Shopify Payments Setup: How to Set Up Payments Step by Step

Here is how to set up Shopify Payments from start to finish. The exact screens and fields depend on the country your business is in, but the order is the same.

1. Check you're eligible. Your business has to be located in one of the countries Shopify Payments supports (listed below), and your products and business type have to be allowed.
2. Turn on two-step authentication. Shopify requires it on your account before you can use Shopify Payments.
3. Open the payments settings. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings, Payments and start the Shopify Payments account setup.
4. Add your business and personal details. Shopify uses them to verify you. What it asks for depends on your country and business type.
5. Add the bank account for payouts. Check the details carefully: wrong bank details are one of the reasons Shopify puts payouts on hold.
6. Choose a payout schedule. Daily, weekly or monthly, under Manage, Payouts.
7. Switch on wallets. Under Manage, Wallets, turn on Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
8. Test, then go live. Place test orders in test mode, then turn test mode off so real payments are captured.

If Shopify asks for more information later, a banner appears in your admin or the store owner gets an email. Answer it quickly, because payouts can stay on hold until you do.

Shopify Payments has three basic requirements before you start.

• A supported country. You can use Shopify Payments at checkout if your business is located in a supported country. Each country has its own rules for bank accounts and verification.
• Two-step authentication on your Shopify account.
• An eligible business. Unsupported business types and product eligibility issues are among the reasons Shopify gives for account holds. If your category is restricted, you'll need a third-party provider instead.

Shopify Payments supported countries

As of October 2026, Shopify lists 40 countries and regions: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

If your business is elsewhere, you set up a third-party payment provider from the same Settings, Payments page. Shopify then charges a transaction fee on top of the provider's own fees (see the fees section below).

Once your account is active, the Manage screen for Shopify Payments holds the settings that decide how you get paid and what customers see at checkout.

Wallets

Shop Pay is part of Shopify Payments and is charged at your Shopify Payments rates. Apple Pay needs SSL on your store's domain and a store that follows Apple's acceptable use guidelines. Google Pay is available with Shopify Payments in every region except France. Turn each one on under Wallets and click Save.

Fraud checks

Shopify's fraud analysis marks each order as low, medium or high risk of a fraud chargeback, with indicators for address and payment checks. Fraud recommendations are included when you use Shopify Payments. To act on risk automatically, for example by tagging high-risk orders or holding their fulfillment for review, build a workflow in Shopify Flow.

Set the payout schedule under Settings, Payments, Manage, Payouts. You can choose daily, weekly (pick the day) or monthly, and switching costs nothing. In Japan, daily payouts aren't available. When you change the schedule, pending payouts wait for the next date on the new schedule.

Each payout covers sales after a settlement period that depends on your country:

After Shopify sends a payout, banks usually take 1 to 3 business days to deposit it. If you change the bank account, payouts pause for 3 to 5 business days while Shopify verifies it, so avoid changing it right before a busy period.

Test mode lets you run orders through checkout without charging anyone.

1. Go to Settings, Payments. In the Shopify Payments section, click Manage.
2. In Test mode, select Enable test mode and click Save.
3. Place test orders with Shopify's test card numbers, such as 4242 4242 4242 4242 for Visa. Shopify also lists numbers that simulate declines and expired cards.
4. Turn test mode off when you're done, so real payments are captured.

Don't leave test mode on in a live store: while it's on, no real payments are captured. Express wallets such as Apple Pay can still complete checkout with a real card, but they don't charge it either. Test refunds and a declined card as well as a successful order, so you see what customers see.

With Shopify Payments, you pay a card rate on each sale, set by your plan. If you use a third-party provider instead, Shopify adds its own transaction fee on top of that provider's fees.

US rates from Shopify's pricing page, October 2026. Rates differ by country. For plan prices, see Shopify plans and pricing.

Three fee rules are worth knowing before you choose:

• With Shopify Payments as your main provider, you aren't charged third-party transaction fees on orders through Shopify Payments, Shop Pay or Shop Pay Installments.
• PayPal transactions are also exempt from the third-party fee when Shopify Payments is your main provider. Without it, they're charged.
• Shop Pay is only available through Shopify Payments. Shopify Protect, Shopify's free protection for eligible Shop Pay orders against fraudulent and unrecognized chargebacks, depends on it too.

A hold stops payouts, not your store: you can keep selling, but money won't reach your bank until the hold is resolved. Shopify lists these reasons:

• Information it asked for hasn't been provided.
• Incorrect bank details.
• Product eligibility issues or an unsupported business type.
• Sanctions linked to a location, or creditor or legal action.

The fastest fix is to provide what's requested and reply directly to Shopify's email. Check the banner in your admin and your spam folder. If payments fail at checkout rather than at payout, see Shopify Payments not working.

Most stores in a supported country can set up Shopify Payments themselves. Bring in a specialist if:

• Shopify Payments isn't available in your country and you need to choose and connect a third-party provider.
• Your products are in a restricted category and you need a provider that accepts them.
• You sell in several markets and need local payment methods and currencies set up per market. Shopify international expansion experts can plan that alongside Shopify Markets.
• You're moving from a third-party gateway to Shopify Payments and can't afford checkout downtime.
• Payouts are on hold and you're not sure what Shopify needs.

On shopexperts, 500 experts list payment gateway setup (October 2026). See Shopify payment gateway experts for typical price ranges by type of job. If payments are one part of a new store, Shopify store setup experts handle it with the rest of the launch.

Choosing between a freelancer and an agency? Read Shopify freelancer vs agency and Shopify expert red flags.

• Shopify Payments not working
• Shopify checkout setup
• Shopify Markets setup
• Shopify plans and pricing
• Shopify store setup checklist
• What kind of Shopify expert do I need?