Becoming an HMS Agent:

From Application to First Residual

HMS agent application approval process showing document verification and quality review on a digital platform
Business professional completing an online agent application with digital identity and document verification

What Happens After You Apply

There are many reasons that contribute to being locked into a bad agent program, but one is not knowing the process involved after an agent applies. Usually, a form “disappears” into a box, and everyone just has to wait for a phone call. Below is what actually happens after you submit an application.

1 Icon

Apply in Minutes

The application is very simple and quick to fill out. All we need is some simple contact information. The application is right on this page and on our main partnership page. There is no automated system putting your application in a queue. Once you submit, we begin the application review process.

2 Icon

Approval and Portal Access

We review your application. We review your contracts and collect signatures. We then finalize your partnership on the HMS side. Once we do that, you receive your Agent Portal login information. When you log in to the Agent & ISO Portal, you will see your new dashboard along with the ability to track your merchants and view detailed reports.

3 Icon

Training, Collateral, Your Relationship Manager

While we finalize your partnership, we also provide product training and positioning along with marketing collateral in the form of co-branded, vertical-specific pitch decks and one-pagers. Also, as explained on the main partnership page, we provide the marketing support you need when you need it. We provide a relationship manager who will help you overcome challenges, assist you with the closing process, and will help you structure your deal.

4 Icon

Your First Deal

This is a high-level overview of what you can expect for the first deal you can call yours. You submit a merchant application through the Agent Portal. Your relationship manager will assist with the underwriting process. You can monitor the status of the application from within the Agent Portal. Once the deal is approved, you order the merchant's equipment from the Agent Portal. One portal, one deal, and no other systems to check.

5 Icon

Your First Residual, and Every One After

After a merchant is live, you will see residuals in your Agent Portal for that merchant, reported as described on the Residual Reporting page. Residuals publish once a month, on the day HMS publishes that month. The process is additive, and you are not starting from scratch each time you add a new merchant.

Apply in Minutes

The application is very simple and quick to fill out. All we need is some simple contact information. The application is right on this page and on our main partnership page. There is no automated system putting your application in a queue. Once you submit, we begin the application review process.

Approval and Portal Access

We review your application. We review your contracts and collect signatures. We then finalize your partnership on the HMS side. Once we do that, you receive your Agent Portal login information. When you log in to the Agent & ISO Portal, you will see your new dashboard along with the ability to track your merchants and view detailed reports.

Training, Collateral, Your Relationship Manager

While we finalize your partnership, we also provide product training and positioning along with marketing collateral in the form of co-branded, vertical-specific pitch decks and one-pagers. Also, as explained on the main partnership page, we provide the marketing support you need when you need it. We provide a relationship manager who will help you overcome challenges, assist you with the closing process, and will help you structure your deal.

Your First Deal

This is a high-level overview of what you can expect for the first deal you can call yours. You submit a merchant application through the Agent Portal. Your relationship manager will assist with the underwriting process. You can monitor the status of the application from within the Agent Portal. Once the deal is approved, you order the merchant's equipment from the Agent Portal. One portal, one deal, and no other systems to check.

Your First Residual, and Every One After

After a merchant is live, you will see residuals in your Agent Portal for that merchant, reported as described on the Residual Reporting page. Residuals publish once a month, on the day HMS publishes that month. The process is additive, and you are not starting from scratch each time you add a new merchant.

Start Your Agent Application

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
*
Business professionals shaking hands to represent joining the Host Merchant Services agent partner program
Customer support representative wearing a headset assisting prospective HMS agents with questions about joining the program

Questions New Agents Ask Before Applying

Do I Need Industry Payments Experience or a Book of Clients?
Not at all. We assist payments industry veterans and newcomers alike. We are also more than happy to assist you in the transfer of your client merchants. If you have non-solicitation obligations with your existing partner, double-check those before any merchants start moving.
You’ll learn to sell our products and services using the right approaches with our training. We’ll give you marketing collateral, as well as pitch decks and vertical-specific one-pagers.
Access to the Agent Portal and your relationship manager will both be granted at the same time: after your agreement is signed and your partner account has been set up. This will happen before you enter your first deal.
Residuals are calculated once a month closes. The amount is then published in your Agent Portal, with payment following by the end of the next month, usually around the 25th. So a merchant you sign that settles during September produces a September residual, paid by the end of October.