This article provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to opening new Payhawk company accounts in the US.
Why do cardholders of US companies need to enter their social security number (SSN)?
To comply with the USA Patriot Act 2001, all financial institutions need to have a customer identification policy. At Payhawk, we require each cardholder of an onboarded US entity to enter the following information on their User Profile:
Name
Date of Birth
Citizenship
Social Security Number
Yes/No to the question “I am a politically exposed person”
This data can be entered by the staff member themselves, or by the organization’s Payhawk Administrator. All data stored in Payhawk is SOC 2 Type 2 Compliant, and you can review Payhawk's Security Policy online.
When is a Social Security Number (SSN) required for employees using Payhawk?
In compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act, employees who wish to be issued a Payhawk card (physical or virtual) must provide their SSN in their profile.
However, employees who only use Payhawk for reimbursements and do not have cards are not blocked from logging in or using the platform if they have not provided their SSN.
What happens if an employee does not provide their SSN?
Employees cannot be issued a card (physical or virtual) without an SSN on file.
The Payhawk Mobile App will remind users to enter their SSN, but this is a non-blocking experience. Employees can still access and use the Payhawk platform for reimbursement-related activities.
Payhawk Administrators should encourage cardholders to complete their SSN details to remain compliant and enable card issuance.
Is SSN entry enforced in the Payhawk platform?
No. There is no system blocker preventing employees from logging in or using Payhawk if they have not provided their SSN. However, card issuance is not possible without it.
What if you are issuing a card to an individual based overseas who does not have a Social Security Number?
Employees can select No social security number? and enter the following information on their personal Payhawk profile:
Name
Date of birth
Citizenship
Government ID/Passport Number
Expiration
Yes/No to the question I am a politically exposed person
Payhawk does not require copies of any individual identity documents for the purpose of issuing cards and doesn’t run any details against any database.
Why is cardholder verification failing with an error stating that the Tax ID is invalid or duplicated?
This error occurs when the personal Tax ID (for example, Social Security Number or Individual Tax Identification Number) entered during cardholder verification either:
Already exists in the system - it has been registered to another individual, such as a business owner, officer, or another cardholder on the account.
Is invalid - the format or value does not match expected requirements.
The Tax ID requested during cardholder verification is the individual's personal identifier, not the company's Employer Identification Number (EIN).
To amend their Tax ID and other personal details, employees need to:
Navigate to the Payhawk Web Portal.
Hover over their profile picture, select Manage profile and, then, Personal info.
Can I issue a card to a shared or team email account instead of a specific individual?
No. For US-issued cards (and certain other jurisdictions), cardholder verification is a regulatory requirement. Each cardholder must be a real individual with their own unique personal Tax ID (for example, SSN or ITIN).
A shared or team email can still be used as a Payhawk platform user for:
Managing expenses
Approving transactions
Viewing reports
However, it cannot be verified as a cardholder because it does not represent a single individual with a personal Tax ID.
To issue a card, assign the card to a real individual. That person must provide:
Legal name
Date of birth
Personal Tax ID (SSN or ITIN)
Other required verification details
These requirements are specific to US card programs due to Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. Other regions or card providers may have different requirements.