Right away
Run a small test sale
Charge yourself a dollar, refund it, and make sure the receipt looks right with your name and logo.
How do you get set up on a free POS?
How to set up a POS system, from signup to first sale
To set up a POS system on a free plan, you sign up through our link, add your bank account and your items, and take your first payment, often the same day.
No sales call. No install appointment. If you can set up a new phone, you can do this.
Step by step
Getting set up on Square Free
Seven short steps. Most people finish the first five in one sitting.
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Step 1
Click our signup link
Use any "Get started free" button on this site. It opens Square's own signup page.
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Step 2
Create your account
Enter an email and a password, then your business name and the kind of business you run. Signing up is free, with no commitments or long-term contracts.
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Step 3
Verify your business
Square asks for your business details and personal information to verify your identity, which federal rules require before it can pay you.
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Step 4
Link your bank account
Add the checking account where you want your deposits to land.
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Step 5
Download Square Point of Sale
It's free in the App Store and Google Play. Sign in with your new account.
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Step 6
Add your items
Type them in, scan barcodes, or import a spreadsheet from your old system.
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Step 7
Take your first payment
Tap a card on your phone with Tap to Pay, or pair a Square reader. Money hits your bank as soon as the next business day.
After you sign up
What the first week usually looks like
Nothing dramatic, which is the point. Here's what to do once your account is open.
First few days
Watch the first deposit
Check that the money lands in the right account. Standard deposits arrive on a set schedule, usually the next business day.
First week
Tidy up your items
Fix prices, add photos and set up taxes and discounts once you've seen how real sales flow.
When you're ready
Add hardware if you want it
Start on your phone. Add a reader, stand or printer later, once you know what slows you down.
Switching from another POS?
Move over in this order and nothing falls through the cracks
Most of the work is moving your item list. Our guide to switching POS systems covers contracts, data and hardware in more detail.
One thing people miss: if your old provider leased you hardware, the lease usually keeps going even after you cancel the processing. Check before you switch.
- Export your items and customers from the old system as a spreadsheet.
- Download your sales reports for at least the past year.
- Read your old contract for cancellation terms and any equipment you have to return.
- Import the spreadsheet into the new POS and spot-check prices.
- Run both systems side by side for a few days.
- Cancel the old one in writing once the new one is handling everything.
How we get paid (so you know)
POSUSA is an authorized Square reseller, and Square pays POSUSA when you sign up through our link and keep processing cards. You don't pay us anything, and your rates are Square's regular published rates. If we didn't think the free plan was a good deal, we wouldn't send people to it. Full disclosure here.
Questions
Setup questions
How long does it take to set up a POS system?
Most small businesses take their first payment the same day. Signing up takes minutes. The slow part is your item list: a dozen items is a coffee break, and a full store catalog goes a lot faster as a spreadsheet import.
What do I need to set up a POS system?
Your legal business name and address, your SSN or EIN, the routing and account number for your business checking, a rough list of what you sell, and a phone or tablet. Hardware can wait until you know what you need.
Can I bring my items over from my old POS?
Yes. Square lets you import items from a spreadsheet, so export your item list from the old system first. Our guide to switching POS systems covers what to move and in what order.
More answers on the FAQ page and in our free POS guides, or call (888) 243-3831.
Start on the free plan. Upgrade only if you need to.
Square Free costs $0 a month. You pay 2.6% + 15ยข when a customer taps, dips or swipes a card, and nothing on cash.
No monthly fee on the free plan. No long-term contract. Cancel anytime.
Free POS System is operated by POSUSA, an authorized Square reseller. POSUSA may earn compensation when you sign up through our link. It doesn't cost you a cent more. Read our disclosure.