# Do you need an LLC for a Shopify store?

Source: https://joinopenfile.com/guides/llc-for-shopify-stores
Index: https://joinopenfile.com/llms.txt

No. If you're opening a store to earn more or to build something of your own, Shopify Payments lets you start as an individual with your SSN or ITIN. An LLC separates the business from you in most instances. Shopify still asks for the owner's SSN or ITIN either way.

Updated November 2, 2026

## What Shopify Payments asks for

With no EIN, you choose Individual and give your legal name, date of birth, SSN or ITIN, email, phone and home address. A sole proprietor with an EIN chooses Sole Proprietorship and adds the business name, EIN and business contact details. An LLC gives its EIN, and the owner's SSN or ITIN is still required.

Payouts go to a US checking account or a Shopify Balance account. Savings accounts aren't accepted. Some industries are barred whatever the structure, so check Shopify's terms before you build.

## What an LLC changes

A bank account: you don't need an LLC to get one, because banks open business accounts for sole proprietors too. With an LLC, expect to bring your articles of organization and usually an EIN.

Credit: an LLC doesn't come with business credit. Dun & Bradstreet calls new LLCs blank slates, and the SBA says a new business's borrowing usually rests on its owner's personal credit. A D-U-N-S number is free, but it's an ID, not a score.

Liability: this is the real reason to form one. You sell to the public and you may owe suppliers, and an LLC keeps those claims with the business in most instances. It won't cover what you personally guarantee.

## Protect the store name

Your domain, your legal name and your brand are three different things. Check them together: a [free trademark search](https://joinopenfile.com/trademark-search) shows live federal marks and whether the .com looks open. A [business name search](https://joinopenfile.com/business-search) shows what your state has on record.

## From filing to first sale

Check the name, then [form the LLC](https://joinopenfile.com/llc) and [get an EIN](https://joinopenfile.com/guides/how-to-get-an-ein). Open a checking account in the LLC's name. Set up Shopify Payments with the name and EIN exactly as they appear on your IRS documents, because Shopify may ask for your IRS letter if it can't verify them.

## Questions

Does Shopify Payments require an EIN?

Not for an Individual. Shopify says individuals are single person businesses that haven't registered for an EIN, and they use an SSN or ITIN.

Can a sole proprietor use Shopify Payments?

Yes. Choose Individual with no EIN, or Sole Proprietorship if you have one.

Does an LLC help me get business credit?

Not by itself. A new LLC starts with no credit history, and lenders usually look at the owner at first.

[Start my business](https://joinopenfile.com/signup?next=%2Fstart)

$0 + state and processing fees. Takes seconds.

## Sources

- [Shopify Help Center: Shopify Payments requirements in the US](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries/united-states/requirements)
- [SBA: Launch your business](https://www.sba.gov/counseling/launch-your-business/)
- [SBA: Plan your business](https://www.sba.gov/counseling/plan-your-business/)
- [Chase: Business bank account information](https://www.chase.com/business/resources/business-bank-account-information)
- [Dun & Bradstreet: How to build business credit](https://www.dnb.com/en-us/smb/resources/credit-scores/how-to-build-business-credit.html)
- [Dun & Bradstreet: Get a D-U-N-S Number](https://www.dnb.com/en-us/smb/duns/get-a-duns.html)

## Keep reading

- [Should Amazon sellers form an LLC?](https://joinopenfile.com/guides/llc-for-amazon-sellers)
- [How to get an EIN for your business](https://joinopenfile.com/guides/how-to-get-an-ein)
- [How to check if a business name is available](https://joinopenfile.com/guides/check-business-name-availability)