased. There are no upfront set-up costs for eGift Cards, and no cost to create or maintain your eGift Card ordering site.

Learn more about ordering and using physical gift cards and setting up and selling eGift Cards in our Support Center.

How do I know if I’m getting a 1099-K for 2017 sales?

For most states, Square prepares 1099-K forms for accounts that have processed over 200 card transactions and more than $20,000 in a calendar year. However, due to recent legislative changes, if you live in Massachusetts or Vermont, we'll also prepare a form if you've processed $600 or more.

You can download your 1099-K directly from the Account & Settings section of your online Square Dashboard under Tax Forms.

If you don’t qualify for a 1099-K, no worries. You can still access your sales history from your Square Dashboard. Just visit the Sales tab and filter to Last Year. Make sure to contact a tax professional for specific filing questions.

We highly recommend everyone check out the discussion on the subject currently pinned to the top of the Seller Community.

What’s 2-Step Verification and do I need it?

2-Step Verification, also known as Two Factor Authentication, is a tool that provides an extra layer of security for your Square Account, protecting your account from unauthorized access. We highly encourage all sellers to use this feature, as all you’ll need is a U.S. mobile phone number.

With 2-Step Verification, you and your employees will be asked to enter a verification code sent via SMS text message each time you sign in to your Square Account. This is an additional piece of information needed to sign in besides the email address and password.

If you don’t want to enter a verification code every time, you can choose to only require this step every 30 days, at which point you’ll be asked to sign in with a verification code.

Learn more about setting up and using 2-Step Verification in our Support Center.

What can account Administrators access? Do they get to see all my account details?

With Square, you have two options depending on how much access you’d like to grant someone -- Administrator and Authorized Representatives.

An Account Administrator is any employee you grant full access to your account and Square Point of Sale app. If you’re using our Team Management features, the Administrator role is assigned to a specific employee, which let’s them access all features and settings in the app and everything in your online Square Dashboard except high-risk actions like editing the account’s email address or bank account.

An Authorized Representative is someone you’ve designated to have access to account-specific information when it comes to contacting Square’s Customer Success team. So, you could give this access to an employee who would be calling Square for help with payments or reporting, or an associate who needs to discuss information about your account with Square, like an accountant or bookkeeper.

Once someone has been added to your account as an Authorized Representative, they will be able to call Square Support and take limited actions on your account.

Learn more about adding account Administrators and Authorized Representatives in our Support Center.

Do you send any daily sales reports?

Yes! Square sends you daily sales summary emails on all days where sales are processed, regardless of whether these were credit card or cash payments. This email includes a great breakdown of the day’s gross and net sales, processing fees paid, and amount of discounts and refunds given.

To make sure you’re subscribed to these emails, sign in to your online Square Dashboard, select Account & Settings from the navigation menu, then Email Notifications.

Learn more about summaries and reports from the Online Dashboard in our Support Center.

Are there any additional charges to using Square?

While we do offer subscription-based services like Team Management, email marketing, full-service payroll, and more, there are no additional charges for accepting credit card payments or using the Square Point of Sale app.

Learn all about Square’s fees in our Support Center.

Can I print a duplicate receipt a few days after my transaction?

You can reprint a payment receipt from the app on an iPad or Android device. To do so:

1. Tap the three horizontal lines > Transactions.
2. Locate and tap the payment.
3. Tap Issue Receipt > Print Receipt.

You can also view these steps and learn more about sending digital receipts and printing receipts in our Support Center.

Do you have a simulation or trial mode to test or practice how to charge a transaction?

Unfortunately we don’t, but you can always practice test swipes and/or process a refund for any test credit card payments taken.

To practice swiping from the payment screen in the Square app:

1. Remove any device case and firmly plug your reader in until you hear a click. A reader icon will appear on your device when it’s properly connected.
2. Without entering a payment amount, practice swiping the card in one quick, smooth motion with the card’s magnetic stripe facing the thick side of the reader.
3. If the practice swipe is successful, you’ll see the following:  

• On an iPhone: The card type and last four digits in the blue Charge banner.  
• On an iPad: The message “Card Not Stored – Add at least one item to the sale before swiping a card to charge.”  
• On an Android device: The message “Card Not Charged. $1 minimum required.”

To clear the practice swipe, tap C on the bottom-left corner on your smartphone or Android tablet. On the iPad, tap the back arrow on the keypad.

Learn more about taking payments from a mobile device in our Support Center.

Can you add "customer name" in your receipt part?

You can always add a note to the sale with your customer’s name, but we recommend adding the customer to the sale so you’ll have a record of their payment history in your Customer Directory.

If you have Customer Management enabled in the Square app, you can add new customers to your Customer Directory right from the payment screen. Here’s how:

1.  On a tablet, tap the drop-down arrow in the upper-right > Add Customer. If you're using the Square app on a smartphone, tap Current Sale > drop-down arrow > Add Customer.
2.  Tap Create New Customer and enter their information.
3.  Tap Save.

Learn more about managing your Customer Directory in our Support Center.

How do I confirm a sale was processed as credit?

To confirm you successfully charged a credit card, go to Transactions in the navigation menu and tap the transaction in question. If you charged a credit card, you’ll see the brand and last 4 digits of the card used. If it was processed as Cash, you’ll see Cash Payment in the transaction details.

The Cash and Other tender options in the Square Point of Sale app are available for organizational purposes only. No funds are actually processed when a payment is entered as cash or other tender, and we’re not able to process these transactions as payment card information was never actually entered into our system.

To process these funds and receive the deposit, you will need to contact your customer. Also, to balance out your books, you can always refund accidental Cash or Other Tender payments. Read more about issuing refunds.

You can find more information about processing payment cards in our Support Center.

That’s all for now! Thanks again for joining our sessions, reading this far, and for being a member of the Seller Community.

Best,

Andrés, Justin, and the entire Square Customer Success Team!

This post was updated in 2019.