Are you a CPA looking to expand your services by offering merchant account services to your clients? If so, you’ve come to the right place. This ultimate guide to the best merchant accounts for CPAs was designed to help you choose a payment processing provider.
We’ll cover the ins and outs of merchant accounts, the criteria for selecting the best provider for your business, and the top merchant account providers for CPAs. With the right information, you’ll be able to make an informed decision and choose the merchant account provider that best suits your business needs. So, let’s get started!
What is a Merchant Account?
A merchant account is a payment processing account that allows you to accept credit card payments from your customers and clients. Merchant accounts are available for various industries, including accounting, law, and medical practices.
Many CPAs will use a merchant account to offer payment processing services to their clients. While a merchant account will allow you to accept credit card payments, it’s important to note that they don’t provide the credit cards themselves. Credit card processing is highly regulated, and the federal government has strict rules and regulations that all providers must follow.
That’s why having a merchant account differs from having a credit card processor. The merchant account is simply the account that is used to transfer money between you and your client when they make a purchase.
Benefits of having a merchant account
Chargeback protection
The card issuer will reverse the transaction when a client disputes a charge and wins. The money will be returned to the client, and your business will lose out on the money. However, if you have a merchant account, the processor will cover the chargeback and make the client repay them.
Access to new customers
Many credit card companies offer incentives to customers who use their cards. A merchant account will allow you to accept credit cards in your practice, making it easier for clients to pay for their services. As a result, you’ll be able to attract new customers and increase your overall revenue.
Access to advanced features
With a merchant account, you’ll be able to take advantage of advanced features such as recurring billing, multiple currencies, and more.
Easy setup
You’ll need to apply with a payment processing company to get a merchant account. Once approved, they will walk you through the setup process and help you get everything up and running quickly and easily.
Top Merchant Account Providers for CPAs
This list of the top merchant services for accountants is provided for your convenience in the hope that it will assist you in locating the service that best meets your needs. The businesses on this list provide a variety of services that make it simpler for you to be paid, including tools for creating invoices, connectivity with accounting systems, and virtual terminals.
However, they are renowned for offering low-commitment contracts with straightforward pricing and high-quality customer service. Be sure to research the goods and features offered by each processor and compare their price and terms to pick the best provider for your accounting firm.
First American Merchant
First American Merchant is a top merchant account provider for CPAs and other businesses. They offer customized plans for businesses of all sizes and can help walk you through the setup process. Their plans are flexible and offer several benefits to businesses of all sizes, including fraud detection and chargeback protection.
National Processing
National Processing provides a variety of processing alternatives for small businesses and can help certified public accountants find the POS system or remote terminal that is best suited to meet their requirements.
Both of the pricing alternatives that the company provides, an interchange-plus program and a “zero-fee” program, provide customers with prices that are on par with or lower than those of its competitors.
Only one complaint in the past three years has been lodged against National Processing, and it does not raise any serious concerns. As a result, the company has a spotless reputation. Based on the findings of our impartial analysis, most CPAs should consider National Processing as a reliable alternative.
Payology
Payology provides cloud-based payment processing solutions to businesses of all sizes. They specialize in providing easy-to-use solutions for small businesses and sole proprietors.
PayPal
If you’re looking for a way to accept payments from clients, friends, and family, you may want to consider PayPal. PayPal is a payment platform that allows you to accept payments from anyone with an account.
PaymentCloud
PaymentCloud is a merchant account provider specializing in catering to high-risk businesses. The company’s headquarters are located in Woodland Hills, California. Point-of-sale solutions, cell phone swipers, a digital payment gateway and digital terminal, EMV-compatible machines, and merchant cash payments are some of this company’s products and services. PaymentCloud is an excellent choice for CPAs since it provides this flexibility in terms of payment alternatives.
For their relationship with PaymentCloud, PaymentCloud assigns a special account rep to each new merchant. The organization has not been the subject of any unfavorable complaints in consumer courts. It tailors its price to the nature of each merchant’s enterprise and their previous processing activities. PaymentCloud currently does not have a profile on the BBB’s website, but CPO has awarded the firm with an “A” grade.
How to Choose the Right Provider
Find out what features you need
Before you start shopping around for the best merchant accounts for CPAs, you’ll need to determine what features you need in a provider. Think about how many transactions you expect to process, how many employees will need access to the system, what other services you want to include in your plan, and more.
Shop around
Once you have a general idea of what you’re looking for in a merchant account provider, it’s time to start shopping around. Start with a search on Google. You can also check out sites like Trustmark and BBB to see what other customers say about different providers.
Ask for references
Once you’ve narrowed down the field, it’s time to ask for references. Call past customers and ask them about their experience with the provider. You may also consider signing up for a free trial to test their services first-hand.
Conclusion
One needs a keen eye to spot and sidestep the many traps found in contracts. On the other hand, certified public accountants can use several advantageous payment processing options, such as online billing, accounting software connection, and virtual terminals, to avoid incurring exorbitant expenditures and signing long-term leases.
With all of this information, you should now understand what a merchant account is and how it can benefit your business. However, with so many providers, how will you know which one to choose?
The best merchant accounts for CPAs provide a wide range of benefits while being easy to use. By following this guide, you’ll be able to find the right provider and enjoy the many benefits of having a merchant account.
