Estimate credit card processing costs, net proceeds and the amount needed to receive a targetCurrent public U.S. processor presets and a starting transaction of $100.
The Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator estimates transaction charges, international card fees, currency conversion costs, refunds, disputes, and recurring account expenses. Enter a sale amount, choose a processor preset or pricing model, and review the expected fee, net proceeds, and effective processing rate. The default example uses one $100 transaction with a rate of 2.9% plus $0.30.
Processing costs depend on the provider, sales channel, card type, merchant category, monthly volume, and contract. Therefore, the calculator includes current public U.S. presets as well as editable flat-rate, interchange-plus, tiered, and subscription models. It provides an independent estimate rather than a binding processor quote.
How the Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator Works
First, select a processor and transaction type. The calculator can load public rates for Stripe, Square, PayPal, and SumUp. Alternatively, choose a custom pricing model and enter the values from a merchant statement or sales proposal.
Next, enter the amount charged per transaction and the number of successful monthly payments. Sales tax, shipping, and tips usually form part of the captured card amount. As a result, processors generally apply their percentage fee to those amounts as well as the product or service price.
Afterward, add any international-card share, currency conversion share, refunds, chargebacks, monthly account fees, gateway charges, PCI costs, or equipment expenses. The results update immediately. Moreover, the calculator separates processing fees from returned sales and chargeback losses, which makes the true cost easier to understand.
The calculation goal offers two modes:
- Fee deducted from charge: enter what the customer pays and calculate the amount the merchant keeps.
- Gross up to receive target: enter the desired net amount and calculate the customer charge required to cover transaction-level processing fees.
Recurring account, refund, and dispute costs remain separate from the reverse calculation because they do not belong to one specific customer payment.
Basic processing fee formula
Processing fee = processed amount × percentage rate + fixed transaction fee
For multiple payments:
Total processing fees = total processed volume × percentage rate + number of transactions × fixed fee
The calculator then adds international, FX, refund, dispute, authorization, gateway, subscription, and compliance costs where applicable.
Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator Transfer Fee
A transfer fee normally refers to the cost of moving settled funds from the processor to a bank account or eligible debit card. Standard scheduled payouts are often included in basic processing pricing. However, instant transfers may carry an additional percentage, minimum fee, or fixed charge.
Transfer fees do not replace the original card-processing charge. For example, a processor may deduct 2.9% plus $0.30 when the customer pays and then charge another fee when the merchant requests an instant payout. Consequently, merchants should review both the payment fee and the payout schedule.
Enter payout or transfer expenses under Other monthly processor costs when the charge is recurring. A one-time transfer or setup expense can go under One-time setup / hardware cost. If the provider charges a percentage of payout volume, calculate the expected monthly amount before entering it.
Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator International Transfer Fee
An international card fee can apply when the card was issued outside the merchant’s country. It may apply even when the customer pays in U.S. dollars and no currency conversion occurs. Thus, international-card pricing and FX pricing should be treated as separate components.
For example, Stripe’s standard U.S. online pricing adds 1.5% for international cards. Square also publishes a 1.5% international-card addition for the listed U.S. plans. PayPal applies an additional 1.5% to eligible international commercial transactions. Account-specific and custom rates may differ.
Use International-card share of sales to specify how much of the processed volume involves foreign-issued cards. Then enter the processor’s additional international percentage. If 20% of $10,000 in monthly sales is international and the surcharge is 1.5%, the estimated extra fee equals $30.
Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator Exchange Fees
In card processing, “exchange fees” often means interchange fees. The cardholder’s issuing bank receives interchange as part of the transaction. Card networks may also collect assessment and network charges, while the payment processor adds its markup.
Interchange-plus pricing displays these components separately:
- Interchange percentage and fixed card cost
- Network assessment percentage and fixed charges
- Processor percentage markup and fixed markup
Interchange is not one universal rate. Debit, credit, rewards, corporate, international, manually entered, and card-not-present transactions may qualify differently. Merchant category and settlement practices can also affect the result. Therefore, use the interchange-plus section with the blended values from an actual statement or proposal.
Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator Currency Conversion Fee
A currency conversion fee may apply when the customer’s payment currency differs from the merchant’s settlement currency. This charge is separate from the international-card surcharge. For instance, Stripe’s standard U.S. card pricing lists an additional 1% when currency conversion is required.
PayPal also publishes currency-conversion pricing for certain services. Meanwhile, a customer’s card issuer may independently apply a foreign transaction fee. That cardholder expense does not reduce the merchant’s settlement unless the processor includes it in merchant pricing.
The calculator has two currency features:
- Processor FX surcharge: included in the merchant fee calculation.
- Live Exchange Rate: converts displayed results for comparison without changing the USD calculation.
Do not enter the same FX cost in both places. The live display rate is informational and does not represent a processor’s retail exchange spread.
Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator Fee for Receiving Money
The fee for receiving money is the amount a merchant pays when a customer completes a card payment. Under flat-rate pricing, the processor combines interchange, network costs, and markup into one percentage plus a fixed fee. Consequently, the merchant receives the sale amount minus the processing charge.
For a $100 payment at 2.9% plus $0.30:
- Percentage fee: $100 × 2.9% = $2.90
- Fixed fee: $0.30
- Total receiving fee: $3.20
- Merchant net proceeds: $96.80
Small payments have a higher effective rate because the fixed fee represents a larger share of the transaction. For example, a $5 payment at the same pricing costs $0.45, which equals an effective rate of 9%.
Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator Fee Calculation Examples
Example 1: Standard $100 online card payment
Assume a domestic online transaction of $100 with pricing of 2.9% plus $0.30.
| Processed amount | $100.00 |
|---|---|
| Percentage charge | $2.90 |
| Fixed charge | $0.30 |
| Total fee | $3.20 |
| Net proceeds | $96.80 |
Example 2: Gross up to receive $100
A merchant wants to retain $100 after a 2.9% plus $0.30 transaction fee. The required customer charge is approximately $103.30.
- Customer charge: $103.30
- Estimated processing fee: $3.30
- Target net amount: $100.00
Legal restrictions and card-network rules may limit surcharging. Therefore, this result shows the mathematics only and does not determine whether a merchant may pass the fee to a customer.
Example 3: International card with currency conversion
Consider a $100 Stripe online card payment with the standard 2.9% plus $0.30 fee, a 1.5% international-card addition, and a 1% currency conversion addition.
- Base processing fee: $3.20
- International fee: $1.50
- Currency conversion fee: $1.00
- Total estimated fee: $5.70
- Net proceeds: $94.30
Example 4: Monthly business volume
A merchant processes 500 domestic payments averaging $40 at 2.9% plus $0.30. Monthly processed volume equals $20,000.
- Percentage fees: $20,000 × 2.9% = $580
- Fixed fees: 500 × $0.30 = $150
- Total monthly processing fees: $730
- Effective processing rate: 3.65%
- Net before account costs and returns: $19,270
If the account also costs $25 per month, the all-in fee becomes $755. Accordingly, the effective monthly cost rate rises to 3.78%.
Example 5: Interchange-plus estimate
Suppose the blended interchange is 1.80% plus $0.10, network assessment is 0.14%, and processor markup is 0.30% plus $0.10. On one $100 transaction:
- Combined percentage: 2.24% = $2.24
- Combined fixed charges: $0.20
- Total estimated fee: $2.44
- Net proceeds: $97.56
This is an illustrative blended calculation. Actual interchange depends on the card and qualification category.
Credit Card Processing Fees Calculator Fee Table
| Processor preset | Transaction type | Public base rate |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe US | Online domestic card | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Stripe US | Terminal domestic card | 2.7% + $0.05 |
| Square Free | Tap, dip, or swipe | 2.6% + $0.15 |
| Square Free | Online or invoice card | 3.3% + $0.30 |
| Square | Online API | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Square | Manual entry or card on file | 3.5% + $0.15 |
| PayPal US | Standard credit or debit card | 2.99% + $0.49 |
| PayPal US | PayPal Checkout or Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 |
| SumUp US | In-person payment | 2.6% + $0.10 |
| SumUp US | Online or manual entry | 3.5% + $0.15 |
Rates were reviewed on July 16, 2026. Paid plans, custom contracts, high-volume pricing, industry terms, and additional products can change the final charge. Always compare the estimate with the processor’s current pricing page and merchant agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a credit card processing fee?
It is the cost a merchant pays to accept a card payment. The fee may include interchange, network assessments, processor markup, and a fixed transaction charge.
Does the processor charge a fee on sales tax and shipping?
Usually, yes. The percentage fee generally applies to the complete captured amount, including sales tax, shipping, and tips.
Why does the effective rate change with transaction size?
The fixed fee has a larger impact on small transactions. Therefore, two businesses with the same percentage rate can have different effective costs when their average ticket sizes differ.
What is the difference between flat-rate and interchange-plus pricing?
Flat-rate pricing combines card costs and processor markup into one published rate. Interchange-plus pricing lists underlying interchange and assessments separately from the processor’s markup.
How does tiered processing work?
Tiered pricing assigns transactions to qualified, mid-qualified, or non-qualified categories. Each category uses a different rate, so the final cost depends on the processor’s qualification rules and transaction mix.
Are processing fees returned after a refund?
Policies vary. Some processors return part of the original fee, while others retain it. Use the returned-fee percentage field to model the applicable policy.
Does the calculator include chargebacks?
Yes. Enter the dispute count, disputed amount, dispute fee, wins, and any fee refund. The calculator separates lost principal from processor dispute charges.
What is a good credit card processing rate?
There is no universal best rate. Card mix, transaction size, sales channel, monthly volume, merchant category, software needs, and contract terms all affect the total cost.
Can a merchant charge customers a processing fee?
Rules depend on applicable law, card-network requirements, notice procedures, and the type of card. The reverse calculation provides a mathematical result only. Verify surcharge compliance before adding a customer fee.
Does Live Exchange Rate include the processor’s FX spread?
No. Live Exchange Rate changes the displayed currency only. Enter the processor’s actual conversion surcharge separately.
How can I calculate my actual effective processing rate?
Divide total processing and account fees by total processed sales, then multiply by 100. Include monthly, gateway, PCI, annual, refund, and dispute costs when calculating the all-in rate.
Can I share a completed calculation?
Yes. Use Copy Share Link to create a URL containing the selected processor, rates, volume, and other calculator inputs.
Sources: Stripe pricing, Square pricing, PayPal merchant fees, and SumUp pricing.