Managing business entities

As your business grows, your business structure might change. When your business changes, you need to update the business details required for your type of business. For example, if you expand your business into international markets, then you need to provide information for Shopify Payments for the markets that you're expanding into.

You can manage your store's business information from the Business details section on the Settings > General page of your Shopify admin. If you have access to organizations, then you can manage and add new business entities from the Organization page of your Shopify admin.

Considerations

Review the following considerations for managing business entities from your Shopify admin:

• You can sell products from multiple business entities on a single store. Learn more about managing international markets.
• The information required for your entity depends on the country where your store is operating from. Refer to the list of requirements for each supported country for Shopify Payments.
• Each time that a user reveals sensitive information related to your business entity, the action is logged in the User management activity log on the Users > Security page of your Shopify admin settings. Learn more about the User management activity log.
• When selling with business entities, you need to add a new market for each entity.
• Business entity information is sent to assessors to verify your business.
• Adding new business entities or making changes might require additional verification.
• If your store uses financial services such as Shopify Payments, Shopify Balance, Shopify Capital, or Shopify Credit, then you need to deactivate all financial services before you can change your business entity.
• Your legal name and business address are displayed on your bill. With the correct name and address listed on your Shopify bill, you might be able to claim Shopify as a business expense.

User permission requirements

The following users can view and manage business entities:

• The organization owner
• Users with the Organization administrator organization role
• Users whose roles include permissions to view and manage business entities

If your store uses financial services such as Shopify Payments, Shopify Balance, Shopify Capital, or Shopify Credit, then you need to deactivate all financial services before you can change your store's country in your Shopify admin. Only the store owner can deactivate Shopify Payments.

Adding a business entity

You can add a new business entity from Settings > General > Business details in your Shopify admin, or from Settings > Organization if you're part of an organization. You need to include the country that your business is operating from, and how the business is registered.

The information that you need to add to your business entity depends on the following factors:

• The country that your business is operating from
• Whether you're selling as an individual or have a registered business
• If your business is registered, then the type of business that you're operating

After you create a business entity, you can edit the business entity to add additional details, such as persons and required documentation for your business type.

Add a business entity from your Shopify admin

Add a business entity from your Shopify organization

Managing business entities

Eligible users can view and manage your organization's business entities from the Settings > Organization page of your Shopify admin. You can view and manage a store's business entities from Settings > General in the Business details section.

Your business entity must include the following information:

• The country your business is operating from
• The type of business that you're operating
• The details of your business, such as registered business name and address
• Any individuals who ultimately own or control the business
• Supporting documentation, including government identification, for the business and individuals associated with the business

The information that you add to your business entity in your Shopify admin must match your legal documentation and identification exactly. For example, if your supporting documentation lists your business name as "Example123 Limited", then enter Example123 Limited in the form.

Edit a business entity

You can edit any of the following details of an existing business entity from the details page:

• Business details such as address or nickname
• People associated with your business
• Government identifiers
• Supporting documentation

You can't change the business type, country, or the person associated with individual or sole proprietor entities. These changes create a new business entity, which results in multiple tax forms and might require additional verification. If your business has changed, for example from a sole proprietorship to a private corporation, then add a new business instead, and then set the new business entity on any stores that you want to update.

An entity can be assigned to multiple stores. Changes to an entity affect all stores that the entity is assigned to.

Edit business country

The address of your store is used to determine your store's location. Changing the store country creates a new legal entity and might affect the following details:

• Your subscription fees and billing currency.
• The local language and currency for your store.
• Your tax and duty obligations.
• Shipping availability.
• Your access to Shopify products and services.

The Shopify Terms of Service require you to maintain an accurate location based on your current jurisdiction. Your store address updates to match your new legal entity address and country.

If your store uses financial services such as Shopify Payments, Shopify Balance, Shopify Capital, or Shopify Credit, then you need to deactivate all financial services before you can change your store's country in your Shopify admin.

Archive a business entity

You can archive a business entity from your Organization settings. Archived entities are read-only, and can't be used for stores, markets, payments, or other Shopify services such as Shopify Balance or Shopify Capital. You can't archive a business entity that's currently in use by stores, or when there's a pending payout.

You can unarchive a business entity from the Archived view in your business entities list at any time.

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Organization.

2. In the Business entities section, click the name of the business that you want to archive.

3. Click Archive.

4. In the Archive business entity dialog, click Archive.

To unarchive an archived business entity, click the name of the business that you want to unarchive, and then click Actions > Unarchive.

Set a store's default business entity

You can set a default business entity for a store from the Settings > General page of your Shopify admin.

If your store uses financial services such as Shopify Payments, Shopify Balance, Shopify Capital, or Shopify Credit, then you need to deactivate all financial services before you can switch business entities in your Shopify admin. Only the store owner can deactivate Shopify Payments.

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > General.

2. In the Business details section, click ….

3. Click Switch.

4. In the Switch business details dialog, select a business entity from the drop-down menu.

5. Click Continue.

Manage people

If your business isn't an individual business, then add any individuals who ultimately own or control the business, including the following types of people:

• Account representative: Assign one account representative who is a verified person with authority to make financial decisions for your business. This person might be a business owner, executive, or director.
• Equity owners: Add all owners with 25% or more equity.
• Directors of the business.

You can view and manage people associated with your business in the People section within a business entity.

If your business type is Individual business or Sole proprietorship, then the business owner is assigned as the account representative by default. The People section isn't displayed in your Shopify admin for these business types. You can manage your personal information from the Business details section of the business entity details page instead.

Relationship to business details

When you add a person to a business entity, you need to add their personal information, such as name and date of birth, contact information, and residential address. You also need to define the person's relationship to the business. You can select one or more of the following roles for each person:

• Account representative
  • You can only add one account representative to an entity.
• Executive
• Director
• Equity owner
  • If you select Equity owner, then enter the Equity percentage. The total equity percentage for all people in the entity can't exceed a total of 100 percent.

Add a person to a business entity

You can add a new person to your business entity, or you can select an existing person from another business entity in your organization. You can manage a person's contact information, relationship to your company, and supporting documentation from business entity details page.

Steps:

People can be associated with multiple business entities. Changes to a person affect all business entities that they're associated with.

Remove a person

If a person no longer has control of your business, then you can remove them from the business entity.

Steps:

Each business entity must have one account representative. If you remove someone who was assigned as the account representative, then you must assign a new account representative.

Managing government identifications

Government identification might be required for both your business and for people in your business.

The identification that's needed and the accepted types of identification depend on the country where your store is based and your business type. Learn more about general requirements and country-specific information requirements for Shopify Payments.

After you select a country and government identifier type, enter the identification number in the field that matches the requirements for your selection.

Add government identification

After you enter the identification number, the number is hidden by default. Only eligible users can view the number.

Steps:

Edit government identification

Only eligible users can update existing government identification for your business entity or for people in the entity, such as an identification number.

Steps:

Delete government identification

Only eligible users can delete government identification that's no longer required for your business entity or person.

Steps:

If you delete a government identifier from your business entity, then it isn't displayed again after you leave the page. To restore it, select Show optional fields, click Add business information or Add additional information, and then select the type of government identifier that you want to add.

Manage documents

Documentation is required for both your business and for people in your business. The documentation needed, and accepted documentation depends on the country where your business is operating from and your business type. Learn more about general and country-specific information requirements for Shopify Payments.

After you upload a document, you can replace or delete the document.

Add a document

Some types of documentation, such as a driver's license, have both a front and back side. After you select the type of document, you'll be prompted to upload either one document, or both a front and back document.

To view documents that you've uploaded, go to the Documents section on the details page of the entity or person. To review the document file, click the file link.

Steps:

Delete a document

You can delete a document that's no longer required for your business entity or person, or that you've replaced with updated documentation.

Steps:

View government identification and documentation details

The identification number is hidden by default. Eligible users can reveal the identification number temporarily.

After you navigate away from the page, close your browser tab, or close the Shopify app, the identification number reverts to hidden.

Each time that a user reveals sensitive information related to your business entity, the action is logged in the User management activity log on the Users > Security page of your Shopify admin settings. Learn more about the User management activity log.

Steps: