Supporters Club Payment process

[richb14_]

Hi

I’m trying to set up a Shopify account for our football Supporters Club, with ability to take payments from our members to cover our costs - the members pay an annual membership fee and then buy tickets. We don’t make a profit.

 
I can’t seem to activate the payment side as it wants me to submit Business Documents… but we don’t have any, as we’re not a business 

is there a different account I need to be opening? 
Many thanks for any help 

[dctechnolabs]

Hi,

This is a common situation for clubs, charities, and community groups. Shopify is mainly built for registered businesses, so when you set up an account and try to activate payments (like Shopify Payments), it asks for business documents like a registration number or tax info.

Even if you're not making a profit, the platform still needs some basic details to process payments and stay compliant with financial regulations.

Here are a few things you can try:

1. Register as an individual or sole proprietor
You can often complete the setup by choosing "Individual" or "Sole Proprietor" as your business type. For ID, you can usually submit a government-issued document like a passport or driver's license.

2. Use a third-party payment gateway
Some gateways like PayPal or Stripe allow you to accept payments without full business documents, especially for non-profit or personal use. You can connect these to your Shopify store and let your members pay that way.

To do this:

• Go to Settings > Payments

• Scroll down to the third-party section

• Choose PayPal or Stripe and follow the steps

3. Consider contacting Shopify Support directly
Since your case is a bit unique, they might be able to suggest the smoothest path based on your country and setup.

Many community groups use Shopify for membership payments and events, so it's definitely doable with a few adjustments.

Hope this gives you a clearer path forward.

[Vi-WizzCommerce]

Hello @richb14_ !

The best move would be to set up an account as a business. Then, submit any legal and tax documentation from your charity to Shopify. You'll be able to get 3 months for $3. In the mean time, you can submit a request to Shopify to try to secure some sort of discount as a non-profit organization.

Hope this helps!