> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.generalreferral.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Setting Up Your Account Login

> How your General Referral login gets created — instantly during checkout, or separately with an email confirmation step

There are two ways your General Referral login (email + password) gets created. Which one you experience depends on **whether you set your password during checkout or sometime afterward**. The only practical difference is a one-time email confirmation step.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="During checkout" icon="bolt">
    You set your password right after payment and get in immediately — no confirmation email needed.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Later / separately" icon="envelope">
    You set up your login on its own, so we send a confirmation email you'll need to click first.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## During checkout (instant access)

When you join through [the signup flow](https://app.generalreferral.com/join) and complete payment, you'll land on a success page that prompts you to create your password.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Complete checkout">
    Finish payment on the join page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create your password">
    On the success page, a quick popup prompts you to set your account password (and asks an optional "How did you hear about us?" question).
  </Step>

  <Step title="You're in">
    Your account is confirmed automatically and you go straight to your dashboard — **no confirmation email required**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Because your identity is already verified by your completed purchase, we confirm your email for you. You won't need to check your inbox to start.
</Note>

## Setting up your login separately (email confirmation)

If you didn't set a password during checkout — for example, you're an existing member setting up online access for the first time — you'll create your login on its own. For security, this path includes a one-time email confirmation.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter your email and a password">
    Use the same email address that's on your General Referral account.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check your inbox">
    We send a confirmation email from General Referral. Open it and click the confirmation link.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Finish signing in">
    The link verifies your address and takes you to your dashboard.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  You must click the confirmation link before you can sign in. If you skip this step, your login won't be active yet.
</Warning>

## Were you invited to manage a team?

If a team leader added you as a team owner or manager, you'll receive an **invitation email** with a link. Click it, set your password, and you're in — there's **no separate confirmation email** for invited team members. (See [Your Team Dashboard](/knowledge-base/team-leaders/your-team-dashboard) for what comes next.)

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="I didn't get the confirmation email">
    Check your spam or promotions folder first. Make sure you used the same email address that's on your General Referral account. Still nothing? [Contact support](https://app.generalreferral.com/dashboard/support) and we'll help.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The confirmation link expired or doesn't work">
    Confirmation links are time-limited. If yours has expired, start the login setup again to receive a fresh link, or [reach out to support](https://app.generalreferral.com/dashboard/support).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why did I need to confirm my email but my colleague didn't?">
    If you set your password during checkout, we confirm your email automatically. The confirmation step only applies when you set up your login separately from a purchase.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I use a different password for the member portal and a team?">
    No. You have one login. The same email and password gets you into your dashboard and, if you lead or help manage a team, the team portal.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>