“SQ” on a bank statement means the payment was processed through Square, the point-of-sale platform owned by Block, Inc. The charge usually appears as “SQ *” followed by a business name, so “SQ *JOES COFFEE” is a card payment taken at a coffee shop called Joe’s that uses Square to run its register. Most SQ charges trace back to a small business, food vendor, contractor, or service provider you paid recently.
How the Descriptor Is Formatted
Square’s statement descriptor follows a predictable pattern: the prefix “SQ *” plus the business name the seller registered in their Square account, and sometimes a store number or location identifier at the end. A pharmacy using Square might show up as “SQ *MYPHARMACY*#02943,” where the trailing number points to a specific location.1Square. Statement Descriptions – Card Payments
The business name reflects whatever the seller typed into their Square Dashboard, which doesn’t always match the sign on the storefront. A restaurant called “Sunrise Café” might be registered under the owner’s legal name or a holding company, so the charge can look foreign at first glance even when you remember the meal.
You may also see “SQC*” on a statement. That variation indicates a transaction tied to Cash App, another Block, Inc. product. If you don’t use Cash App, treat an SQC* charge as worth investigating right away, because it suggests someone may have used your card details through that service.
How to Figure Out Which Business Charged You
The fastest tool is Square’s own receipt lookup at squareup.com/receipts. Enter the transaction date and the exact dollar amount, and if Square finds a match it pulls up the receipt with the merchant’s name and contact details.2Square. Receipt Lookup Use the precise figures from your statement. Even a penny off can return nothing.
If the lookup turns up empty, check your email. Square merchants often send digital receipts automatically when a card is on file or when you gave an email address at checkout. Search your inbox for “Square” around the date of the charge. Your calendar or your phone’s location history can also help you reconstruct where you were. A $14.50 SQ charge on a Tuesday afternoon can click into place once you remember stopping at a juice bar after an appointment.
Any physical receipt you kept will carry a transaction ID that should match what your bank has on file. Collect these details before calling the bank. It saves time and keeps you from disputing a charge that was actually yours.
Disputing an SQ Charge You Didn’t Make
If you’ve looked and the charge genuinely isn’t yours, your next step depends on whether it hit a debit card or a credit card. The protections aren’t the same.
Debit Card Charges
Unauthorized debit card transactions fall under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E. Your liability is tied to how quickly you report. Notify your bank within two business days of learning about the unauthorized charge and your maximum liability is $50. Report after two business days but within 60 days of the statement date and your exposure rises to $500. Miss the 60-day window and you can be liable for the full amount of any unauthorized transfers that occurred after the deadline.3eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.6 – Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers
Once you file a dispute, the bank generally has 10 business days to investigate. If it can’t finish in that window, it must provisionally credit your account for the disputed amount (minus up to $50 it may withhold) and then has up to 45 days total to complete its review. For point-of-sale debit transactions, foreign transfers, or charges within the first 30 days of a new account, that window stretches to 90 days.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors Most SQ charges are point-of-sale debit transactions, so expect the longer timeline.
Credit Card Charges
If the SQ charge landed on a credit card, the Fair Credit Billing Act applies. Maximum liability for unauthorized credit card charges is $50, and most major issuers waive even that under zero-liability policies. You have 60 days from the statement date to dispute the charge in writing. The practical advantage over a debit dispute: the money was never pulled out of your bank account, so you aren’t waiting on a provisional credit while the investigation plays out.
If the Bank Denies Your Dispute
A denial doesn’t have to end things. Under Regulation E, when a bank concludes no error occurred, it must send a written explanation and tell you that you can request the documents it relied on.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors Ask for them. The underlying evidence is sometimes thin, and seeing it tells you whether to push further.
If a provisional credit was reversed and you still believe the charge was fraudulent, you can escalate by filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The complaint is free and the bank typically has to respond on the record within 15 days.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint Your state attorney general’s consumer protection division is another route. Neither guarantees a reversal, but both apply pressure that a customer service call cannot.
Watch for Fake “Square” Emails
Scammers know unfamiliar SQ charges cause panic and build phishing emails around that reaction. Fake Square invoices or payment confirmations try to get you to click a link and enter your card details or login on a lookalike site. Square has said it will never ask for your password, Social Security number, or full bank account details by email, phone, or text.6Square Support Center. Recognize and Report Phishing Scams
If a message claims to be from Square about a charge, don’t click anything in the email. Go directly to squareup.com/receipts and look up the transaction yourself with the date and amount. A legitimate Square login lives at https://squareup.com/login. Suspicious messages can be forwarded to spoof@squareup.com, then deleted.6Square Support Center. Recognize and Report Phishing Scams