Before You Start
Rise supports two account types:
Payer — for those who intend to pay a team (one-time and recurring payments, compliant global contracts)
Payee — for those who want to send invoices and receive payments
This guide covers the Payer path. Check a step-by-step interactive guide here: https://riseworks.navattic.com/payeronboardingrise
Step 1: Accept the Required Agreements
Rise needs your agreement to a few policies before you can move forward:
Rise Terms of Service — how Rise works and how payments are handled
Privacy Policy — how your information is collected and protected
Payment & Compliance Certification — confirms you're not involved in prohibited or illegal activity and authorizes Rise to process payments to your team on your behalf
Review each item, check the boxes, and select Agree and Continue.
Step 2: Choose Your Default Currency
Rise pre-selects a default currency to get you started (typically USD). On this screen, you can:
Confirm the suggested primary currency, or
Change it using the dropdown
Note that changing this later requires contacting support, so pick the currency your team will primarily be paid in. Select Agree and Continue once you're set.
Step 3: Verify Your Identity
Rise needs to verify who you are before you can move money on the platform. This step collects your business information and typically involves taking a photo for identity verification.
Tip: Remove hats, glasses, or anything that could cover your face before taking the picture — this helps the verification process go smoothly.
Select Next Steps to continue and follow the steps requested on screen.
Step 4: Create Your Passkey
To keep your account and payments secure, Rise requires a passkey instead of a traditional password. A passkey is tied to your device (Face ID, Touch ID, or a hardware security key). It will be your Rise Security Key, used when actions require authorization, such as approving a payout or making a withdrawal.
Keep in mind:
It's connected to your specific hardware
You can't reuse the same passkey on another device
If you lose access to it, you'll need to go through account recovery
Select Set up passkey, then Continue to confirm.
Step 5: Decide Who Signs Your Agreement
Before you can proceed, someone needs to sign your company's services agreement. By default, that's you — but you can designate someone else if needed.
To sign it yourself: leave the "Someone else will sign on my behalf" toggle off and select Next Step.
To assign it to someone else: switch the toggle on and enter their First Name, Last Name, and Email Address.
Heads up: Assigning the signature to someone else can delay your onboarding, since they'll need to complete the signing step before you can move forward.
Step 6: Review and Sign the Master Services Agreement
Rise will pre-fill your Master Services Agreement (MSA) with your company details — name, state of registration, and business address. Review these fields carefully, as they'll appear directly in the signed contract.
Once you're ready:
Select Sign Document at the end of the document.
Check the box confirming you understand that your electronic signature carries the same legal weight as a handwritten one, and that you can request a paper copy or withdraw consent at any time.
Select Confirm.
You'll be prompted to connect your Rise Security Key to authorize the signature— make sure you select the correct passkey (Rise will show you an identifier to match), then select Continue.
Step 7: Create Your Rise ID
Your Rise ID is your digital payment identity on the platform. Once created, it's used for all payment actions on your account, letting you:
Set up pay schedules
Approve work and milestones
Send payments to your team
Manage team and payment settings and more.
Confirm your details (name, email, country, and time zone) and select Create Rise ID.
Step 8: You're All Set
Once your Rise ID and workspace are created, you'll see a brief "Setting up..." loading state while your account finishes provisioning. When it's done, you'll land on the confirmation screen:
You're all set. Your Rise ID is ready, and your account has been set up successfully.
Select Go to my account to head straight to your dashboard, where you can view your available balance, upcoming payment cycles, recent activity, and manage withdrawals.
Quick Recap: The 8-Step Checklist
Accept terms
Choose default currencies
Verify your identity
Create your passkey
Authorize signing
Sign your master services agreement
Create your Rise ID
All set
Complete all eight, and you're ready to start paying your team on Rise.