How do I add, edit, or remove a beneficial owner and certify ownership?

Our banking partner asks us to keep an accurate, certified list of anyone who owns 25% or more of your business — it's a standard compliance step, nothing to worry about. Check out What is a beneficial owner? for the why behind it.

Don't have a beneficial owner? If you don't have a beneficial owner - you can Certify right away to complete this step.

To add a beneficial owner

1. Log in to the Employer Portal.
2. Go to Account Setup and find Step 3: Verify Beneficial Ownership.
3. Click Add Beneficial Owner.
4. Fill in their full legal name, date of birth, home address, and their full 9-digit Social Security Number. If the owner doesn't have an SSN, usually because they're based outside the US, flip the Use passport instead of SSN toggle and enter their passport number and country instead.
5. Click Add.

Have the owner's Social Security Number and driver's license ready. Passports are rarely needed; they're usually only requested for owners or admins based outside the US.

Good to know: we don't ask for an ownership percentage here — just make sure everyone at 25%+ ownership is on the list. If our banking partner needs a supporting document from a specific owner, an Upload button will show up on their row when it's needed.

To edit or remove an owner

1. From the same beneficial ownership list, find the owner you need to update.
2. Need to fix a detail? Click Resubmit, make your changes, and click Update. No longer meet the 25% threshold (say, after a buyout)? Click Remove and confirm.

To certify ownership

1. Once your list is complete and accurate (or if your business genuinely has no beneficial owners), click Certify (you'll see No Beneficial Owners instead if your list is empty).
2. Click Certify again in the confirmation dialog. This re-triggers verification with our banking partner, which usually wraps up in 1–2 business days.

Need to update controller information instead? Check out How do I resubmit controller or business information during a verification retry?