Payment processor
Stripe fees in 2026: what you actually pay
Updated · Checked against primary sources
The short answer
In the US, Stripe charges 2.9% + 30 cents for online domestic cards, 0.5% more for manually entered cards, 1.5% more for international cards and 2.7% + 5 cents in person on Terminal. ACH Direct Debit is 0.8% capped at $5. In Canada online cards are 2.9% + CA$0.30 and pre-authorized debit is 1% + CA$0.40, capped at CA$5.
Businesses that take online, invoice or app payments, often through software built on Stripe, in the US and Canada.
Stripe rates
| Payment type | Published rate |
|---|---|
| In person (tap, dip, swipe) | 2.7% + 5¢ |
| Online or invoice link | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Keyed in | 3.4% + 30¢ |
| US international cards (added) | 1.5% |
| US currency conversion (added) | 1% |
| Canada international cards (added) | 0.8% |
| Canada currency conversion (added) | 2% |
| Canada Interac in person (CA$) | 0% + 15¢ |
| Invoicing Starter, per paid invoice (added) | 0.4% |
| ACH / bank transfer | 0.8%, capped at $5 |
| Instant payout | US: 1.5% of Instant Payouts volume, 50 cent minimum. Canada: 1%, CA$0.60 minimum. |
What Stripe costs on your volume
Fee calculator
On Stripe: $1,084 a month, $13,013 a year (2.71% 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 |
|---|---|
| Setup or monthly fee (standard pricing) | $0; Stripe says it charges no setup, monthly or closure fees |
| Dispute received | $15.00 each (CA$15.00 in Canada) |
| Dispute countered (US, manual response) | $15.00, returned if you win |
| Custom domain for Checkout or Payment Links | $10.00/month |
Stripe fee traps to check
- Manually entered cards add 0.5%, so keying a $1,000 payment costs $34.30 instead of $29.30.
- US international cards add 1.5%, and another 1% applies if currency conversion is needed.
- A dispute costs $15 when received, responding manually adds a $15 countered fee you only get back if you win, and Stripe's Smart Disputes takes 30% of the disputed amount on disputes it wins.
- US Instant Payouts cost 1.5% of the amount paid out, with a 50 cent minimum.
- Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice on top of the card or ACH fee.
- ACH Direct Debit can take up to 4 business days to confirm success or failure, and Stripe notes it is not a guaranteed payment method.
How to lower your Stripe fees
- Collect large invoices by ACH Direct Debit: a $20,000 invoice costs $5 versus $580.30 on a card at 2.9% + 30 cents.
- Ask Stripe sales for custom pricing once your volume is large; its pricing page lists IC+ pricing and volume-based discounts.
- Let customers enter their own card on a Payment Link or invoice instead of keying cards yourself, which avoids the 0.5% manual-entry surcharge.
- 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.
- Check you are getting Canada's small-merchant interchange cut: since Oct 19, 2024, businesses under $300,000 a year in Visa volume or $175,000 in Mastercard volume get in-store credit interchange averaging 0.95% and online interchange 10 basis points lower. On a flat rate you only benefit if the processor lowers your rate.
Can you pass the fee to customers?
Supported. Stripe's API supports surcharges on credit cards only, up to 3% in the US and 2.4% in Canada, on a preview API version. Automatic surcharge in Checkout and Payment Links is a US-only private preview using Yeeld or InterPayments. You remain responsible for legality and cost-of-acceptance limits.
Contract and cancellation
No setup, monthly or closure fees on standard pricing. Custom pricing (IC+, volume and multi-product discounts) is negotiated with Stripe sales.
Stripe vs other payment processor options
| Provider | In person | Online | ACH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 2.7% + 5¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 0.8%, capped at $5 |
| Square | 2.6% + 15¢ | 3.3% + 30¢ | 1%, capped at $10 |
| Clover | 2.3% + 10¢ | Not published | Not published |
| 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 processorSquare fees2.6% + 15¢ headline rate
- Payment processorClover fees2.3% + 10¢ 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
- What does Stripe charge per transaction in the US?
- 2.9% + 30 cents for domestic cards online, plus 0.5% if the card is manually entered and 1.5% if it is international. In person on Stripe Terminal it is 2.7% + 5 cents, plus 10 cents per authorization with Tap to Pay.
- How much does Stripe charge for ACH?
- US ACH Direct Debit is 0.8% capped at $5.00, so any payment above $625 costs exactly $5. In Canada, pre-authorized debit is 1% + CA$0.40, capped at CA$5.00.
- Does Stripe have monthly fees?
- Not on standard pricing. Stripe says it charges no setup fees, monthly fees or closure fees; you pay per transaction, plus add-ons such as Invoicing at 0.4% per paid invoice or a $10 custom domain.
- Can I add a surcharge on Stripe?
- Yes, through its API, on credit cards only: up to 3% in the US and 2.4% in Canada, and it currently requires a preview API version. You must follow state or provincial law, card network rules and your cost of acceptance.
- Is Stripe cheaper in Canada or the US?
- Card rates are the same headline 2.9% + 30 cents in each currency, but Canadian international cards add 0.8% versus 1.5% in the US. Canadian bank debits cost 1% + CA$0.40 capped at CA$5, versus 0.8% capped at $5 in the US.
Where Pavado comes in
How Pavado builds a CRM around your jobs
Fees like Stripe's are set once and then forgotten. We build CRMs that pick the payment option for each job, card for small tickets and capped ACH for large ones, and sync every payment to your accounting, so the cheaper route happens without anyone remembering it.
Instead of bending your shop around someone else's software, we build the system around how your jobs actually move, and connect it to what you already use.
- Your pipeline, your stages. From first call to paid invoice, set up the way your team already works.
- Automations for the busywork. Follow-ups, reminders and handoffs that happen without anyone remembering.
- One record per customer. Calls, quotes, jobs, photos and invoices in one place instead of five apps.
- Connected to your stack. QuickBooks or Xero, Gmail or Outlook, payments and e-sign, plus thousands more through Zapier and an API.
- 1.Book a free demo and walk us through how a job moves today.
- 2.We map the workflow and send a scoped proposal, free.
- 3.We build it, connect your tools and get your team using 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 ComparedOn a $12,000 job, ACH costs $5 on Stripe and $120 on most trade software. 8 contractor payment processors compared on the fees that hit big tickets.
- 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
- Stripe: Pricing and fees (US)
- Stripe: Pricing and fees (Canada)
- Stripe Docs: ACH Direct Debit payments
- Stripe Docs: Collect surcharges
- Visa: U.S. Merchant Surcharge Q and A (version Feb 15, 2024)
- Department of Finance Canada: credit card fee reductions for small business (Oct 17, 2024)
Cite this page
Pavado, “Stripe Fees 2026: Rates and Hidden Costs”, https://www.pavadotech.com/fees/stripe, updated 2026-09-24.