You just bought your first Square device. The box is on your counter. You're a few hours away from taking your first card payment, and your only goal right now is getting up and running without something going wrong.

This guide walks through exactly what to do from the moment you open the box to the moment you take your first sale. It's written for sellers using Square for the first time, regardless of which device you bought. We'll call out the differences where they matter.

Before You Open the Box

Take five minutes to do these three things first. They'll save you headaches later.

Decide who owns the Square account. Whoever creates the account becomes the legal owner of all sales data, banking, and payouts. For most small businesses, this is the owner. For larger teams, this is whoever handles the books. The person creating the account should have access to your business email, business phone, and bank account information.

Have your business information ready. You'll need your legal business name, EIN (or SSN if you're a sole proprietor), business address, business phone, business email, and bank account details for deposits. If you don't have an EIN yet and you're operating as a sole proprietor, your SSN works fine.

Make sure your Wi-Fi is solid. Almost every Square setup issue traces back to Wi-Fi problems. Test your connection in the spot where the device will live. If your bars are weak there, fix that before you start. A mesh network or Wi-Fi extender pays for itself the first time it saves you from a frozen checkout during a rush.

Step 1: Create Your Square Account

Go to squareup.com on a computer or phone and click Get Started. The signup walks you through:

  1. Email and password
  2. Business name and type
  3. Industry (restaurants, retail, services, etc.)
  4. Estimated annual sales volume
  5. Where you'll be selling (in person, online, both)
  6. Bank account for deposits

Square uses your industry selection to recommend the right software (Square for Restaurants, Square for Retail, etc.). You can change this later, so don't agonize over it.

The bank account verification typically takes one to two business days. You can start taking payments immediately, but funds won't transfer to your bank until verification clears.

Step 2: Open the Box

Inside, depending on which device you bought, you'll find:

Square Reader for Contactless and Chip: the reader itself and a USB-C charging cable.

Square Handheld: the device, power cable, and power adapter.

Square Terminal: the device, power adapter cable, power adapter, and one roll of receipt paper.

Square Stand: the stand, USB hub with three USB-A ports, power adapter cable, power adapter, drill mount, adhesive mount, and an iPad adapter for Air or Pro models.

Square Kiosk: the device, USB hub, power adapter, mounting brackets (angled and flat wall), drywall drill bit, screwdriver bit, wall screws, anchors, VESA screws, security screw, and an iPad adapter.

Square Register: the seller display, customer display, customer display cable, power adapter, hub, and mounting plate with screws.

Set everything out before plugging anything in. Take a quick inventory to make sure nothing is missing.

Step 3: Charge or Plug In Your Device

Most Square hardware ships partially charged but not fully. Plug in and let it charge while you continue setup.

Battery-powered devices (Reader, Handheld, Terminal): plug into power and let charge for at least 30 minutes before unplugging.

Always-plugged devices (Register, Stand, Kiosk): plug into a stable power source. Square Register specifically must stay plugged in at all times since it has no internal battery.

If you bought Square Stand or Square Kiosk, you'll also need a compatible USB-C iPad. Make sure the iPad is on the latest iPadOS before going further.

Step 4: Connect to Wi-Fi

Power on your device and follow the on-screen prompts to connect to your Wi-Fi network.

Square recommends a connection of at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload for smooth operation. If your speeds are below that, your device will work but transactions may feel sluggish.

For Square Stand and Kiosk, the iPad handles Wi-Fi. For Reader, your paired phone or tablet handles Wi-Fi. Everything else uses its own built-in Wi-Fi.

If you have a backup internet option (mobile hotspot, ethernet via accessory hub, secondary Wi-Fi network), set that up now too. The few minutes you spend now save you from a panic moment six months from now when your primary internet drops during a busy shift.

Step 5: Sign In and Pair Your Device

On the device's screen, sign in with the Square account you created in Step 1. Square may send a confirmation code to your email or phone to verify the device is yours.

For Square Stand, Kiosk, and Reader, you'll download the Square Point of Sale app on your iPad or phone first, then sign in there. The hardware pairs automatically once you're signed into the app.

For Handheld, Terminal, and Register, sign-in happens directly on the device.

This step usually takes under five minutes. If it stalls, your Wi-Fi is the most likely culprit.

Step 6: Build Your Item Library

This is the step most new sellers underestimate. Your item library is what makes checkout fast. Without it, your team will be typing in custom amounts on every transaction, which slows everything down and makes reporting useless.

You don't need to enter every product on day one. Start with your top 20 items, the ones you sell most often. You can add more as you go.

For each item, enter:

  • Item name
  • Price
  • Category (drinks, food, services, etc.)
  • Tax setting (taxable or not)
  • SKU or barcode (if you scan)
  • Photo (optional but useful for visual menus)

You can do this from the Square Dashboard on a computer, which is dramatically faster than typing on a touchscreen. Bulk import via spreadsheet is also an option for businesses with hundreds of items.

Step 7: Set Up Taxes

Sales tax in the U.S. varies by state and often by city or county. Square handles tax calculation automatically once you tell it your business address and tax rate.

Go to Settings, then Taxes, in your Square Dashboard. Enter your local sales tax rate. If you sell in multiple locations or online to other states, you may need to configure additional rates.

If you're not sure what your tax rate is, check with your state's department of revenue or your accountant. Getting this wrong on day one means manually fixing receipts later, which is no fun.

Step 8: Take a Test Transaction

Before your first real customer, run a test transaction with your own card or a team member's. Charge a small amount, like $1 or $5.

This confirms:

  • The card reader works
  • The transaction processes successfully
  • The receipt prints or sends correctly
  • The sale appears in your dashboard
  • Funds will transfer to your bank account

If anything fails, now is the time to find out, not when a paying customer is standing in front of you. After the test transaction succeeds, refund yourself.

Step 9: Configure Receipts

Set up your business information so receipts look professional:

  • Business name (as you want it to appear)
  • Business address
  • Phone number
  • Logo (upload from Settings, then Receipts)
  • Return policy text
  • Custom message at the bottom (thank you, social media handles, etc.)

This takes ten minutes and dramatically increases the chance customers remember your business name.

Step 10: Add Team Members

If anyone else will be using the device, add them as team members in the Square Dashboard. Square supports different permission levels:

Account owners see everything and can change everything.

Managers see most things and can manage staff but can't change banking or close the account.

Team members can take payments, process refunds (if granted), and view their own sales but can't see overall financials.

Each team member gets their own login, which lets you track who rang up what sale. This becomes essential the first time you need to reconcile a discrepancy.

What to Do in Your First Week

After your first day, spend a few minutes each evening reviewing:

Daily sales summary. Spot any unusual patterns or transactions early.

Inventory levels. If you're tracking inventory, make sure counts are accurate.

Failed transactions. Square logs every failed payment attempt. A spike in failures usually means a connection issue worth investigating.

Bank deposits. Confirm money is arriving in your bank account on the schedule Square told you.

By the end of week one, you should have a clean rhythm. By the end of month one, you'll wonder how you ever ran your business without it.

Common First-Day Mistakes to Avoid

A few things that trip up new sellers:

Skipping the test transaction. Don't. Every device works in the showroom and fails on the showroom floor. Test before you go live.

Ignoring the item library. Manual amount entry is fine for one customer. By transaction 50, your team will be exhausted and your reports will be useless.

Setting up tax later. It feels like a small thing on day one but compounds into hours of cleanup if you don't get it right immediately.

Not connecting your bank account. Square holds your funds until your bank account is verified. Make sure that completes within the first few days.

Forgetting to charge your device the night before. This sounds obvious until you forget and the device dies during opening rush.

Need a Hand?

Setting up Square is genuinely simple, but every business has small wrinkles. If you bought your hardware from Guardian Payment Services and run into something, our Waco team is here to help. We've walked dozens of business owners through their first day on Square and most issues take five minutes to sort out.

Contact our team and we'll talk you through it. No charge, no upsell, just real help from people who know Square hardware inside and out.

For more help choosing or expanding your setup, browse our Square Handheld, Square Terminal, Square Stand, Square Register, Square Kiosk, and Square Reader collections.

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