The Stripe fee calculator below shows what you really keep from every payment. If you sell online, send invoices or take payments as a freelancer, you have probably seen Stripe’s headline price: 2.9% + 30¢. It sounds small. But the number that matters is the percentage of each sale that actually leaves your pocket: on a $10 sale it is almost 6%, and on a $2,000 ACH invoice it can be under 0.3%
Our Stripe fee calculator shows the fee and your net payout for any amount, for cards, in-person payments and ACH, with the extras that raise the bill: international cards, currency conversion, manual entry and Invoicing. It also works backwards, so you can find the price to charge if you want to keep an exact amount. Below the tool you will find the fee table, worked examples, five ways to lower what you pay and the costs people forget.
Financial Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only. Content by Hugo Cutillas or other contributors is not professional financial, tax, legal or accounting advice. Finanlytic is not a payment provider, bank or tax authority. Stripe’s prices vary by country, plan and account and can change at any time, so always confirm your rates on Stripe’s official pricing page and in your own dashboard before making business decisions.
Quick answer
- Standard US online card payment: 2.9% + $0.30
- In-person card payment (Terminal): 2.7% + $0.05
- ACH Direct Debit: 0.8%, capped at $5.00
- Extras: +1.5% international card, +1% currency conversion, +0.5% manually entered card
- A $100 online sale costs $3.20 in fees, so you keep $96.80
Stripe Fee Calculator
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Choose whether you know what the customer pays or what you want to keep, enter the amount, pick the payment type and tick any extras that apply. Add your monthly payments and disputes to see the yearly cost. Nothing you type is stored.
Stripe Fee Calculator
See what Stripe takes and what you keep. Nothing you type is stored.
Stripe Fees by Payment Type
Stripe prices each payment method differently. The table shows the standard US rate and what it means on a $100 payment.
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| Payment type | Standard US rate | Fee on $100 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online card | 2.9% + $0.30 | $3.20 | Online stores, checkout links, subscriptions |
| In-person card (Terminal) | 2.7% + $0.05 | $2.75 | Shops, markets, events |
| ACH Direct Debit | 0.8%, max $5.00 | $0.80 | Large or recurring invoices |
| Online card, international | 2.9% + 1.5% + $0.30 | $4.70 | Selling abroad |
| Online card, international + conversion | 2.9% + 1.5% + 1% + $0.30 | $5.70 | Selling abroad in another currency |
The pattern is clear: card payments are priced for convenience, while ACH is priced for size. The bigger the payment, the more ACH wins.
How Stripe Calculates Its Fee
Every Stripe payment fee follows the same two-part formula:
Fee = fixed fee + (payment amount × percentage rate)
The fixed part is a flat amount per payment (30¢ online, 5¢ in person, none for ACH). The percentage part is applied to the full amount the customer pays, not to what is left after taxes or shipping, so sales tax and shipping you collect through Stripe are charged at the same rate as the product price. Extras such as the international card surcharge or currency conversion are added to the percentage, not charged as a separate line.
Your net payout is simply the payment minus the fee. That is why the reverse calculation needs a small twist: because the fee is a percentage of the total, you divide by (1 − rate) instead of multiplying, which is what the “I want to keep” mode of the calculator does for you.
Two details are worth knowing before you plan around the numbers. First, ACH has a cap: once 0.8% would exceed $5, you pay $5. Second, the standard rates in this guide assume a US account and a US business. If your account sits in another country, your pricing page will show different rates.
Who Should Use This Stripe Fee Calculator?
- Freelancers and consultants who send invoices and want to know how much of a $1,500 project lands in their bank.
- Small online sellers with low average orders, where the fixed 30¢ is the biggest lever.
- Course creators and coaches who sell worldwide and need to see the effect of international cards and currency conversion.
- Anyone setting prices who wants to cover fees without guessing.
What Changes Your Stripe Fee Calculator Result?
Four things move the result more than anything else.
1. The size of the payment. The fixed 30¢ is the same on every online card payment, so it weighs more on small amounts. On a $10 sale the fee is $0.59, or 5.9%. On a $50 sale it is $1.75, or 3.5%. On a $500 sale it is $14.80, about 3.0%. If your average ticket is small, your real rate sits well above 2.9%.
2. Where the card comes from. A card issued outside the US adds 1.5%. If Stripe also has to convert the currency, add another 1%. A sale that looks like a normal 3.2% fee becomes 5.4% plus 30¢.
3. How the payment is taken. Typing in card details yourself adds 0.5% on top of the online rate. Sending a payment link or using checkout avoids it. Paying through Stripe Invoicing on the Starter plan adds 0.4% per paid invoice.
4. What goes wrong. Every dispute you receive costs $15, even before you know who is right. If you respond manually, there is an additional $15 countered fee that is refunded only when you win. Fifty payments a month with two disputes adds up faster than most people expect.
Before you trust any number, run through this checklist:
- Is the customer paying with a US card or an international one?
- Is the payment in your account currency?
- Are you sending a link or typing the card yourself?
- Will this go through Stripe Invoicing or a plain checkout?
- Does your account have custom pricing that replaces the standard rates?
Related: Comparing Stripe with other ways to get paid? See our guide to money transfer apps compared: Zelle vs Venmo vs Cash App vs PayPal.
How to Lower What the Stripe Fee Calculator Shows
You cannot negotiate a flat 2.9% on a $20 sale, but you can change how money reaches you. These five moves usually matter most.
1. Offer ACH for large or recurring payments
ACH Direct Debit costs 0.8% with a $5 cap. That means any payment above $625 pays the same $5 no matter how large it is. A $5,000 invoice costs $5 by ACH and $145.30 by card. If your clients are businesses or you bill monthly retainers, giving them a bank-transfer option is the single biggest saving available. The trade-off is that ACH is slower than a card and a payment can fail after it looks successful, so allow for that in your cash planning.
2. Avoid manual entry and prevent disputes
Manually entered cards cost more, and they carry more risk because you do not have the customer’s own authentication. Use payment links or checkout where you can. For disputes, the cheapest dispute is the one that never happens: use a clear business name on the card statement, send receipts, answer refund requests quickly and keep proof of delivery. Each avoided dispute saves at least $15 plus the sale itself.
3. Set minimums or bundle small items
If most of your orders are small, the fixed 30¢ is doing the damage. A minimum order value, bundles or a small shipping and handling line can raise your average ticket. Raising the average from $15 to $30 cuts your effective rate noticeably, because the fixed part is spread over more revenue. Use the calculator with your real average order to see the difference.
4. Build the fee into your price, carefully
Many sellers use the reverse mode: if you want to keep $100, charge $103.30 and Stripe takes $3.30. That is a pricing decision, not a separate line item, and it is the safest way to cover fees. Adding a visible card surcharge is a different matter. Card network rules and state laws on surcharging differ, and some states restrict or ban them, so check the rules where you and your customers are before adding one.
5. Ask about custom pricing as you grow
Stripe offers custom pricing for businesses with high volume or unusual payment patterns. It is not a given and the thresholds are not public, but if you process a large amount every month it costs nothing to ask. Compare it against alternatives too, for example PayPal, Square or Venmo for business, which each have their own rate structure.
Stripe Fee Calculator Examples
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| Case | Customer pays | Stripe fee | You keep | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 online sale, US card | $100.00 | $3.20 | $96.80 | 3.20% |
| $100 online sale, international card + currency conversion | $100.00 | $5.70 | $94.30 | 5.70% |
| $1,000 ACH invoice | $1,000.00 | $5.00 | $995.00 | 0.50% |
The third row is the point of the table. The same Stripe account can charge you more than 5% or 0.5% depending on how the customer pays.
Reverse example. To keep exactly $100 on an online card payment, divide ($100 + $0.30) by (1 − 0.029). You charge $103.30, Stripe takes $3.30 and you keep $100.00.
Hidden Costs to Ask About
The calculator covers the standard payment fees. These items are separate and can change your real cost.
- Dispute fees: $15 per dispute received, plus the amount of the sale if you lose.
- Instant Payouts: 1.5% of the instant payout amount, with a 50¢ minimum, if you want money before the normal payout schedule.
- Extra products: Billing, Connect, Tax and other Stripe products have their own pricing on top of payments.
- Refunds: check Stripe’s current rules on whether processing fees are returned. Do not assume the original fee comes back.
- Taxes and reporting: payments can be reported to the IRS on Form 1099-K. Read the IRS explanation of Form 1099-K and ask a tax professional how processing fees are treated in your case.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Stripe charge per transaction in the US?
Standard domestic card payments online cost 2.9% plus 30¢ per successful transaction. In-person payments with Stripe Terminal cost 2.7% plus 5¢. ACH Direct Debit costs 0.8% with a $5 cap.
Why is my effective Stripe rate higher than 2.9%?
Because of the fixed 30¢ and the extras. Small sales, international cards, currency conversion and manually entered cards all raise the percentage you actually pay.
What is the cheapest way to get paid with Stripe?
For larger payments, ACH Direct Debit is usually the cheapest because of the $5 cap. For small online payments, a standard domestic card is the cheapest card option.
How do I calculate Stripe fees by hand?
Fee = fixed fee + (amount × percentage). For a $100 online card payment: $0.30 + ($100 × 0.029) = $3.20. Your net is $96.80.
How do I get paid a specific amount after Stripe fees?
Use the reverse formula: charge = (desired amount + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percentage). For $100 net by online card: ($100 + $0.30) ÷ 0.971 = $103.30.
Does Stripe charge a fee when a customer disputes a payment?
Yes. A dispute received costs $15. A manual response adds a $15 countered fee, which is refunded when you win the dispute.
Bottom Line
Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢ is the starting point, not the final price. Your true cost depends on ticket size, card origin, currency and how you collect the payment. Run your usual order values through the calculator before you set prices, and compare the result with your margin. Looking at other tools that show what a purchase really costs? Try our braces cost calculator or read Affirm vs Afterpay: which one costs you less.
Finanlytic Takeaway
FINANLYTIC | DATA INTELLIGENCE UNIT | Analysis by Hugo | Lead Market Strategist
The smaller the payment and the further the card travels, the more of your revenue goes to fees. A $100 domestic sale costs about 3.2%, the same sale from abroad with currency conversion costs 5.7%, and a $1,000 bank payment costs 0.5%. Know your average ticket, steer large clients to ACH and treat dispute prevention as a cost-saving habit.