You Don't Need a Registered Company or GST to Accept Online Payments in India

Every week someone tells us the same thing: "I'd love to sell online, but I can't take payments yet. I don't have a company. I don't have GST." Then they stay on cash-on-delivery, or worse, on WhatsApp screenshots of UPI transfers, for months.

It's a myth. You do not need a registered company, a GST number, a TAN, or any tax registration to get a payment gateway in India. We know because we've done it for our own customers at Tyashin: solo founders, home bakers, coaches, a two-person clothing label. Their gateways went live in days, not months.

Here's what Razorpay actually asks for, what the trade-offs are, and how to get through KYC on the first attempt.

What Razorpay really needs from an unregistered business

Razorpay onboards individuals and unregistered businesses. That is a real account type, not a loophole. In our onboarding work the checklist has looked like this:

• Your PAN card. Your personal PAN. No company PAN required.
• Proof of address. Aadhaar, passport, voter ID or driving licence. The name must match your PAN.
• A bank account in your name. A cancelled cheque or a bank statement page is enough. Settlements land here.
• A live website, app or product page. Razorpay wants to see what you sell and at what price. A single well-made page works; a half-built site with "coming soon" does not.
• A plain description of your business. Two or three honest sentences. What you sell, to whom, and how you deliver it.

Notice what's not on the list: a certificate of incorporation, GST registration, TAN, MSME or Udyam registration, a trademark, or a CA's letter. GST is optional at this stage. If you have it, add it. If you don't, you are not blocked.

One caveat, because we'd rather be accurate than dramatic: Razorpay's checklist is theirs and can change, and some categories are reviewed more closely. This is what we've seen across the businesses we've onboarded, not a guarantee.

What "unregistered" costs you (the honest part)

Being onboarded as an individual is not identical to being onboarded as a Private Limited company. Expect:

• Lower limits at first. New individual accounts typically start with a modest transaction and settlement ceiling. It rises with clean history.
• Closer review. Your first weeks of transactions get more scrutiny. Refund quickly, describe products truthfully, and this passes.
• Some categories are off-limits or need extra paperwork. Anything regulated, such as financial products, certain health items or gaming, needs licences regardless of how you're registered.
• Income is yours, personally. Money settles to your account and is your income for tax purposes. That's simpler, not worse, but talk to your accountant when it starts adding up.

None of these are reasons to wait. They are reasons to start now and register the company later, when the revenue justifies the compliance cost.

How long it takes, and where people get stuck

From "I want a gateway" to "live and accepting cards, UPI and net banking" has taken our customers two to five working days. Almost all of that time is the back-and-forth on documents. The same four issues cause nearly every delay:

1. The address proof doesn't match the PAN. A maiden name, a missing middle name, an old address. Fix the mismatch before you upload, not after the rejection.
2. The website has no policy pages. Razorpay looks for a privacy policy, terms, a refund or cancellation policy, and a contact page with a real address and phone. Missing pages are the single most common rejection we see.
3. The product isn't clear. "Digital services" tells the reviewer nothing. "Online yoga classes, ₹1,500 per month, delivered over Zoom" gets approved.
4. The bank proof is a screenshot. Upload a cancelled cheque or a proper statement page with your name, account number and IFSC visible.

Get those four right and most applications go through on the first attempt.

When you do need a registered company

Registration becomes worth it when one of these is true:

• You're crossing the GST threshold for your state and category, at which point GST registration is a legal requirement, not a gateway requirement.
• You sell to businesses that need GST invoices to claim input credit.
• You want a second founder, investors, or a business loan.
• You're selling internationally at volume. Stripe and similar global gateways generally expect a registered entity.

Until then, an individual Razorpay account is the fastest legitimate route to real online sales.

Want us to do it for you?

At Tyashin we set up payment gateways for our customers as a paid service. We prepare the application, get your policy pages and product page in shape so KYC passes the first time, handle the document back-and-forth with Razorpay, and connect the live gateway to your store's checkout. Most customers are accepting payments within the week.

If you, or someone you know, is stuck at "I can't take payments because I'm not registered," message us on WhatsApp at +91 96677 47082 or use the contact page. Tell us what you sell and we'll tell you exactly what documents to gather.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a Razorpay account without GST?

Yes. GST is optional for an individual or unregistered business account. You'll need it once you cross the GST turnover threshold, but that's a tax obligation, not a gateway requirement.

Do I need a TAN number for a payment gateway?

No. TAN is for deducting tax at source on payments you make to others. It has nothing to do with accepting payments.

Can I use my personal savings account for settlements?

Yes, as long as the account is in your name and matches your PAN. A current account is not required to start.

How long does Razorpay KYC take?

In our experience two to five working days, most of it spent on document corrections. Clean documents and complete policy pages are what make it fast.

What if I already have a website on another platform?

That's fine. The gateway is attached to your business, not your website builder. We can also move your site onto Tyashin if you want checkout, chatbot and SEO handled in one place, but it isn't required for the gateway.