Stripe Fee Calculator

Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic card charge, with additional surcharges for international cards (+1.5%), currency conversion (+1%), and Connect platform fees (+0.5%). ACH Direct Debit is significantly cheaper at 0.8% capped at $5. Our Stripe fee calculator handles all of these in one place. Enter the transaction amount and pick the payment type — we compute the fee, the net amount you receive, the effective fee percentage, and the gross-up amount (the total you must charge so that after Stripe's cut you receive exactly the target net). This is essential for SaaS businesses, marketplaces, and freelancers who want to pass processing fees through to clients without absorbing them.

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Stripe Fee Calculator calculator

credit_card Transaction Details

$
$

Leave 0 to use the amount above as the target

Custom rate override
%

Override the percentage fee (e.g., negotiated rate)

analytics Fee Breakdown

Stripe Fee
$3.20
Effective: 3.20%
You Receive (Net) $96.80
Applied %
2.90%
Fixed Fee
$0.30
Gross-Up (Reverse)
Charge this to net target $103.30
Fee Stripe takes $3.30
Rate Applied
Domestic card — 2.9% + $0.30

How to Use the Stripe Fee Calculator

1

Enter the transaction amount

Input the gross amount of the Stripe payment you expect to process.

2

Pick the payment type

Choose Domestic Card, International Card, International + Currency, Stripe Connect, or ACH Direct Debit.

3

Review fee and net

See the Stripe fee, net amount received, and effective fee percentage instantly.

4

Use gross-up for invoicing

Enter a target net amount to compute the gross you should charge so you receive exactly that net after Stripe fees.

5

Optional rate override

Use the custom rate override for negotiated volume pricing or future rate changes.

The Formula

Forward: multiply the amount by the percentage rate and add the fixed fee. For ACH, the fee is 0.8% of the amount capped at $5 with no fixed fee. Reverse (gross-up): to net a target amount after Stripe fees, divide (target + fixed fee) by (1 - rate). Example: to net exactly $100 on a domestic card charge, charge $103.30 — Stripe takes 2.9% + $0.30 = $3.30 and you receive $100.00.

Fee = Amount x Rate + Fixed Fee | Net = Amount - Fee | Gross-up = (Target Net + Fixed Fee) / (1 - Rate)

lightbulb Variables Explained

  • Amount Gross transaction amount (what the payer is charged)
  • Rate Stripe's percentage fee (0.8% - 5.4% depending on type)
  • Fixed Fee Flat per-transaction fee ($0.30 for cards, $0 for ACH)
  • Fee Total Stripe fee deducted from the payment
  • Net Amount you actually receive after fees
  • Effective % Fee / Amount x 100 — true all-in rate including the fixed fee
  • Gross-up Amount to charge so net equals your target (reverse calculation)

tips_and_updates Pro Tips

1

Always gross-up your invoices using (net + $0.30) / (1 - 0.029) to avoid absorbing the 2.9% + $0.30 fee on every transaction

2

For high-value ACH payments, the 0.8% fee caps at $5 — making ACH dramatically cheaper than cards for transactions above $625

3

International cards add 1.5% on top of the 2.9% base — if a currency conversion also occurs, add another 1%, bringing the total to 5.4% + $0.30

4

Stripe Connect adds a 0.5% platform fee — factor this into your marketplace take rate calculations

5

Compare Stripe vs PayPal: Stripe domestic (2.9% + $0.30) is slightly cheaper than PayPal Goods and Services (2.99% + $0.49) for most transaction sizes

6

Negotiate volume discounts with Stripe if you process over $80,000/month — custom rates can drop below 2.5% + $0.25

7

Stripe Radar (fraud protection) is included free; additional Radar for Fraud Teams costs $0.02 per screened transaction

8

Use Stripe Billing for recurring subscriptions — the 0.5% Billing fee is in addition to the card processing fee

Stripe, one of the world's largest payment processors handling over $1 trillion in annual transaction volume, charges a standard rate of 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful card transaction for US-based businesses. This per-transaction structure means fees disproportionately affect small transactions — on a $5 sale, fees consume 8.9% ($0.445), while on a $100 sale, they take only 3.2% ($3.20). For international cards, Stripe adds an additional 1.5%, and for currency conversion, another 1%. Businesses processing over $1 million annually can negotiate custom rates through Stripe's enterprise plan. Beyond standard card processing, Stripe charges different rates for ACH direct debit (0.8%, capped at $5), Stripe Invoicing (0.4-0.5% on top of card fees), and subscription billing through Stripe Billing (0.5-0.8% per invoice). Understanding the true cost structure is essential for pricing strategy — many businesses build processing fees into their prices or set minimum transaction amounts to maintain margins. For subscription businesses, even a 0.5% fee difference compounds significantly over thousands of monthly recurring charges.

Understanding Stripe's 2026 fee structure

Stripe's standard US domestic card rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge.

  • International cards — where the card was issued outside the US — add a 1.5% surcharge (total 4.4% + $0.30).
  • If the charge also requires a currency conversion, Stripe adds another 1% (total 5.4% + $0.30).
  • ACH Direct Debit is priced at 0.8% with a $5 cap and no fixed fee, making it the cheapest option for large payments.
  • Stripe Connect, used by marketplaces and platforms, adds a 0.5% platform fee on top of the base card rate.

Our Stripe fee calculator handles all five tiers instantly.

Stripe vs PayPal: which is cheaper?

For a $100 domestic transaction, Stripe charges $3.20 (2.9% + $0.30) while PayPal charges $3.48 (2.99% + $0.49). Stripe wins on both the percentage and fixed fee.

The gap widens on larger transactions: on $1,000, Stripe costs $29.30 vs PayPal's $30.39.

However, PayPal may convert better for consumer-facing checkout due to brand trust and the ability to pay without entering card details. For B2B invoicing and SaaS subscriptions, Stripe is almost always the better value.

How to Calculate Stripe Fees

Stripe's standard online card fee is commonly around 2.9% plus a fixed per-transaction fee (about $0.30 in the US) — confirm current rates on Stripe's pricing page.

On a $100 charge that's roughly $3.20, netting about $96.80.

This calculator applies the current percentage and fixed fee to show your payout, and reverses the math so you can charge enough to net a target amount.

Stripe's Fee Structure

Stripe charges by payment type:

  • standard domestic cards (percentage plus fixed fee)
  • international cards (an added percentage)
  • currency conversion (an added percentage when converting)

Additional Stripe products — Billing, Connect (marketplaces), Radar (fraud), and instant payouts — carry their own fees.

Per Stripe's published pricing, the effective rate depends on your card mix and features used, so model your real transaction profile.

The Gross-Up Calculation for Stripe

To receive a specific net amount after Stripe's cut, gross up the charge: Charge = (Target + Fixed Fee) ÷ (1 − Percentage).

To net $100 at 2.9% + $0.30, charge about $103.30. Adding just the percentage under-collects because the fee also applies to the added amount.

Businesses that need exact net revenue — or that pass fees to customers where allowed — use this formula, which the calculator computes automatically.

Stripe vs PayPal vs Square

The big processors have similar headline online rates (around 2.9% + a fixed fee) but differ in strengths:

  • Stripe excels at developer integration, subscriptions, and global payments
  • PayPal offers consumer trust and built-in buyer base
  • Square leads for in-person and small-business point of sale

Effective cost depends on your mix of online, in-person, and international sales. Compare total fees and feature fit, not just the advertised percentage.

International Cards and Currency Fees

Stripe adds a fee for international cards and another for currency conversion, so payments from overseas customers cost more than domestic ones. For businesses selling globally these add up. Stripe's pricing lists the exact additions.

Presenting prices in the customer's currency (via Stripe's tools) can improve conversion but may trigger conversion fees — weigh the trade-off between higher sales and higher processing cost.

Stripe Billing, Connect, and Other Products

Beyond simple charges, Stripe offers:

  • Billing (subscriptions, with an added percentage on recurring revenue)
  • Connect (splitting payments for marketplaces, with platform fees)
  • Radar (fraud protection per transaction)
  • Terminal (in-person)
  • instant payouts (an added fee)

Each adds to the base processing cost. Per Stripe's pricing, businesses using these should model total effective cost, since add-ons can meaningfully raise the fee beyond the base rate.

How Processing Fees Affect Your Margins

Payment fees of roughly 3% directly reduce gross margin on every sale, which matters most on low-margin or high-volume businesses. On a product with a 20% margin, a 3% fee consumes an eighth of the profit.

The SBA notes processing costs are a real line item to budget.

Pricing fees into your rates, encouraging lower-cost payment methods where possible, and negotiating volume rates all protect margins.

How to Reduce Payment Processing Costs

Ways to lower processing costs include:

  • negotiating volume-based rates
  • minimizing international conversions
  • choosing the right product tier
  • reducing chargebacks and fraud (which add fees)
  • passing fees to customers via surcharges where legally allowed

For high volume, interchange-plus pricing can beat flat rates. The most durable savings come from optimizing your payment mix and pricing fees into your product cost.

Common Stripe Fee Mistakes

Frequent mistakes include:

  • forgetting the fixed per-transaction fee
  • adding only the percentage and under-collecting
  • overlooking international and currency-conversion surcharges
  • ignoring add-on product fees (Billing, Connect)
  • not tracking fees as deductible expenses

Confirm current rates, gross up when netting a target, account for your real card mix, budget add-on costs, and log fees for taxes — the IRS treats them as deductible business expenses.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Data sourced from trusted institutions

All formulas verified against official standards.

Stripe - Pricing open_in_new U.S. Small Business Administration - Managing Cash Flow open_in_new IRS - Tax Guide for Small Business (Pub 334) open_in_new Investopedia - Credit Card Processing Fees open_in_new