Yes, Relay accepts businesses owned by a holding company. During signup, provide the individual with significant responsibility over the legal entity, not the holding company itself.
Who this article is for
You're the owner, operator, or advisor of a business whose legal entity is:
Wholly owned by a holding company (100%)
Partially owned by a holding company alongside other individual owners
Structured as a subsidiary of a parent LLC, corporation, or trust
Whose information do I enter as the business owner?
Enter the individual with significant responsibility over managing the legal entity, not the holding company itself. This is typically a senior role at the operating business, including:
CEO
COO
CFO
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Any other officer with day-to-day control and signing authority
Relay's signup asks for a natural person because Relay is required to verify the identity of the individual running the business. Holding companies cannot be listed as the responsible party during identity verification.
What ownership percentage do I enter for that individual?
Enter 100% if the holding company owns your business in its entirety. This designates the responsible individual as the operating manager for the legal entity, even though the holding company holds the equity.
When do I need to add Beneficial Owner information?
Add Beneficial Owner information when the holding company owns only part of your business. Any individual who directly owns 25% or more of the legal entity, alongside the holding company, must be listed as a Beneficial Owner during signup.
You do not need to list the holding company itself as a Beneficial Owner. Relay's application flow separates ownership by the parent entity from ownership by individuals.
What documents will I need?
You'll need standard entity documents for the operating business, plus government-issued ID for the responsible individual and any Beneficial Owners. Typical documents include:
EIN confirmation letter
Articles of incorporation or organization
Operating agreement or bylaws (if requested)
Government-issued photo ID for each individual listed
Relay's required documents vary by entity type. See the entity-type requirements article linked below for the full list that applies to your business.
What if I'm not sure who counts as the responsible individual?
Contact Relay's Customer Experience team before submitting your application. The team can confirm which individual belongs in the ownership section based on your specific business structure and holding-company arrangement.
Related articles
Required Documents and Organization Details to Open a Relay Account by Entity Type
How to update your business ownership or beneficial owners in Relay
Talk to our Customer Experience team
If this article did not fully answer your question, our Customer Experience team is here to help.