To become a Member, please visit the SIGIS website:

1. Click the "Members Services > Join" tab located on the top of the SIGIS home page.
2. Click "Online Membership Application"

Listed below are key sections to focus on when filling out the Online Membership Application:

Section 1

The Organization's legal Name must be entered as the Membership name. Please verify that the Organization's legal name is the Legal name that is on the company’s Federal Tax Identification documents.

Please note the Organization's legal name will NOT be displayed to the public as an IIAS certified or 90% Rule registered merchant, unless the merchant does business under the name of the Primary Organization name.

Example:

The legal name of a company is "John Doe, Inc". John Doe, Inc. does business as (DBAs):

• John's Pharmacy
• Doe's Drugs

The Organization's legal name in this example is John Doe, Inc. Upon IIAS Certification or 90% Rule Registration, the DBAs can be provided for listing on the SIGIS public website. For each Member contact that is entered on the form, it is important to note that a unique email address must be entered for each contact. The email address provided will serve as the Member's username for access to the SIGIS Member Area of the SIGIS public website, www.sig-is.org.

Section 6

In this section, select the option that best describes your type of business. Please note the descriptions to the left of the selection box. For example, if you own a Pharmacy, your type of business would be considered a "Merchant/Retailer". IMPORTANT: Do not apply if you are the following:  Doctor’s offices, hospitals, dentists, medical labs, vision centers and others because the services they offer are strictly health care related.

Section 7

Here is a link further describing the benefits of each Membership Tier.

Membership Tier Overview

All Tier Memberships are eligible for completion of SIGIS IIAS Certification or 90% Rule Registration.

SIGIS is a membership company open to all participants involved in offering, processing or accepting health care payment cards for FSAs and HRAs. Thus, membership is open to merchants, card issuers, third-party plan administrators, merchant acquirers, processors, financial institutions, trade association groups, and payment card associations.

The basis for the Membership Tiers is to enable different levels of participation in the activities of SIGIS. Progressively, the rights and responsibilities to the management increase with each Tier level starting with Tier IV.

TIER IV: Tier IV Membership is a basic membership that enables merchants to complete either 90% Registration for the 90% Rule or SIGIS IIAS Certification.  All Members may download the SIGIS Eligible Product List as well as other resource information in the Members Area of the SIGIS website.  Tier IV Membership does not provide rights to participate in work groups or nominate persons to the Board of Directors. The annual membership dues are $100.

TIER III: In addition to Tier IV rights, Tier III Membership grants the ability to name individuals to participate in other working committees.  The annual membership dues are $750.

TIER II: In addition to Tier IV and Tier III rights, Tier II Membership grants the ability to be nominated and elected by Tier II Members to the Board of Directors and to the Management Committee.   The annual membership dues are $3,750 plus a onetime initial fee.

TIER I: In addition to Tier IV, Tier III and Tier II rights, Tier I Membership grants the ability to be have a seat on the Board of Directors.  The annual membership dues are $7,500 plus a one-time initial fee and capital call.

When completing the SIGIS online Membership application, Tier IV Members must pay by credit card. Tier I to III Members can elect to pay the SIGIS Membership fee by credit card or check.

SIGIS accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover. There is currently no option to take credit card information over the phone.  This information must be entered online when filling out the Membership Application. For dues renewal, please follow the instructions on the invoice for completing renewal.

If a new Tier I to III Member selects in the Membership Application to pay by check rather than credit card, the Member will not be able to switch payment to a credit card at a later date.

When submitting payment by check, please follow the instructions on the invoice emailed to the new Member's primary contact. It is important that the invoice number be included on the check as well as a copy of the invoice with remittance. The check and copy of the invoice should be sent to:

SIGIS - Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards 
111 Deerwood Rd. Ste. 200 
San Ramon, CA 94583

If a Member fails to renew within the required time frame and is terminated, there is a $50 membership reinstatement fee. SIGIS allows 60 days past the annual membership date for payment of fees. Please ensure that payment is received in the SIGIS office before this date to avoid the fee.

A $25 Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF) fee will be charged for returned checks.

A $25 Payment Reprocessing fee will be charged for the reprocessing of payments.

When completing the SIGIS Membership Application, the Organization's legal name must be entered as the Membership name. Please verify that the Organization's legal name matches the legal name on Federal Tax Identification documents for your Corporation, LLC, Sub-Chapter S or Sole Proprietorship.

Please note the Organization's legal name will NOT be displayed to the public either as a 90% Rule merchant or SIGIS IIAS Certified merchant, unless the merchant does business under the Organization's legal name. Only the Legal Organization's “Doing Business As” (DBA) name(s) will be displayed on the IIAS Merchants List or 90% Rule Merchant List.

Example:

The Organization's legal name of a company is "John Doe, Inc.". The company John Doe, Inc. uses two trade names or “doing business as (DBA)” name:   

• DBA - John's Pharmacy   
• DBA - Doe's Drugs

DO NOT enter "John Doe, Inc., DBA John's Pharmacy" as your Organization's legal name.

The Organization's legal name in this example is John Doe, Inc. This company would list John's Pharmacy and Doe's Drugs as DBA(s) within the member’s portal once the initial online application is complete. Upon completion of Registration or Certification, the DBA(s) will be listed on the SIGIS public website.

If John Doe, Inc. also operates stores under John Doe, Inc., it would need to include John Doe, Inc. as a DBA. If a company has no DBA(s), then the Organization's legal name will be listed on the SIGIS public website, once SIGIS certified or 90% registered.

A Primary Organization may have majority ownership in an Affiliate company and may do business under one or more store trade names (DBAs) that differ from that of the Organization's legal name. Below is an example detailing a Primary Organization with one Legal name, one Affiliate and four DBA locations. A Primary Organization only requires one SIGIS Membership.

In the example below, only one SIGIS Membership is required for Morgan Pharmacy, Inc. which is the Primary Organization.

The Primary Organization is made up of two business entities Morgan Pharmacy, Inc. and an Affiliate company, John Doe, Inc. Each have their own Tax ID Number, however, since Medical Pharmacy, Inc. has more than a 50% ownership stake in John Doe, Inc., it is known as an Affiliate to Morgan Pharmacy, Inc. and is eligible to be a component of the Primary Organization Membership. Each of these business entities have two DBAs.

A Legal entity may or may not do business under the name of its Primary Organization / Legal name. For purpose of SIGIS Certification and 90% Registration, a Legal Organization must provide its "doing business as" names of the stores to be certified or registered.

For example:

Morgan Pharmacy, Inc is the Legal Organization, and it does business under the following DBA(s):

• Mountain Pharmacy
• Ocean Pharmacy
• Tom's Drugs
• Mary's Pharmacy

Upon completion of SIGIS Certification or 90% Registration, the DBAs will be posted on the SIGIS public website.

As of January 1, 2013, SIGIS does utilize Membership account numbers. Membership account numbers will be available on invoices and in the Member's Area.  It is crucial that the Primary Organization name, account number and invoice number be visible on all submitted payments to be correctly applied.