The best payment processing for a contractor depends on invoice size, country and how payments reach the job record. For large US invoices, compare capped bank-payment fees before choosing on the card rate alone. For smaller field payments, the convenience of collecting and matching a payment may matter more.
This guide compares receiving money from customers. It is not a comparison of payroll platforms for paying independent contractors. If you need that, start with paying subcontractors.
Scope: public US pricing checked October 17, 2026. Dollar calculations below are USD. Account agreements, legacy plans and Canadian rates can differ. The figures are transaction fees, not a promise of the total bill.
What is the best payment processing for contractors?
Use the shortlist according to the payment you need to collect:
| Your situation | Options to investigate | What decides the choice |
|---|---|---|
| Large US invoices paid by bank | Stripe, Helcim, capped Square invoice plans, Joist | Cap, added fees, settlement and software costs |
| Many small payments in the field | Square or the payments in your field service app | Collection speed and matching to the job |
| Office already runs on QuickBooks | QuickBooks Payments or a compatible alternative | Transaction cost versus reconciliation work |
| Jobs already managed in Jobber or Housecall Pro | Existing platform first | Whether savings justify another system |
| Business already uses ServiceTitan | Request account-specific pricing | An itemized proposal and actual statement |
Before deciding whether to accept credit cards, check which payment methods customers use now. Moving every customer to a cheaper option is an assumption, not a forecast.
What do the fees look like on a $12,000 payment?
The same invoice produces very different bank-payment fees. These are derived calculations using the linked public pricing, before subscriptions, verification, returns or other additions.
| Provider | Published bank-payment pricing | Fee on a $12,000 US bank payment |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe standard ACH | 0.8%, $5 cap | $5 |
| Helcim | 0.5% + 25¢, $6 cap; extra charge above $25,000 | $6 |
| Square invoice ACH, Free | 1%, $1 minimum | $120 |
| Square invoice ACH, Plus/Premium | 1%, $1 minimum, $10 cap | $10, plus plan cost |
| QuickBooks Payments | 1% on the public US comparison | $120, subject to your agreement |
| Jobber Payments | 1% | $120 |
| Housecall Pro | Standard 1%; plan may vary | $120 at that rate |
| Joist | 1%, $15 cap | $15 |
| ServiceTitan | Custom pricing | Ask for your rate |
For the calculation, $12,000 × 1% = $120. At Stripe's standard cap, the transaction fee is $5. The difference is $115 for that payment before extra costs. This does not mean an existing payment can be refunded or that every future invoice qualifies.
The provider sections below link the rate sources. For an existing bill, our statement fee guide helps separate transaction charges from monthly additions.
Not sure what you are paying on your own jobs? Send statement and contract exports for Pavado's free money leak scan. Get a written list of potential overpayments and questions to raise with your processor. No account logins needed.
The 8 processors, compared
1. Stripe
Consider it for: large US bank-paid invoices when your collection workflow supports Stripe.
Stripe's standard pricing lists domestic cards at 2.9% + 30¢ and ACH Direct Debit at 0.8%, capped at $5. Its bank-payment pricing also lists separate charges for instant verification, failed payments and disputes, and a different rate for faster settlement. Additional invoicing or platform fees may apply.
The cap is useful, but quote the complete setup. Check the payment method and settlement option rather than assuming every product with “bank” in its name has the same rate.
2. Helcim
Consider it for: comparing interchange-plus card pricing alongside bank payments.
Helcim's pricing lists bank payments at 0.5% + 25¢, capped at $6, with an additional 0.05% on amounts over $25,000. Its online card markup starts at interchange plus 0.50% + 25¢ in the lowest volume band. Interchange is additional; the markup is not the whole card fee.
Its published pricing covers US ACH and Canadian EFT-PAD terminology. Verify the merchant country and currency in your proposal. A QuickBooks user can also inspect the provider's QuickBooks integration before assuming a second processor means manual bookkeeping.
3. Square
Consider it for: field collection and invoice payments, with plan-specific comparisons.
Square's US fee table distinguishes in-person, online invoice and API payments. Invoice ACH on Free is 1% with a $1 minimum; Plus and Premium show a $10 cap. Online invoice cards show 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on the paid tiers.
There is also a different ACH cap for API payments. Do not apply that to an ordinary invoice without checking the integration. A paid plan only saves money if its fee reduction exceeds the extra subscription and setup cost.
4. QuickBooks Payments
Consider it for: collecting and reconciling payments inside an existing QuickBooks workflow.
Intuit's US rate page lists invoiced cards and digital wallets at 2.99%, in-person payments at 2.5%, keyed cards at 3.5% and ACH at 1%. It dates its displayed comparison September 18, 2026. Confirm your account's terms; that table does not represent every agreement.
A separate collection system should earn its place by saving more than it adds in software and reconciliation work. If matching deposits is already difficult, review invoice reconciliation before moving the payment link.
5. Jobber Payments
Consider it for: service contractors already quoting and invoicing in Jobber.
Jobber's pricing shows online cards at 2.9% + 30¢, Tap to Pay at 2.7% + 30¢ and US bank payments at 1%. The bank-payment row does not display a cap.
The decision is the total workflow cost, including the subscription you need. Compare payment collection alongside the other job-management features in our Jobber comparison, rather than switching an entire operating system to reduce one fee.
6. Housecall Pro
Consider it for: companies already using its job and invoice workflow.
Housecall Pro's pricing advertises card rates starting at 2.59% and bank payments at 1%. Its ACH FAQ says the standard fee can vary by plan and ACH is currently for US businesses. Ask support to confirm the account rate.
Do not apply the starting card percentage to every transaction type. Compare the charge on a settled invoice with the proposal, including any payout option you actually use.
7. Joist Payments
Consider it for: contractors who want payments attached to their estimates and invoices.
Joist's own comparison publishes cards at 3.49% + 49¢ and US ACH at 1%, capped at $15. Its bank cap may be useful even when its card rate is not the lowest in a shortlist.
Check the subscription, supported methods and account-specific payout terms. The lowest fee for one method does not make every payment in that app the cheapest.
8. ServiceTitan Payments
Consider it for: businesses already evaluating or running ServiceTitan.
ServiceTitan's payments FAQ directs merchants to request custom pricing. There is no defensible public flat rate to put into the calculation above.
Ask for card and bank pricing, per-transaction additions, payout charges and the treatment of refunds. Compare that written proposal against your payment history. Do not borrow another contractor's negotiated rate as your own forecast.
How much could changing payment methods save?
For a focused check of your existing charges, a merchant statement review compares the bill with the agreement before you decide whether to change providers.
Calculate a scenario using your actual invoice sizes, not just annual revenue.
Hypothetical example: 50 US invoices of $12,000 each, all eligible for the same bank-payment method. At an uncapped 1%, the transaction fees total $6,000. At a $5 cap, they total $250. The difference is $5,750 before additional fees and implementation costs. If only some customers use that method, apply the calculation only to those invoices.
A practical comparison is:
Current annual cost minus proposed annual cost minus switching cost.
Include subscriptions, transaction additions, hardware, verification, paid payout options, returned payments and the office time needed to reconcile deposits. See the effective-rate calculation for comparing real statements.
For Canadian work, request Canadian EFT or PAD pricing and use the correct currency. A US ACH cap is not a substitute for a Canadian merchant agreement.
A payment setup checklist before switching
- Export a representative month of invoices and settled payments.
- Split them by card, bank payment and other methods, then by invoice size.
- Match the deductions to the processor statement and agreement.
- Ask each shortlisted provider to price that same month, including add-ons.
- Check collection, settlement and refund handling against a progress payment schedule.
- Test whether the payment matches the right invoice and job.
- Keep a record of account limits and return rules before relying on a large payment.
In an r/Contractor discussion about online payments, contributors describe different preferences for checks, bank payments and cards. Those individual experiences help explain the questions to ask; they do not establish a universal best processor or a hold rate.
Want someone to check the statement before you change providers? Pavado's free money leak scan returns a written list of potential overpayments, avoidable fees and contract questions. Send exports, not logins. You can take the findings to your current provider before deciding whether to switch.