
Ask HN: Iwant to start a new SaaS startup, but I don't have a bank account - abba_fishhead
Long story short, I don&#x27;t have a social security number or passport (and I cannot procure either of those things), so I cannot get a bank account no matter what. What are some ways to channel funds to an account that I can control?<p>PS I&#x27;m not an illegal immigrant; I just have a pending case with immigration, and I&#x27;m not allowed to work at the moment. I&#x27;m pretty sure starting a startup isn&#x27;t considered employment.
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codezero
If you are accepting payments, it's likely to be considered employment/work by
anyone who told you not to work. I recommend against assuming anything when it
comes to bureaucracy and pedantic laws.

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saluki
To be safe I wouldn't accept payments yet. I would develop your SaaS app on
your own until you are cleared to work, then look at accepting payments
through Stripe once you get a bank account. You have plenty to do before
accepting payments.

Use this time to build out the initial version of the app and talk to
potential customers to validate your idea by signing up for free to test out
the app. Once you're cleared to work you can approach them to sign up/pay.

Check out
[http://startupsfortherestofus.com](http://startupsfortherestofus.com), listen
to all their episodes.

Good luck.

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abba_fishhead
I've worked in restaurants before, so I want to create a scheduling app.
Nothing fancy, just something less cluttered than current solutions. But
thanks, I'll start working on the app first.

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ashwn
You're a little stuck because in order to validate that people want what
you're offering, you'll need to get them to buy something.

I wouldn't spend time working on the full product without being able to sell
anything.

I guess your challenge here is to try and validate your idea without accepting
payments in some way.

Or find a co-founder with a bank account.

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mtmail
Did you come to the US without a bank account in your prior country?

I'd work on the startup as far as possible but not take payments yet. It would
be treated as income, the startup as a business and with immigration pending I
wouldn't risk it.

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abba_fishhead
I do have a bank account in my prior country, but currency exchange rates
aren't favorable, because I'll be collecting money in USD, depositing it in my
local currency, and then taking another currency exchange hit when I withdraw
from an ATM in the US.

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loumf
Raise your price (or take the hit) and move on. Your biggest problem isn't
getting paid, it's getting anyone at all to buy anything from you, which needs
(1) for you to make the thing (2) for you to get customers, but doesn't need
for you to solve this problem efficiently.

(this is all assuming that you can do this work under your current visa)

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jordsmi
Self employment is employment

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Kinnard
I can't comment on immigration law. But as for accepting payments without a
bank account, Bitcoin is probably your best option.

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znpy
If you can't work... You can't work.

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tmaly
How about a bigger international bank like HSBC, get an account in your home
country with them? Then use a local branch?

