Wholesale field guide
Square House Accounts for wholesale: where they fit
House Accounts are a good way to let regulars pay later at your counter. They are not built for business buyers who order online. Crate covers that part on top of your Square catalog.
The short answer
- House Accounts let a customer charge purchases at your point of sale and pay later by invoice or card on file.
- They are not available at Square Online checkout, and they do not give a buyer their own price list.
- Crate gives business buyers a login, their own prices and payment terms on your Square catalog, from $50/month.
What Square House Accounts do well
A house account lets you check out an order to a customer's account and collect payment later, by invoice or card on file (Square Support). You set a spending limit when you create the account, and Square tracks the running balance.
- Charge at the counter. Charging works on Square payment hardware and the point of sale app.
- Bill on a schedule. Balances are collected with Square Invoices, including recurring invoices and automatic card on file payments, with a balance statement attached as a PDF.
- No monthly fee. Square lists House Accounts at $0/month; you pay its normal processing rates when invoices are paid (Square).
Where they stop for online wholesale
| What a wholesale buyer needs | Square House Accounts | Square with Crate |
|---|---|---|
| Order online | Not at Square Online checkout. Open requests in the Square Community | Each buyer signs in to your wholesale portal and orders |
| Their own prices | Your normal prices, adjusted with discounts | Price tiers, volume breaks or prices for one customer |
| Pay later | Charge now, pay by invoice or card on file | Payment terms per buyer, such as Net 30, with a due date on each invoice |
| Getting paid | Square Invoices | Square Invoices, QuickBooks Online or Crate invoicing |
| Repeat orders | Rung up at the counter each time | Reorder from history, plus standing orders on Growth |
Crate runs alongside House Accounts, not through them. A Crate order goes on its own invoice with that buyer's terms; it is never charged to a Square House Account balance or counted against its spending limit.
Square's help article also says you cannot charge a house account from Virtual Terminal, split a charge with another payment type, or take prepayments. You create the first house account in Square Dashboard; Square says later accounts can be created from the point of sale app, and accounts are closed in Dashboard. Square's developer docs describe reading house account payments; they do not describe a way for other apps to create accounts or charge them.
Sellers keep running into the online gap. A request to enable House Accounts online for wholesale and trade catalogues is open, and in a wholesale methods thread a seller said the lack of online house accounts kept them from offering terms to wholesale accounts. For sellers in that position, the fallback is often taking orders by phone or email and building each invoice by hand.
When House Accounts are enough
- A few local accounts. An office or a neighbor business that picks up in person and settles monthly.
- Everyone pays the same price. You are fine with retail prices, or a discount at the register.
- Orders happen at the counter. Nobody needs to browse, order ahead or reorder from a phone.
Once buyers want to order online at their own prices, on terms, without calling you, you need a wholesale portal. That is the point where re-typing orders and building invoices starts to cost real time.
How Crate works alongside Square
Keep House Accounts for in-person regulars. Give business buyers Crate.
- Your catalog is already there. Crate pulls products, variations, images and stock from Square. You choose what is sold wholesale.
- Each buyer has a login and their own prices. Set a tier per type of account, volume breaks, or a price for one customer.
- Terms per buyer. Prepaid, due on receipt, COD, or Net 7 to Net 90. Buyers see what they owe in their portal.
- Keep Square invoicing if you want it. When Square is selected for wholesale invoicing, invoices go out as Square invoices and payment updates show in Crate. QuickBooks Online and Crate invoicing are the other options.
- Priced for small wholesale. $50/month for up to 20 active buyers, $80/month for up to 50 with standing orders and Crate invoicing.
For buyers who order online and pay on terms, see Square Net 30 terms. For a wider look at wholesale on Square, read Square wholesale ordering.
Setting it up
- 01Connect Square from Integrations in Crate and choose what is sold wholesale.
- 02Set prices and payment terms for each buyer or group of buyers.
- 03Choose where invoices go: Square, QuickBooks Online or Crate.
- 04Invite your buyers. Each signs in, sees their own prices and orders online.
Questions
- Can Square House Accounts be used online?
- Not at Square Online checkout today. Square's help article covers charging a house account from the point of sale and says Virtual Terminal cannot charge one. Requests to use house accounts online are open in the Square Community. Crate gives business buyers their own online ordering with terms on your Square catalog.
- Do Square House Accounts cost extra?
- Square lists House Accounts with a $0 monthly fee. You pay Square's normal processing rates when a customer pays the invoice, for example by card or ACH.
- Are House Accounts good for wholesale?
- For a few local accounts who buy in person, yes. For buyers who order online, need their own prices, or reorder on a schedule, a wholesale portal fits better. Crate adds one on top of Square and you can keep house accounts for your regulars.
- Can I keep House Accounts if I use Crate?
- Yes. Crate does not change your house accounts. Keep them for in-person regulars and use Crate for business buyers who order online.
- Can a Crate order be charged to a Square House Account?
- No. Crate does not connect to Square House Accounts. A Crate order is billed on its own invoice with that buyer's payment terms, not added to a house account balance, and it does not share the house account's spending limit. Square says house account balances must be collected through its house account payment flow, so keep the two separate.
- How much does Crate cost for Square wholesale?
- Crate Wholesale starts at $50/month for up to 20 active buyers. Growth is $80/month for up to 50 and adds standing orders and Crate invoicing. Plus is $150/month for more than 50 active buyers.
Sources
- 1. Square Support: Create and manage Square House Accounts
- 2. Square: House Accounts for retail
- 3. Square Developer: House Accounts
- 4. Square Community: Support of Square House Accounts with Square Online
- 5. Square Community: Enable House Accounts for use Online
- 6. Square Community: Wholesale methods?
Square sources reviewed November 9, 2026. Square changes its products, so check its help center for the latest.
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