How to accept crypto payments as a business

To accept crypto payments, decide which coins and networks you will take, then pick one of four set-ups: share a wallet address, send invoices that carry one, use a processor that holds the money and pays you out, or use a non-custodial gateway that creates a fresh address per order and sends the money straight to your own wallet. The choice comes down to who holds the money and how much matching and bookkeeping you want to do by hand.

First: which coins and networks

Stablecoins such as USDC and USDT spare you and your buyer the price swings of other coins: an order for 50 dollars is paid in 50 dollars. Bitcoin is what many crypto holders want to pay with. On networks, low-fee layer 2s such as Base, Arbitrum and Optimism keep small payments practical, while Ethereum's main network can cost buyers more in fees than a small order is worth. Background: USDC vs USDT and network fees.

1. Share a wallet address

The simplest set-up: put your address on the order page or send it to the buyer. It costs nothing beyond the network fee. The work falls on you: you have to match each incoming payment to an order by amount and time, handle buyers who pay too little or on the wrong network, and accept that reusing one public address lets anyone see every payment you have received.

2. Send an invoice with an address on it

An invoice that names the amount, the coin, the network and your address — ideally with a QR code — removes most of the buyer's mistakes and gives both sides a document for their records. It suits freelancers and businesses billing a few clients. Matching payments to invoices is still yours, unless the invoicing tool watches the address and marks the invoice paid for you.

3. A custodial payment processor

A processor gives you a checkout, receives the coins into its own wallets, and pays you out — often converted to your currency. It is convenient, and it means the processor holds your money until payout, typically asks for business verification, can freeze an account, and usually charges a percentage of each sale.

4. A non-custodial gateway

A non-custodial gateway connects to your wallet through its public key — never the seed phrase — and generates a new address for every order. It watches the chain, marks the order paid when the payment confirms, and sends receipts and notifications to your systems. The money goes straight from the buyer to your wallet, so nothing sits with a middleman and nothing can be frozen by the gateway. The trade-off: you hold your own keys, so their safety is yours (hot vs cold wallets).

What to plan for, whichever you choose

• Confirmations. A layer-2 stablecoin payment confirms in seconds to a minute; bitcoin in ten minutes to an hour. Decide when an order counts as paid.
• Refunds. Crypto has no chargebacks. A refund is a new payment you send, so ask for the buyer's refund address and network.
• Wrong amounts and networks. Decide in advance what you do with an underpayment, and say which networks you accept.
• Records and tax. Record each payment's value in your currency at the time it arrived. Rules differ by country; ask an accountant.
• Sanctions. Receiving funds from sanctioned addresses can be a legal problem. Gateways that screen senders do part of that work.

This guide explains how things work. It is not financial, investment or tax advice. Something wrong? Write to hi@perly.io and we will correct it.