Your processors might require each merchant to validate PCI DSS compliance every year, often with a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). You need to collect the SAQ, store the signed copy, notice before it expires, and send it to the processor. Preczn calls this SAQ management. Other names for it include PCI attestation, annual PCI validation, and merchant compliance tracking.

Without a shared record, you track each merchant's SAQ and its expiration date yourself.

Preczn stores each merchant's SAQs, sets an expiration date when one is signed, and lets you find merchants whose SAQ is expired or about to expire.

Who this is for

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• Platforms responsible for collecting SAQ A from the merchants they serve. Preczn generates and tracks SAQ Type A only.
• Operations teams that track SAQ status across a merchant portfolio.

You don't need this page in these cases:

• Your merchants need an SAQ type other than A. Preczn can't generate it.
• You want to reduce your own platform's PCI scope. To compare how each capture integration affects PCI scope, see Integrations.

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Compliance questions

Preczn records and tracks SAQs. For questions about which SAQ applies to a merchant, ask the merchant's processor or a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA).

When to use this

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How it works

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An SAQ is a draft until it's signed. A draft can be edited and previewed. A signed SAQ can't be changed, counts toward compliance, and expires 365 days after its signing date. Signing updates the merchant's lastSignedSAQ and lastSignedSAQExpiresOn fields.

There are two ways to produce a signed SAQ. You can create a draft through the API, fill it with merchant and questionnaire data, and sign it, and Preczn generates the PDF from your platform's SAQ template. Or you can upload a PDF the merchant signed in another tool. Preczn sends signed SAQs to Payrix only.

The diagram shows both paths to a signed SAQ and what happens after signing.

flowchart LR
    TPL["SAQ template<br/>(one per mode)"] --> D["Draft SAQ"]
    D -->|"sign"| S["Signed SAQ<br/>expires in 365 days"]
    U["Externally signed PDF"] -->|"upload"| S
    S --> TR["Dashboard status<br/>and API filters"]
    S -->|"send"| P["Payrix"]

The Dashboard shows each merchant as Compliant, Expiring Soon (within 90 days), Expired, or No SAQ. The API doesn't return that status. It returns the expiration date, and List Merchants can filter on it, so you can set your own thresholds.

Prerequisites

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• To generate and sign SAQs, you've uploaded your SAQ-A template PDF, once for test mode and once for live mode. See SAQ Integration Guide.
• To send SAQs to Payrix, the merchant has an active Payrix connection with a processor MID.

Outline

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1. Upload your SAQ template. Do this once in each mode. Preczn Support can help prepare it. See SAQ Integration Guide.
2. Create and sign SAQs, or upload signed ones. Build the merchant-facing flow in your product with the SAQ API. See SAQ Integration Guide.
3. Send signed SAQs to Payrix. See Transmitting SAQs to Processors.
4. Monitor expirations. Filter merchants by SAQ expiration in the API, or check SAQ status in the Dashboard. See Managing SAQs in the Dashboard.
5. Renew before expiry. Start a new SAQ for each merchant whose SAQ expires soon.

Example

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An online class-booking platform boards its studios to Payrix. The studios take payments only through the platform's online checkout, and the platform keeps a current SAQ A on file for each one.

1. The platform uploads its SAQ-A template in test mode, builds the flow, then uploads the template in live mode.
2. In its own settings page, it walks each studio owner through the questionnaire, creates a draft SAQ with the answers, and signs it when the owner confirms.
3. It sends each signed SAQ to the studio's Payrix connection.
4. Each week, it asks the API for studios whose SAQ expires within 60 days and emails those owners a link to renew.

Related

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How-to guides

• SAQ Integration Guide
• Managing SAQs in the Dashboard
• Payrix

Concepts

• SAQ Management Overview
• Integrations
• Live vs Test Mode

Reference

• Create SAQ
• Sign PDF
• Upload Signed SAQ PDF
• Send Signed SAQ to Connection
• List Merchants