If you sell peptides and you are applying for a merchant account, there is a good chance the acquiring bank will ask one question before anything else: are you LegitScript certified?
LegitScript certification has become one of the most important factors in peptide merchant account underwriting. Banks use it as a shortcut to evaluate whether a peptide business is legitimate, compliant, and worth the risk of processing.
This guide explains what LegitScript is, why it matters specifically for peptide merchants, what the certification process looks like, and how Unison helps you get certified faster and at a lower cost.
What Is LegitScript?
LegitScript is an independent verification and monitoring company that evaluates online businesses selling healthcare-related products, supplements, pharmaceuticals, and research chemicals. Major advertising platforms (Google, Facebook, Microsoft) and payment processors use LegitScript to determine which merchants meet compliance standards.
LegitScript evaluates businesses across several criteria:
- Legal compliance — is the business operating within the laws of its jurisdiction?
- Product legitimacy — are products what they claim to be, with proper labeling and sourcing?
- Advertising practices — does the business avoid prohibited health claims or misleading marketing?
- Consumer protection — are refund policies, shipping terms, and customer support adequate?
When a peptide business passes LegitScript review, it receives certification that can be verified by banks, processors, and advertising platforms. This certification is monitored on an ongoing basis — LegitScript periodically reviews certified businesses to ensure continued compliance.
Why Banks Care About LegitScript for Peptides
Acquiring banks evaluate peptide merchant applications through a risk lens. Peptides are classified as high-risk because of elevated chargeback potential, regulatory ambiguity, and historical industry issues. For banks, every peptide application represents a potential liability.
LegitScript certification changes the risk calculation:
- Independent verification — the bank does not have to do all the compliance evaluation itself. LegitScript has already reviewed the business and determined it meets standards.
- Ongoing monitoring — LegitScript does not just certify and walk away. Certified businesses are monitored, which gives banks confidence that compliance will be maintained.
- Reduced chargeback risk — LegitScript-certified merchants tend to have better compliance practices, which correlates with lower dispute rates.
- Liability protection — if a bank approves a LegitScript-certified merchant and issues arise, the bank can point to the independent certification as part of its due diligence.
Some acquiring banks now require LegitScript certification before they will review a peptide merchant application. Others do not require it but offer significantly better terms — lower reserves, better rates, faster approvals — for certified merchants.
If you have been declined for a peptide merchant account and the reason was vague ("compliance concerns" or "risk profile"), lack of LegitScript certification may be the underlying issue.
What LegitScript Certification Does for Your Business
Faster underwriting approvals
Without LegitScript, peptide merchant account applications typically take 2-4 weeks as banks conduct their own compliance review. With LegitScript certification, much of that review is already done. Certified merchants often see approval decisions within 5-7 business days.
Lower reserve requirements
Reserves are common for high-risk merchant accounts. Banks hold a percentage of your processing volume as a buffer against chargebacks. LegitScript-certified merchants typically face lower reserve requirements — sometimes 5% instead of 10%, or no reserve at all for established businesses.
Better processing rates
High-risk processing rates typically range from 3-6%. LegitScript-certified merchants often qualify for the lower end of that range because banks view them as lower risk within the high-risk category. Over time, this rate advantage adds up to significant savings.
Reduced termination risk
Account terminations devastate peptide businesses. Revenue stops, funds are held, and you scramble to find new processing. LegitScript certification reduces termination risk because your compliance status is independently verified and continuously monitored. Banks have less reason to terminate an account that carries independent compliance validation.
For context on what happens when accounts are terminated: Peptide Merchant Account Terminated: What to Do Next.
Advertising platform access
Google Ads and Facebook Ads require LegitScript certification for certain healthcare and supplement advertisers. If you plan to run paid advertising for your peptide business, LegitScript certification may be required to get your ads approved. This is a separate but valuable benefit of the same certification.
The LegitScript Certification Process
Step 1: Website and compliance review
Before applying to LegitScript, your website needs to meet their standards. Common issues that delay or block certification include:
- Health or therapeutic claims about peptide products
- Missing or inadequate refund and shipping policies
- Lack of "research use only" disclaimers
- Incomplete product descriptions or sourcing information
- Missing age verification or terms of service
Unison reviews your website before you apply, identifying and helping you fix compliance gaps. This pre-application review is one of the most valuable parts of our LegitScript support — it prevents rejections and saves weeks of back-and-forth.
Step 2: Application submission
The LegitScript application requires information about your business, products, operations, and compliance practices. As a LegitScript partner, Unison coordinates the submission and can answer LegitScript's questions directly, reducing the time you spend on administrative follow-up.
Step 3: LegitScript review
LegitScript evaluates your application and website. They may request additional documentation or clarification. Typical review takes 2-3 weeks for well-prepared applications. Applications that require multiple rounds of revision take longer, which is why the pre-application review matters.
Step 4: Certification issued
Once approved, you receive LegitScript certification that is verifiable by banks, processors, and advertising platforms. You can display the LegitScript seal on your website, which also serves as a trust signal for customers.
Step 5: Ongoing monitoring
LegitScript monitors certified businesses on an ongoing basis. As long as you maintain compliance, certification remains active. If issues arise, LegitScript contacts you and provides an opportunity to address them before taking action.
How Unison Helps With LegitScript
Unison Payment Solutions is a certified LegitScript partner processor. This relationship provides specific advantages for our peptide merchants:
Discounted certification fees
Unison merchants receive reduced LegitScript certification fees through our partner relationship. The exact discount depends on your business type, but it is meaningfully less than applying independently.
Pre-application compliance review
Our team reviews your website and documentation before you apply to LegitScript. We identify issues that would cause delays or rejection, and we help you fix them. This pre-review typically saves 2-3 weeks compared to applying without preparation.
Coordinated communication
As a LegitScript partner, we can communicate with LegitScript directly on your behalf. When they have questions about your business or products, we help prepare responses that address their concerns efficiently.
Integrated merchant account application
Once LegitScript certification is in progress or complete, we move immediately to merchant account underwriting. Your LegitScript status is presented directly to acquiring banks as part of your application, streamlining the entire process.
LegitScript vs. Processing Without Certification
| Factor | With LegitScript | Without LegitScript |
|---|---|---|
| Approval timeline | 5-7 business days | 2-4 weeks |
| Reserve requirements | Lower (often 0-5%) | Higher (often 10%+) |
| Processing rates | Lower end of high-risk range | Higher end of high-risk range |
| Termination risk | Significantly reduced | Standard high-risk exposure |
| Bank options | More banks willing to approve | Fewer banks available |
| Advertising eligibility | Google/Facebook approved | Often restricted |
Who Needs LegitScript Certification?
LegitScript certification is valuable for any peptide merchant, but it is particularly important for:
- New peptide businesses applying for their first merchant account — certification dramatically improves first-time approval odds
- **Merchants who have been terminated by Stripe, Square, or PayPal** — certification helps overcome the history of previous terminations
- High-volume peptide merchants — larger processing volumes receive more scrutiny, and certification reduces that friction
- Peptide businesses running paid advertising — Google and Facebook may require LegitScript for ad approval
- **Peptide subscription businesses** — recurring billing adds underwriting complexity, and certification reduces that friction
- **Research chemical and SARMs suppliers** — these sub-categories face additional compliance scrutiny that certification helps address
Getting Started
If you are a peptide merchant looking for stable payment processing, LegitScript certification should be part of your strategy. Here is the recommended path:
- Contact Unison for a free consultation about your current processing situation
- Website compliance review — we identify and help you fix issues before applying to LegitScript
- LegitScript application — submitted through our partner channel with discounted fees
- Merchant account application — moves forward as soon as LegitScript certification is in progress
- Go live — stable processing with the compliance foundation to support long-term growth
Learn more about our peptide payment processing: Peptide Payment Processing.
Get the full picture on peptide merchant accounts: Peptide Payment Processing Guide.
Ready to get started? Contact us for a free LegitScript consultation.