Whitney Vandiver joined NerdWallet in 2021. She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Central Oklahoma and a doctorate in linguistics from Purdue University. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and others.
Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Whitney Vandiver joined NerdWallet in 2021. She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Central Oklahoma and a doctorate in linguistics from Purdue University. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and others.
Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Robert Beaupre leads the SMB team at NerdWallet. He has covered financial topics as an editor for more than a decade. Before joining NerdWallet he served as senior editorial manager of QuinStreet's insurance sites and managing editor of Insure.com, and as an online media manager for the University of Nevada, Reno.
Robert Beaupre leads the SMB team at NerdWallet. He has covered financial topics as an editor for more than a decade. Before joining NerdWallet he served as senior editorial manager of QuinStreet's insurance sites and managing editor of Insure.com, and as an online media manager for the University of Nevada, Reno.
NerdWallet's content is
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It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure
the information is as clear and complete as possible. Learn more by checking
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Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
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NerdWallet's small-business software content, including ratings, recommendations and reviews, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business software, including payment processing, accounting and payroll. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, Yahoo Finance and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity to ensure accuracy and fairness in our coverage.
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We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. While we don’t cover every company or financial product on
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However, these factors do not influence our editors’ opinions or ratings, which are based on independent research and analysis. Our partners cannot
pay us to guarantee favorable reviews.
Here is a list of our partners.
Whitney Vandiver joined NerdWallet in 2021. She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Central Oklahoma and a doctorate in linguistics from Purdue University. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and others.
Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Whitney Vandiver joined NerdWallet in 2021. She has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Central Oklahoma and a doctorate in linguistics from Purdue University. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and others.
Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Robert Beaupre leads the SMB team at NerdWallet. He has covered financial topics as an editor for more than a decade. Before joining NerdWallet he served as senior editorial manager of QuinStreet's insurance sites and managing editor of Insure.com, and as an online media manager for the University of Nevada, Reno.
Robert Beaupre leads the SMB team at NerdWallet. He has covered financial topics as an editor for more than a decade. Before joining NerdWallet he served as senior editorial manager of QuinStreet's insurance sites and managing editor of Insure.com, and as an online media manager for the University of Nevada, Reno.
NerdWallet's content is
fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness, and relevance by humans.
It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure
the information is as clear and complete as possible. Learn more by checking
our
Editorial Guidelines.
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
80+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
75+ categories of best business software selections.
NerdWallet's small-business software content, including ratings, recommendations and reviews, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business software, including payment processing, accounting and payroll. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, Yahoo Finance and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity to ensure accuracy and fairness in our coverage.
Advertiser disclosure
You're our first priority.
Every time.
We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. While we don’t cover every company or financial product on
the market, we work hard to share a wide range of offers and objective
editorial perspectives.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us for advertisements
that appear on our site. This compensation helps us provide tools and
services - like free credit score access and monitoring. With the
exception of mortgage, home equity and other home-lending products or
services, partner compensation is one of several factors that may affect
which products we highlight and where they appear on our site. Other
factors include your credit profile, product availability and
proprietary website methodologies.
However, these factors do not influence our editors’ opinions or ratings, which are based on independent research and analysis. Our partners cannot
pay us to guarantee favorable reviews.
Here is a list of our partners.
Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us
when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not
influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.
Cash App for Business
The bottom line:
Cash App Business is a convenient way for solopreneurs to accept payments from just about anywhere — no hardware required. But it's not the best for businesses completing more than a handful of sales each day. Its processing fees can add up, and it has fewer capabilities than more traditional processors, like PayPal. That’s why we recommend using it alongside a payment processor.
Software details
Payment processing fees
2.6% + $0.15
Monthly fee
$0
Pros & Cons
Pros
QR codes make it easy for customers to find your account and pay.
Automatically sends the appropriate tax forms at the end of the year.
Provides access to additional personal account features, like stock trading.
Cons
Transaction fees are higher than those of some other payment apps.
Standard transfers may take up to three business days and instant transfers cost extra.
Zelle: Better for free transfers. Unlike Cash App, Zelle doesn’t charge money to transfer funds between bank accounts. Plus, funds are usually available within minutes. You’ll just need to confirm your business bank account supports the integration. We don’t recommend it as a standalone solution, however, because you can’t use it for credit card payments. Read our full Zelle review.
Venmo business account: Better transaction fees. Similar to Cash App, Venmo's business account lets customers transfer funds digitally or pay with a card. But its transaction rates are lower. It charges 1.9% plus 10 cents per transfer between Venmo account balances. Read our full Venmo business account review.
PayPal: Better payment processing features. PayPal has extra features that Cash App doesn’t. These include sales reporting, POS hardware for in-person sales and a variety of fraud protection add-ons. Read our full PayPal Business review.
Full review
Cash App is a peer-to-peer money transfer app from Block, Inc. The business version of the platform supports sole proprietors, single-member LLCs and nonprofits. That means many business types, such as partnerships and multi-member LLCs, need to look elsewhere.
We think Cash App Business is a good option for very small mobile businesses that fall into those categories. It lets them quickly accept payments from debit and credit cards, some prepaid cards and Cash App balance transfers.
But it shouldn’t be your business’s only payment option. We recommend using it alongside other payment processing services from companies like PayPal, Square or Stripe.
These services offer more features than Cash App Business does. Some examples include sales analytics, POS hardware and accounting software integrations. Most businesses should have access to these things, especially if they plan to grow.
2.6% plus 15 cents per transaction between Cash App accounts.
3% per Tap to Pay transaction.
Monthly fee
None.
Hardware cost
Cash App does not sell hardware, but does integrate with Square registers and terminals. Money transfers and card transactions are completed digitally through the app.
Contract length
No contract.
Customer support
Phone support available every day from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST. Chat support is also available through the app.
Where Cash App Business stands out
QR code payments
Businesses can use Cash App to create unique QR codes. Customers simply scan them with their smartphones and pay you. Business owners can display the codes at pop-up shops or other venues. Plus, they don’t require any hardware outside of a smartphone.
Tax documentation
Cash App Business accounts that exceed $20,000 in gross sales and 200 business payments in a tax year will receive the appropriate tax documentation. This can help them save a good deal of time during tax filing season. If you have a Cash App Business account and use a Square POS system, the company will aggregate the payment total and report it on your 1099-K form.
Unique features — for personal accounts
Cash App requires business owners to create a personal account first. And it comes with some unique capabilities (outside of digital money transfers).
For example, you can use Cash App to buy stocks with funds in your personal account balance. If you’re new to investing, it’s a simple, low-cost way to dip your toes in the water. You can also file your taxes with Cash App for free. (It doesn’t, however, support filing business returns for S-corps, C-corps or multi-member LLCs.)
Since you use the same login information for your personal and business accounts, it should be easy to switch back and forth between the two. That said, it’s important to keep your business and personal transactions separate for tax purposes. Just make sure you double-check which account type you’re in when using the app.
Where Cash App Business falls short
Transaction fees
Cash App Business comes with transaction fees. This is typical with peer-to-peer business accounts. But 2.6% plus 15 cents per transaction between Cash App accounts is higher than some competitors' rates. So is the 3% fee per Tap to Pay transaction.
For example, Venmo charges 1.9% plus 10 cents for payments made between Venmo accounts. And it charges 2.29% plus 10 cents for Tap to Pay payments. Zelle leaves fees up to banks instead of charging businesses directly, but most opt to limit your number of transactions instead. (Bank of America’s daily cap is 20, for instance.)
Direct deposit timing
Cash App says it deposits funds in one to three business days typically. One to two business days is pretty standard in the industry. So the possibility that you may have to wait an extra day could slightly throw off your cash flow. If five business days have passed and you still haven’t received your funds, Cash App suggests reaching out to their support team.
Cash App Business used to offer free instant transfers to a linked debit card. This gave it a big advantage over other peer-to-peer competitors. But now, similar to PayPal and Venmo, it charges an additional 0.5%-1.75% fee for them.
Receipt requirements
Businesses using Cash App must offer a receipt for transactions over $15 (receipts can be shared via web link). The platform also requires businesses to give customers the option to sign (or decline to sign) for purchases over $25. This isn’t the worst thing. But it’s certainly an added step to consider, especially if you’re mostly making sales on the go.
What small-business owners think of Cash App
NerdWallet checked online forums like Reddit and reviews from sites like TrustPilot, G2, the App Store and Google Play to gauge how users feel about Cash App. We used an AI tool to help analyze this feedback. Here are the major trends we spotted.
👍 Convenience
Positive comments about Cash App often mention its convenience and ease of use. This is no surprise. The app is free to download and has a straightforward setup process. Plus, it requires zero hardware. If you just need a way to occasionally accept payments for a side hustle, Cash App is great. Just know that its simplicity can be limiting if your business grows.
👎 Customer support
Some online commenters criticize Cash App’s customer support. They say it’s difficult to solve problems even after talking to multiple representatives. Other users claim the platform blocked charges, and customer support couldn’t do anything to fix it.
You’ll find complaints about most payment processing companies’ customer support. But the feedback is still important to consider.
In this case, I don’t like that Cash App lists the same phone numbers for consumer and business support. That suggests there’s no dedicated support team for business owners. Payment processing companies, on the other hand, deal almost exclusively with businesses. That suggests they may have more experience with the issues they experience.
NerdWallet’s writers and editors independently review payment products, like Cash App Business, by analyzing more than 30 data points. We collected data from Cash App’s public-facing website.
Our payment provider ratings range from one to five stars overall. Since Cash App is more of a money transfer app than a true payment processor, we approached it differently than some of its competitors. This involved running it through two rubrics — one for payment processors and the other for payment gateways. Then, we took the average of the two scores.
Our evaluations also take user sentiment into account. We looked through individual reviews and feedback on sites like Trustpilot, the App Store, Google Play and Reddit. Then, we use AI tools to help spot larger trends within those comments. Since we cannot verify each user’s individual experience, we don’t incorporate user reviews in our star ratings.
For more information on how we score payment providers, see our full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Before you can have a Cash App business account, you need to set up a personal account. You start by downloading the app to your phone. Then, you add your phone number or email address and connect the app to your bank account. That way, you can access and receive funds.
From there, you visit your account profile, click “create a business account” and select your business type. You’ll go through an identity verification process and, in some cases, provide your business’s EIN. Cash App will show a green badge in your profile when you finish the process.
Setting up a Cash App business account is free. But you’ll pay 2.6% plus 15 cents per transaction between Cash App accounts and 3% per Tap to Pay transaction. Cash App business accounts are also liable for additional fees for processing chargebacks.
Cash App says it may charge fees for mediating disputes, but it doesn’t disclose the cost. Typically, payment processing companies charge $15-$25 per chargeback.
Other than the setup process, the biggest difference is transaction fees. Personal transactions don’t incur any fees, whereas business transactions do. Additionally, Cash App sends businesses a Form 1099-K for tax purposes.
Methodology
NerdWallet independently reviews payment processing companies before determining our top picks. We collect the data for our software ratings from products’ public-facing websites and from company representatives. Our editorial team reviews information on a regular basis for consistency and accuracy.
We also periodically update our scoring system to reflect changing industry norms and business needs. For instance, in 2026, we dropped the “free trials” category from our rubric. Payment processing systems can be time-consuming to set up. Testing out multiple products isn’t an ideal approach. Instead, we recommend taking cost and features into consideration.
NerdWallet’s ratings of payment processing providers rewards companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria.
Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including overall cost, hardware and software options, system capabilities, customer service, contract requirements and integrations. Learn more about how we rate payment processing providers.
These ratings are a guide, but fees, hardware, software and contract requirements can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.