The short answer
To apply for a merchant facility in Australia, you'll usually need your ABN (plus your ACN if you're a company), photo ID for each owner or director, an Australian business bank account for your AUD deposits, recent processing statements if you already take cards and, if you sell online, a website with prices and clear policies. An underwriter then checks what you sell, how you deliver it and how much you expect to process. Before any of that, decide where your customers are. Australia only or the U.S. only is one account. Both means two merchant accounts, an Australian account in AUD and a U.S. account in USD, so two applications.
Merchant Facility vs Merchant Account vs a Payment App Account
"Merchant facility" is the Australian name for what the U.S. calls a merchant account. Both mean the same thing: an arrangement with an acquirer (the bank or licensed company that accepts card payments on your behalf) that lets you take cards and pays the money into your business bank account. The big four banks (CommBank, Westpac, NAB and ANZ, through ANZ Worldline Payment Solutions) all offer merchant facilities, and so do specialist acquirers and providers like START. This guide uses both terms.
A payment app account works differently. The app holds one large merchant account and signs you up under it as a sub-merchant. Sign-up is quick because most of the checking happens after you start taking payments. If that later review goes against you, funds can be held or the account closed. Our guide to the difference between a merchant account and a payment facilitator explains the trade-off in detail.
With a merchant facility of your own, the underwriting happens up front. That's why there's an application and a document list, and why it's worth getting right the first time.
Merchant Account Australia Requirements: Who Can Apply
Your business structure changes the paperwork, not whether you can apply. Here's what underwriters typically look at for each one.
- Sole traders. You apply in your own name with your ABN. The underwriter looks at you personally, so your ID and details carry the application.
- Companies. The company applies, using its ACN and ABN. Expect ID checks on the directors and on anyone who owns a significant share.
- Partnerships. The partnership applies with its ABN, and each partner is usually identified. Some providers ask for the partnership agreement.
- Trusts. The trustee applies on behalf of the trust. Underwriters usually want the trustee's details and may ask for the trust deed to see who controls the business.
New businesses can apply. With no card history, the underwriter leans harder on everything else: your ABN registration, your website, a plain description of what you sell and realistic sales estimates.
Home-based businesses can apply too. Working from home isn't usually a problem in itself. What matters is that your address, phone number and email are real and match across your application, your ABN record and your website.
Not every business needs an ABN, but you do need one to show you're running a business. As business.gov.au puts it, "To get one you need to be running a business or other enterprise." Registration is free through the Australian Business Register. See registering for an ABN on business.gov.au (checked September 28, 2026).
Merchant Facility Requirements: Your Document Checklist
Here's what Australian merchant facility applications usually ask for. The exact list depends on the acquirer and your business, but having these ready covers most of it.
| Document | What it proves and what to check |
|---|---|
| ABN | Your Australian Business Number. Underwriters can check it on the public ABN Lookup register, so make sure your business name and status there are current. |
| ACN (companies) | The Australian Company Number that ASIC gives a company when it's registered. The company's legal name should match on every document. |
| Owner and director ID | Photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, for each owner, director or partner, plus home addresses. |
| Australian business bank account | Where your AUD card sales settle. A bank statement or letter showing the BSB, account number and account name usually does it. The account should be in the business's name, not a personal one. |
| Recent processing statements | If you already take cards, your last few months of statements show your volume, average sale, refunds and chargebacks. No history? You can still apply. |
| Website and policies | For online sales: a live site with prices, contact details, your ABN, and refund, delivery and privacy policies. |
| Structure documents (if asked) | A trust deed or partnership agreement, when the underwriter needs to see who controls the business. |
Before you sign, check how you'll be charged. In its Conclusions Paper (March 2026), the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) reported that small merchants on single-rate plans paid 1.4% on average, against 0.9% on unblended (interchange-plus) plans. From 1 October 2026, surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards ends, so that fee is yours to carry (see what the card surcharge ban changes). Our guide to merchant fees in Australia explains what to look for in a quote.
What Underwriters Check When You Apply for a Merchant Facility
An underwriter is the person who reviews your application and decides whether to approve it and on what terms. The acquirer is on the hook for refunds and chargebacks (disputed payments reversed by the customer's bank) that you can't cover. So the underwriter is really asking one question: how likely is money to flow back out of this account? They look at:
- What you sell. Some products and services carry more risk of disputes or legal trouble than others. Describe yours plainly and completely.
- How you sell and deliver. In person, online, over the phone or on subscription. Sales where the card isn't present (online and phone orders) get a closer look.
- When customers get what they paid for. Taking payment today for something delivered months later, such as deposits, pre-orders or memberships, leaves more money at risk if you can't deliver.
- Refund and dispute history. Refund and chargeback levels on your past statements, and whether a previous provider closed your account.
- Volume and average sale. Your expected monthly card sales and typical transaction size. Estimate honestly. A month far above what you declared can trigger a review or a hold on your funds.
- Consistency. The same legal name, address and owners on your ABN record, bank account, website and application.
Australia, the U.S. or Both: Decide Before You Apply
Card fees follow the issuing country, the country of the bank that issued your customer's card, not the currency you charge in. A U.S. card run on an Australian account is a foreign-issued card sale, even if you price in U.S. dollars. The RBA says merchant fees on foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard credit cards in Australia have been between 2.6% and 2.75% (Conclusions Paper, March 2026). A 1.0% cap on the interchange part of that fee (the portion paid to the card's bank) takes effect on 1 April 2027. So where your customers are decides which account, or accounts, you need.
| Where you sell | What you apply for | Settlement |
|---|---|---|
| Australia only | One Australian merchant account through an Australian acquiring partner | AUD, to an Australian bank account |
| U.S. only | One U.S. merchant account | USD |
| Both | Two merchant accounts, so two applications | AUD from the Australian account, USD from the U.S. account |
When START sets up "both," that's an Australian account in AUD and a U.S. account in USD, set up and managed together by START. It isn't one account that handles two currencies. Each account has its own application and its own underwriting review.
The U.S. application is separate, and what it needs depends on how your business is structured. Tell us yours and we'll tell you what applies. How Australian businesses take payments from U.S. customers covers the U.S. side, and international card payments for Australian businesses compares one account with two.
Extra Requirements for Selling Online
If you sell online, your website is part of your application. Underwriters will open it. Before you apply, make sure your site shows:
- Your business name, ABN, address and a way to reach you (phone or email)
- Clear product or service descriptions, with prices and the currency you charge in
- Refund, return and cancellation policies, plus delivery times and costs
- A privacy policy, and terms for any subscription or recurring charge
- A secure checkout (HTTPS)
A "coming soon" site or missing policies is a common reason an online application stalls. Our website requirements checklist for card processing covers each item in detail.
High-Risk Businesses Applying in Australia
Some businesses get a closer review because of what they sell or how they sell it, such as subscriptions, travel, supplements or products under changing rules. The documents are much the same, but underwriters may ask for more detail and set extra terms. START places high-risk Australian merchants. If your business might be in that group, or a payment app has closed your account before, read our guide to high-risk merchant accounts in Australia first, then tell us what you sell.
What Speeds Up or Slows Down Your Application
Approval time depends on the acquirer, your business and how complete your file is. There's no single number that fits everyone. Tell us what you sell and we'll give you a realistic timeframe. What you can control:
What speeds it up:
- Sending every document with the first application, not one at a time
- The same legal name on your ABN record, bank account, website and application
- A live website with all its policies in place
- Recent statements showing low refunds and chargebacks
- Realistic volume estimates and a plain description of what you sell
What slows it down:
- Name or address mismatches, such as a personal bank account for a company
- A missing or unfinished website
- Products that need a closer review, or a past account closure you didn't mention
- Unanswered follow-up questions from the underwriter
- Applying for Australia and the U.S. without planning for two reviews, one per account
After approval, your payment software and any terminals still need to be set up and tested before your first sale. If you're moving from another provider, keep your old facility open until the new one is live.
Want the general, non-country-specific version of these steps? See the step-by-step merchant account application guide. For an overview of every Australian option, start at Australian merchant accounts.
General payments guidance, not legal or tax advice. Rules and rates as of September 28, 2026. Requirements vary by acquirer and by business.
Questions About Applying for a Merchant Facility
Do I need an ABN to get a merchant facility?
Applications usually ask for one, because it shows you're running a business. Companies also give their ACN. Registering for an ABN is free through the Australian Business Register. If you don't have one yet, tell us, and we'll tell you what applies.
Can a sole trader or a new business apply?
Yes, both can apply. Without processing statements, underwriters rely more on your ABN record, your website, what you sell and your ID. A complete website and realistic sales estimates help most.
Is a merchant facility the same as a merchant account?
Yes. "Merchant facility" is the Australian term and "merchant account" the U.S. one. Both mean an arrangement with an acquirer that lets you take cards and pays the money into your business bank account.
Is there one application for Australia and the U.S.?
No. Taking cards in both countries the right way means two merchant accounts, an Australian account in AUD and a U.S. account in USD, so there are two applications. START sets up both and manages them together.
Ready to apply?
Tell us where you sell (Australia, the U.S. or both) and we'll tell you which account and documents you need. START has been in payments for 20+ years and has set up more than 60,000 Authorize.Net accounts.
New to this topic? Start with our Australian Merchant Accounts overview.
