# Board a merchant

Board a merchant by creating a merchant platform with processing accounts, owners, contacts, and a terminal order.

**Prerequisites:** [Authentication](/api/authentication)

To board a merchant with Payroc, you need to create the following resources:

- **Merchant platform** – The business and its legal information, its owners, and its processing accounts.
- **Processing accounts** – Each merchant platform must include one or more processing accounts that run transactions.
- **Owners** – Each processing account must include one or more owners. You must assign a control prong who is responsible for their merchant account.
- **Contacts** – Each processing account can include additional contacts. They are individuals we can contact about the processing account, for example, a store manager.
- **Terminal orders** – Each processing account can order one or more terminals to run transactions.

**Note:** When you create a merchant platform, we recommend that you add all the business's processing accounts. If the business expands after you board a merchant, you can add additional processing accounts and their contacts.

<a id="relationship-between-the-boarding-resources"></a>
## Relationship between the boarding resources

The merchant platform is the main boarding resource and includes all the information about the business, including its legal information, processing accounts, owners, and contacts. The following diagram shows the relationship between the boarding resources:

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    MP["Merchant platform"]:::blue
    PA["Processing account"]:::green
    TO["Terminal order"]:::neutral
    OW["Owner"]:::neutral
    CO["Contact"]:::neutral
    MP --- PA
    PA -.- TO
    PA --- OW & CO
    classDef blue fill:#0051C2,stroke:#001D4E,color:#FFFFFF
    classDef green fill:#00E0B8,stroke:#001D4E,color:#001D4E
    classDef neutral fill:#E5E5E5,stroke:#636363,color:#001D4E
```

<a id="example"></a>
### Example

The following example shows a merchant platform with two processing accounts:

- Springfield processing account has one owner and two contacts.
- Boston processing account has two owners and one contact.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    RMP["Rocfood merchant platform"]:::blue
    SPA["Springfield processing account"]:::green
    BPA["Boston processing account"]:::green
    STO["Terminal order"]:::neutral
    SOW["Owner"]:::neutral
    SCO1["Contact"]:::neutral
    SCO2["Contact"]:::neutral
    BOW1["Owner"]:::neutral
    BOW2["Owner"]:::neutral
    BCO["Contact"]:::neutral
    RMP --- SPA & BPA
    SPA -.- STO
    SPA --- SOW & SCO1 & SCO2
    BPA --- BOW1 & BOW2 & BCO
    classDef blue fill:#0051C2,stroke:#001D4E,color:#FFFFFF
    classDef green fill:#00E0B8,stroke:#001D4E,color:#001D4E
    classDef neutral fill:#E5E5E5,stroke:#636363,color:#001D4E
```

<a id="pricing"></a>
## Pricing

When you add a processing account to a merchant platform, you must provide the pricing model. Assign one of the following pricing models in the pricing object:

- **Pricing intent** - Create a pricing intent and provide its ID in the `pricingIntentId` parameter.
- **Pricing agreement** - Enter the details for the pricing model including the base fees, processor fees, and gateway fees.

<a id="your-integration-journey"></a>
## Your integration journey

**Important:** After you board the merchant we review their information and approve their account to process transactions.

1. (Optional) Create a pricing intent.
2. Create a merchant platform.
3. Create a terminal order.

<a id="guides"></a>
## Guides

<a id="create-a-pricing-intent"></a>
#### [Create a pricing intent](/guides/boarding/pricing-intent)

Create a template of fees that you can apply to processing accounts.

<a id="create-a-merchant-platform"></a>
#### [Create a merchant platform](/guides/boarding/merchant-platform)

Create a resource for the business.

<a id="add-a-processing-account-to-a-merchant-platform"></a>
#### [Add a processing account to a merchant platform](/guides/boarding/processing-account-create)

Create processing accounts that run transactions.

<a id="create-a-terminal-order"></a>
#### [Create a terminal order](/guides/boarding/order-a-terminal)

Order a terminal for the business.

<a id="add-an-attachment-to-a-processing-account"></a>
#### [Add an attachment to a processing account](/guides/boarding/add-attachment-to-processing-account)

Upload a document to support a merchant's application.