ID Scanning on Toast: Check WE SCAN Hardware and Service Prompts First

Quick answer: ID scanning on Toast runs through a third-party integration called WE SCAN. A barcode scanner doesn't do it on its own. Toast's support article says that, for now, WE SCAN ID scanning can only be turned on for alcoholic drinks and items. A scanner you set up to ring items by barcode, with SKUs enabled, adds products to a check. It doesn't check anyone's age.

Before the POS asks anyone for an ID, Toast's article describes four things you need: a Toast device and reader that Toast lists for WE SCAN, the integration added in Toast Web with your WE SCAN onboarding finished, an Age Verification (WE SCAN) service prompt that covers the right dining options and alcohol items, and a working internet connection on that device. If any one is missing, the POS isn't checking IDs, and staff need to card guests under your own written policy.

One thing Toast's page doesn't settle is Toast Go handhelds. Near the top it says scanning "is not currently supported on Toast Go hardware." Further down, the same page lists the Toast Go 3 as a scanning device. If your plan depends on scanning IDs on a handheld, get a written answer for your exact model before you buy or switch anything on.

We wrote this from Toast's support articles and WE SCAN's integration page as they read on November 9, 2026. Toast's WE SCAN article was last updated October 28, 2026. We didn't set up WE SCAN, test it on a Toast device or see any pricing.

Item scanning and ID scanning are separate setups

Toast's item-scanner list and its WE SCAN list aren't the same list. The item article names Motorola and Honeywell models alongside Zebra ones. For WE SCAN, Toast says "any Zebra scanner sold by Toast works": the DS2208, the DS9308 hands-free scanner and the DS2278 wireless scanner. The scanner has to read 2D barcodes, because WE SCAN reads the PDF-417 barcode on the ID. If you have another model, or a Zebra you bought somewhere else, Toast's page doesn't say it works. Ask before you count on it.

The WE SCAN article also doesn't say whether the item-scanner steps, like Enable SKUs or the Zebra setup barcodes, are part of ID scanning. Ask Toast how the scanner should be connected and set up for WE SCAN on your device. One detail from the item article is worth knowing either way: Toast Flex has no USB-A port, so a USB scanner plugs into the Toast printer or Toast hub instead.

Which devices Toast lists, and where the page contradicts itself

This is Toast's WE SCAN hardware table as it read on November 9, 2026. Toast says the list is subject to change.

The Toast Go conflict

Here's exactly what the page says. In the section on what to check before you integrate: "All 50 U.S. states support scanning a 2-D (PDF-417) barcode on the ID. This feature is not currently supported on Toast Go hardware." In the hardware table: Toast Go 3, Integrated Reader, Scan, with a note that the Go 3 "scans IDs with its built-in camera." Both are on the same page, last updated October 28, 2026.

WE SCAN's own Integration Partners page, which isn't dated, says "WE SCAN now available on the Toast Go® 3 Handhelds." That suggests the Go 3 rows are current and the earlier sentence is older or meant for the Go 1 and Go 2, which Toast lists for swipe only. That's our reading. Toast hasn't said so, and neither page tells you which line is right for your device and software.

So treat any Toast Go plan as unconfirmed until you have it in writing:

• Go 3. Ask Toast and WE SCAN to confirm in writing that ID scanning works on your Go 3 with your setup before you buy handhelds for it or roll it out. Toast's Go 3 setup article covers scanning product barcodes with the camera, not IDs, so it doesn't settle this.
• Go 1 or Go 2. Toast lists swipe only. Don't plan on scanning the barcode with these.
• No answer yet. Orders on the handhelds don't count as ID-checked. Staff card guests under your written policy.

Swipe readers and the eight-state line

Toast's page says every state supports scanning the 2D barcode on the ID, and that as of 2023, eight states also support swiping the magnetic stripe: California, Louisiana, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas. It doesn't say how a swipe reader handles IDs from the other 42 states. Its Michigan note says some newer Michigan IDs have only the barcode and no stripe, and suggests those locations buy the Zebra scanner or "thoughtfully choose" to override. If a station only has a swipe reader, ask what happens with the IDs your guests actually carry before you rely on it.

Setups Toast says won't work

• Kiosk mode. Toast says WE SCAN doesn't work when the POS is in Kiosk mode, "as guests are not legally able to self-verify their age." It does work in Toast's Test Mode when the device isn't in Kiosk mode.
• Two card readers on one device, for example an MSR paired with a Toast Tap On Counter reader. Toast says the MSR isn't supported with WE SCAN, and the Tap On Counter reader defaults to Guest Pay mode, which doesn't fit WE SCAN's ID-scan-first workflow. Toast says to remove one reader so only one remains, and calls it a known limitation with no fix scheduled yet. Sort that out with Toast before rollout, outside service. Don't start unplugging readers during a shift.

On buying hardware, Toast says that with a master service agreement you buy through your Customer Success Manager, and without one through the Toast Shop. Neither Toast's page nor WE SCAN's lists prices.

Turning it on, in Toast's order

1. Confirm your device and reader are on the list, and get the Toast Go answer in writing if it applies to you.
2. Make sure you have access to Toast Partner Integrations. Toast says you need it before you can add WE SCAN.
3. In Toast Web, go to Integrations > Integration management > Browse & purchase integrations, search for WE SCAN and select Add Now.
4. Wait for Toast's email saying you can enable it, then enable it under Integrations > Integration management > Configure Integrations.
5. Email WE SCAN at [email protected] to finish your account setup. Toast says the WE SCAN team will contact you to set up your account and reporting access within 1–2 business days. That's when they get in touch, not when you'll be live.
6. Once WE SCAN confirms onboarding is complete, build the service prompt yourself in Toast Web: Front of house > POS notifications > Service prompts > + New Prompt. Choose Age Verification (WE SCAN) as the type, name it, pick the dining options, add the items, groups or menus, and save.
7. Ask whether manager approval for overrides is on. Toast says you can require a manager passcode or manager card swipe to approve an ID override, that it's typically turned on during the initial integration, and that Customer Care can turn it on later.

If you run several locations under Toast's Multi-location Management, Toast says each location sets up the integration on its own. A shared service prompt on a shared menu won't reach a location that doesn't have the integration on its account.

What staff see, and what the green banner doesn't mean

The prompt only fires for what you put in it. Toast says that when an item, group or menu in the prompt is added to an order, an ID verification prompt appears and the server asks the guest to swipe their ID or hand it over to have the barcode scanned. The prompt is also tied to the dining options you pick. Our reading is that a dining option you didn't select, or a new cocktail that isn't in a selected item, group or menu, won't prompt. Recheck the prompt every time you add drinks or dining options.

• Scan works. The prompt closes and a green ID banner appears at the top of the check. Toast says more age-restricted items can then be added to that order without scanning the guest's ID again.
• Scan fails. Toast documents one message: "Age Verification Failed. The guest isn't old enough to purchase this item."
• ID won't read. Toast's page doesn't describe what staff see. Treat it as no scan at all.
• Override or Close. The prompt has both buttons. Toast doesn't say what Close does to the item on the order. Find out in Test Mode, not during service.

The green banner is on the check, not on each person. Toast's wording is that "the guest's age has been verified." At a table of four on one check, one scanned ID turns the banner green and the next round won't prompt again. The banner can't tell anyone which guest handed over the ID or whether the others were carded. Who gets carded at a shared check is for your written policy and your local rules, and the server still has to keep track of it.

Can't scan isn't the same as can't accept

Toast lists the IDs WE SCAN scans: U.S. driver's licenses, U.S. identification cards and Canadian driver's licenses. It says WE SCAN doesn't scan U.S. passports, military IDs, Mexican IDs or U.S. resident IDs, and that if you choose to verify a guest's age with one of those, you use the Override.

That's a software limit, not a legal one. One example, for New York only: the State Liquor Authority's page for licensed retailers lists a valid U.S. military ID and a valid passport among the forms of identification that may be accepted. WE SCAN can't scan either one. Other states have their own rules, so check your state's alcohol regulator, not the scanner's list.

It cuts the other way too. A good scan doesn't make an ID acceptable. The same New York page tells licensees to check for tampered or fake documents and to verify that the person handing over the ID is the person shown on it. Toast's article doesn't say WE SCAN detects fake IDs or matches the person to the card, so don't assume it does.

The override reasons are buttons, not rules

Toast's override offers three reasons: "Guest is over 35," "Age previously verified" and "Manually verified ID." Those are labels in the software. Toast doesn't present them as legal standards, and picking one doesn't make a sale okay. In New York, for instance, the SLA page says you should ask for identification every time, even from a customer who has shown proof of age before. That doesn't sit well with a quick "previously verified" tap. Decide in writing which reasons, if any, your staff may use and who approves them, and turn on manager approval if it isn't on already.

When the device is offline

Toast says the WE SCAN workflow only runs with a working internet connection, and you can't use WE SCAN while the device is in offline mode. An offline device shows a yellow offline banner, and tapping it shows what you should and shouldn't do. Toast doesn't describe what the prompt does while offline. Plan as if nothing is being checked on that device: staff card guests under your written policy, and nothing rung while it's offline counts as scanned. If the same station keeps dropping offline, that's a Wi-Fi coverage question for the next day, not something to fix mid-shift. Offline mode limits other things too; see Toast won't combine checks offline.

What to do, by what you find

None of these rows is permission to serve. They tell you whether the software is doing its part. Whether a guest can be served is still the staff member's call under your policy and local rules.

A fictional first night at the bar

This example is made up. The restaurant, devices and timeline are invented, and nothing in it is a real test or a real answer from Toast or WE SCAN.

• Two weeks out. A fictional bar and grill, Pier Nine, is about to open its bar. It has a Toast Flex at the bar and a Honeywell Voyager 1400g on the retail counter for ringing merch by SKU. The owner assumes the counter scanner can card guests too, and wants to add Toast Go 3 handhelds for the patio.
• The counter scanner. The manager checks Toast's WE SCAN table. The Voyager 1400g is on Toast's item-scanner list but not on the WE SCAN list, so it stays on merch. The note for that counter says NO.
• The bar Flex. Toast lists the Flex with a Zebra DS2208, DS9308 or DS2278 for scanning. The manager asks Toast which one fits the bar, what it costs and how it connects to a Flex. The note says Flex, Zebra (model to be decided), YES. The quote goes into the total-cost comparison when it arrives. There's no number here because we don't have one.
• The patio handhelds. The Go 3 is in Toast's table, but the same page says scanning isn't supported on Toast Go. The manager emails Toast and WE SCAN asking for written confirmation for the Go 3. The note says UNCLEAR, no reference yet, and the handheld order waits for an answer.
• Opening night. WE SCAN hasn't confirmed onboarding yet, so every note says STOP - MANUAL POLICY ONLY. Bartenders and patio servers card guests under the written policy, and nobody treats a check as scanned.
• After that. Whatever answers come back go on the notes with the date and reference, and the Test Mode checks run before anyone relies on the prompt.

Manager preflight note

Copy this into your opening binder or print one per station. It carries its own source date and limits, so it still makes sense on its own. Never write guest details on it.

TOAST + WE SCAN ID SCANNING - MANAGER PREFLIGHT NOTE
One note per station. Fill it in before you buy hardware or
turn the prompt on. Based on Toast's "Use the WE SCAN ID
Integration" article (last updated Oct 28, 2026), read
Nov 9, 2026. Toast says its hardware list is subject to
change, so recheck it before you rely on this note.
NEVER WRITE GUEST DETAILS HERE: no names, dates of birth,
ID numbers, addresses, or photos or copies of any ID.

Location (your internal name): ____________  Date: ________
Station / device name: ____________
Toast device: ELO v1 / ELO v3 / Flex / Go 1 / Go 2 / Go 3
              other: ____________
Reader or scanner model: ____________   SWIPE / SCAN
On Toast's WE SCAN list for this device?  YES / NO / UNCLEAR
  Any Toast Go = UNCLEAR until confirmed in writing. Toast's
  page says scanning isn't supported on Toast Go hardware,
  but its own table lists Go 3 as Scan.
Kiosk mode OFF on this device?  YES / NO   (NO = won't work)
Only one card reader on this device?  YES / NO
  (NO = two card readers, won't work)
Written confirmation from Toast or WE SCAN for this exact
setup?  YES / NO / N/A   Ticket no. or email date: ________
  N/A only if the list answer is YES and it isn't a Toast Go.
  List answer NO or UNCLEAR: confirmation is required, so
  answer YES only if you have it in writing, otherwise NO.

SETUP
WE SCAN integration added and enabled in Toast Web?  Y / N
WE SCAN confirmed onboarding is complete?  Y / N  Date: ____
Service prompt name: ____________
Dining options covered: ________________________________
Items / groups / menus covered: ________________________
Prompt rechecked after the last menu change?  Y / N
Manager approval required for overrides?  Y / N
Who may approve an override: ____________
Written ID policy (name and version): ____________
Device online at this station in service?  Y / N / NOT SURE
Test Mode checks done?  Y / N   Date: ________

DECISION (circle one)
GO only if all three are true:
  1. Hardware: listed and not a Toast Go (confirmation N/A),
     or written confirmation YES for this exact setup.
  2. Kiosk mode OFF = YES and only one card reader = YES.
  3. Every SETUP question is Y and every SETUP line is
     filled in.
STOP - MANUAL POLICY ONLY: if any of 1-3 isn't true. That
    includes a list answer of NO or UNCLEAR without written
    confirmation YES, confirmation NO, Kiosk mode OFF = NO,
    only one card reader = NO, a SETUP answer of N or
    NOT SURE, or a blank line. Staff check IDs under the
    written policy.
    Nothing rung on this station counts as scanned.
Decided by: ____________   Date: ________

IN SERVICE, STOP AND GET THE MANAGER IF
- no prompt appears on an item that should have one
- the device shows the yellow offline banner (Toast says
  WE SCAN needs a working internet connection)
- the ID won't read, or it's a type WE SCAN doesn't scan
  (U.S. passport, military, Mexican or U.S. resident ID)
- the screen says "Age Verification Failed"
- someone wants to override and no approver is available

LIMITS
- The green ID banner is on the check, not on each person.
  It doesn't show who else at the table was carded.
- "Can't scan" doesn't mean the ID is invalid, and a good
  scan doesn't make an ID acceptable. Your state and local
  rules and your written policy decide that.
- Override reasons ("Guest is over 35", "Age previously
  verified", "Manually verified ID") are buttons, not rules.
- This note is a setup record. It doesn't make any sale
  lawful or prove the system works on every device.

Checks to run before you rely on it

We haven't run these. They're a proposed sequence for a manager, using Toast's Test Mode, which Toast says works with WE SCAN when the device isn't in Kiosk mode.

Ground rules: owner or manager approval, outside service hours, no live guest orders. Use only test materials that WE SCAN or Toast provides or approves for this, never a real guest's ID, an employee's ID or anyone underage. If WE SCAN can't give you test materials, run only the steps that don't need an ID and ask WE SCAN how they'd like you to check the rest.

1. On each covered dining option, add each prompted item, or one from each prompted group or menu. Record whether the prompt appears: yes or no.
2. Add the same item on a dining option you didn't select, and an alcohol item outside the prompt if you have one. Confirm the result matches what you meant to set up.
3. With approved test material, complete a scan. Look for the green banner, then add a second prompted item and confirm it doesn't prompt again, as Toast describes.
4. Start an override. If you turned on manager approval, confirm the approval step appears and that only the people your policy names can approve.
5. Press Close on a prompt and look at what happened to the item on the order.
6. Record each result on the preflight note as yes, no or unclear, with the date. No screenshots of an ID and no details from one.

Skip offline testing. Toast already says WE SCAN won't work offline, so plan for it instead of taking a device off the network to see. A clean run shows what that device did that day in Test Mode. It doesn't prove the setup is legal, that it catches fake IDs, or that it behaves the same on every device or after an update.

Before you buy anything

• Written confirmation for each device and reader pair you'll use, especially any Toast Go.
• Price and contract terms from WE SCAN and Toast, in writing. Neither page we read lists them. Put them in your POS total-cost comparison next to the hardware.
• What WE SCAN keeps from a scan, where and for how long. Toast's article doesn't say, so ask before you sign.
• Who supports what. Toast says to contact WE SCAN directly for account or integration issues that aren't about Toast software, hardware or network problems.

Walk the bar team through the prompt, the table above and your written policy during your soft opening.

What this post doesn't cover

• Which IDs are legally acceptable where you are, or any state's age-check rules beyond the single New York example.
• WE SCAN's pricing, data handling, privacy or security.
• Age-restricted products other than alcohol. Toast says those aren't supported.
• Other POS systems.

More guides like this are in the Technology section.

Sources

• Toast Support, Use the WE SCAN ID Integration, last updated October 28, 2026, 2:04 PM (time zone not stated): alcohol-only scope, compatible hardware and the Toast Go statement, Kiosk mode and dual-reader limits, setup steps, service prompts, scan results, supported IDs, overrides, offline mode and the Michigan note. Read November 9, 2026.
• Toast Support, Set Up and Use a Scanner, last updated October 29, 2026, 12:01 PM (time zone not stated): item scanners, Enable SKUs and Toast Flex connections. Read November 9, 2026.
• Toast Support, Set Up Your Toast Go® 3 Handheld, last updated October 29, 2026, 11:17 AM (time zone not stated): camera scanning of product barcodes. Read November 9, 2026.
• WE SCAN, Integration Partners, undated: availability on the Toast Go 3. Read November 9, 2026.
• New York State Liquor Authority, What You Need to Know if You're a Licensed Retailer, undated: New York's list of acceptable identification and its guidance on checking IDs. New York only. Read November 9, 2026.