What Is the MCC Code for an Adult Business?

MCC stands for merchant category code. For the Adult category, the code is 5967. It identifies the business category for payment processing, but it does not establish eligibility by itself. An acquiring bank still needs to understand what you sell, how customers receive it, and how your business manages adult-content risks.

When seeking an account, describe your actual products, content, and billing practices rather than relying on the label “Adult.” Share your website and explain the customer experience from purchase through cancellation or refund. A clear description helps a prospective partner processor assess fit before your application moves further into review.

Do not treat a different business description as a workaround for adult-category restrictions. Your application, website, and supporting records should tell the same story. Ask the prospective processor to confirm the appropriate classification with its acquiring bank, particularly if your business includes several offerings that need to be reviewed together.

Adult processing is considered high risk because card-network brand-protection programs require content monitoring, age verification, and consent records. The category also has elevated chargeback rates. These concerns make the review broader than a basic identity check: the acquiring bank needs to understand both the business and its controls for adult content.

Prepare to explain how your age-verification and content-moderation policies work in practice. Written policies should accurately describe your operations, rather than promise controls you do not use. Keep consent documentation organized and be ready to discuss applicable 2257 records compliance. Requirements for your particular application should be confirmed with the reviewing bank.

Chargeback risk also makes the customer-facing experience important. Clear descriptions, accessible support, and understandable refund and cancellation information help customers recognize what they purchased and resolve concerns. Present these practices alongside prior processing statements when available, so underwriters at the acquiring bank can review your history in its operational context.

Under their published policies, Stripe, Square, PayPal, and Shopify Payments prohibit the Adult category. Authorize.net’s default acquirer also prohibits this category. Review the relevant company’s current published policy for scope before relying on a setup. A familiar checkout platform or gateway name does not, by itself, establish that adult processing is supported.

The typical market range for adult processing rates is 4.5%–8.0% plus $0.25–$0.30 per transaction. These figures are market guidance, not an offer or a quote from HighRiskMerchantProcessors.com. Ask prospective partner processors for written pricing tied to your actual business, and review the full proposal rather than comparing only the headline rate.

The typical market range benchmark provided for reserves is a 10% rolling reserve, with the actual reserve set by the acquiring bank. Treat that figure as planning guidance rather than a promised term. Ask how any proposed reserve affects settlement and available cash, and obtain the account-specific conditions before accepting an offer.

Prepare a merchant application, government ID for owners holding 25% or more, a voided business check, and your EIN letter or formation documents. Include 3–6 months of business bank statements and, if available, 3–6 months of prior processing statements. Consistent business names and ownership details make the application easier to review.

Your website should have refund, terms, and privacy policies. Adult-specific supporting materials include an age-verification and content-moderation policy, plus 2257 records compliance where applicable. Organize consent records and explain how your documented controls operate. These materials help present the business clearly, but submitting them does not establish that an account will be approved.

HighRiskMerchantProcessors.com matches merchants with high-risk payment processors in the MerchantCardLeads partner network; it is not a processor, acquiring bank, or underwriter. Use the matching process to find a prospective partner for your adult business. Partner processors and acquiring banks in the network handle their respective reviews, with approval determined by the acquiring bank.