Payment processor
Square fees in 2026: what you actually pay
Updated · Checked against primary sources
The short answer
Square charges 2.6% + 15 cents for tapped, dipped or swiped cards on Square Free, 2.5% + 15 cents on Plus and 2.4% + 15 cents on Premium. Online and invoice payments are 3.3% + 30 cents on Free and 2.9% + 30 cents on paid plans, keyed cards 3.5% + 15 cents, and invoice ACH 1% with a $1 minimum.
US small businesses of every type, from food trucks to contractors, that want a free plan and pay-as-you-go card rates.
Square rates
| Payment type | Published rate |
|---|---|
| In person (tap, dip, swipe) | 2.6% + 15¢ |
| Online or invoice link | 3.3% + 30¢ |
| Keyed in | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| Afterpay | 6% + 30¢ |
| Cards issued outside the US (added on top) | 1.5% |
| Gift card load (Free and Plus; 0% on Premium) | 2.5% |
| ACH / bank transfer | 1%, capped at $10 |
| Instant payout | 1.95% per instant transfer, on top of processing fees ($25 minimum balance) |
What Square costs on your volume
Fee calculator
On Square: $1,053 a month, $12,640 a year (2.63% effective on cards).
| Same volume on | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal (incl. PayPal Point of Sale) | $924 | $11,088 |
| Clover | $929 | $11,147 |
| Square | $1,053 | $12,640 |
| Moneris | $1,069 | $12,827 |
| Stripe | $1,084 | $13,013 |
Uses each provider's published headline card rate and ACH terms only. Monthly software, hardware and per-feature fees are listed separately below and are not included.
Monthly and other fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Square Free | $0/month per location |
| Square Plus | $49/month per location |
| Square Premium | $149/month per location |
| PCI compliance, chargebacks, early termination | No fee, per Square's fee page |
Square fee traps to check
- Invoice ACH on Square Free is 1% with no cap, so a $20,000 invoice costs $200; Plus and Premium cap the same payment at $10.
- Online and invoice card payments on Square Free cost 3.3% + 30 cents, 0.4 points more than on the paid plans.
- Keyed cards and card-on-file charges cost 3.5% + 15 cents on every plan, including Premium.
- Instant transfers cost 1.95% per transfer, and new sellers start with one instant transfer a day of up to $2,000.
- Cards issued outside the US add 1.5% to every payment type on every plan.
- Square's surcharge tool treats Oklahoma as a restricted state it allows, while Visa's Feb 2024 list says Oklahoma prohibits surcharging. The tool enabling it is not a legal opinion.
How to lower your Square fees
- If you invoice more than about $12,250 a month by card, Square Plus pays for itself on the 0.4-point invoice discount alone ($49 / 0.004), and it also caps invoice ACH at $10.
- Send large invoices by ACH, and deposit into Square Checking, where Square lists $0 ACH fees.
- Tap or dip cards in person (2.6% + 15 cents or less) instead of keying them or charging a card on file (3.5% + 15 cents).
- Use the free next-business-day transfer instead of the 1.95% instant transfer for anything that can wait a day.
- Surcharge credit cards only where legal: Visa requires 30 days' notice to your acquirer, caps the surcharge at the lower of your merchant discount rate or 3%, bans it on debit and prepaid cards, and as of Feb 15, 2024 lists Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Puerto Rico as prohibiting it.
Can you pass the fee to customers?
Supported. Open beta for US sellers: a credit-card-only surcharge up to 3% on Square Point of Sale, Restaurant POS, Retail POS and Square Invoices (web). Blocked for businesses in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico; not available on Kiosk, Virtual Terminal or Square Website sales.
Contract and cancellation
Plans are billed monthly per location; Square's fee page lists no early termination fee.
Square vs other payment processor options
| Provider | In person | Online | ACH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 2.6% + 15¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ | 1%, capped at $10 |
| Clover | 2.3% + 10¢ | Not published | Not published |
| Stripe | 2.7% + 5¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 0.8%, capped at $5 |
| Helcim | Interchange + 0.4% + 8¢ | Interchange + 0.5% + 25¢ | 0.5% + $0.25, capped at $6 |
| PayPal (incl. PayPal Point of Sale) | 2.29% + 9¢ | 2.99% + 49¢ | 1%, capped at $10 |
| Moneris | 2.65% + 10¢ | 2.85% + 30¢ | Not published |
Compare fees
- Payment processorClover fees2.3% + 10¢ headline rate
- Payment processorStripe fees2.7% + 5¢ headline rate
- Payment processorHelcim feesInterchange + 0.4% + 8¢ (interchange-plus)
- Payment processorPayPal (incl. PayPal Point of Sale) fees2.29% + 9¢ headline rate
- Payment processorMoneris fees2.65% + 10¢ headline rate
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Square take from a $100 sale?
- On Square Free, $2.75 if the card is tapped or dipped, $3.60 if it is paid online or by invoice, and $3.65 if you key it in or charge a card on file. On Premium the in-person fee drops to $2.55 and online to $3.20.
- Does Square charge for ACH bank payments?
- Yes, 1% with a $1 minimum on invoices. Plus and Premium cap it at $10 per payment, Square Free has no cap, and ACH deposited into Square Checking is free.
- Is Square Plus worth it just for lower fees?
- It depends on your mix. Plus costs $49 a month and saves 0.1 points in person, 0.4 points on online and invoice cards, and caps invoice ACH at $10. A business invoicing a few large jobs a month by ACH usually saves more than $49 from the cap alone.
- Can I pass Square's card fee to customers?
- US sellers can turn on Square's credit card surcharge beta, capped at 3% and at your cost of acceptance, on its main POS apps and web invoices. It cannot apply to debit, ACH, tips or split tender, and it is blocked in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico.
- Does Square charge PCI or cancellation fees?
- No. Square's fee page lists PCI compliance, chargebacks, account inactivity and early termination among the things it does not charge for.
Where Pavado comes in
How Pavado finds the money your business is leaking
Want Square's charges checked against your own agreement? Pavado reviews statement and contract exports, then returns a written list of potential overpayments and questions for your provider. No account logins needed.
Send us the statements, contracts and bills you already have. We read the lines nobody reads and come back with a written list of what you are overpaying, what is about to renew and what you are owed.
- Fees you are overpaying. Processor, bank and platform charges checked line by line against what you agreed to.
- Contracts before they renew. Every renewal date and notice window we can see, so you can leave or renegotiate in time.
- Bills worth disputing. Insurance audit bills and lead charges with a dispute or credit window still open.
- Money you are owed. Unpaid invoices and holdback sorted by age and by the deadline that protects them.
- 1.Tell us what you pay for and send exports, not logins.
- 2.A person replies within one business day with what we need.
- 3.You get a written list: each item, what it looks to be worth and who acts on it.
The first conversation and a scoped proposal are free, and we will tell you early if we are not the right fit.
Go deeper
- GuideBest Payment Processing for Contractors: 8 ComparedCompare 8 contractor payment processors on large-invoice fees, ACH caps and workflow. Check the full cost before switching, or request a free fee review.
- GuideShould I Accept Credit Cards as a Contractor?At a 10% net margin, a 3% card fee eats roughly 30% of the profit on the job. Here is the math, the rules in Canada and the US, and when to say no.
- GuideMerchant Processor Holding Funds? What to DoWhy processors like Toast freeze deposits or set reserves, what the contract lets them do, how MATCH works, and how to escape a POS or card-machine lease.
- GuideHow to Collect a Contractor Deposit: 5 RulesMake the deposit due 3 to 5 business days before the start date, size it to your upfront spend, and check state caps: California's is $1,000, not $10,000.
Sources
- Square Support: What are Square's fees?
- Square: Pricing
- Square Support: Deposit options (instant transfers)
- Square Support: Set up and manage card surcharges
- Visa: U.S. Merchant Surcharge Q and A (version Feb 15, 2024)
Cite this page
Pavado, “Square Fees 2026: Rates and Hidden Costs”, https://www.pavadotech.com/fees/square, updated 2026-09-24.