---
title: "Merchant category code"
description: "Merchant category code — The four-digit code a card network assigns to a merchant by line of business — 5812 for restaurants. It suggests an expense account and drives card spend limits, but it describes the merchant, not what was bought."
canonical: "https://lopifi.com/glossary/merchant-category-code"
---

# Merchant category code

> Merchant category code — The four-digit code a card network assigns to a merchant by line of business — 5812 for restaurants. It suggests an expense account and drives card spend limits, but it describes the merchant, not what was bought.

Source: https://lopifi.com/glossary/merchant-category-code
Part of: Lopifi — Planned: US GAAP books on autopilot, checked by a CPA (https://lopifi.com)

---

**What is merchant category code?** In accounting, merchant category code means the four-digit code a card network assigns to a merchant by line of business — 5812 for restaurants. It suggests an expense account and drives card spend limits, but it describes the merchant, not what was bought.

## Also known as

- MCC

## Words this system refuses for it

- GL account
- expense category

- **Category:** Payables
- **Specified in:** [Lexicon](https://lopifi.com/md/docs/domain/lexicon)
- **Related:** account, expense