Stripe Fee & Reverse Gross-Up Calculator
Calculate exact merchant processing fees, net bank payouts, and required reverse invoice amounts across Stripe US, PayPal Commerce, Square, and ACH Direct Debit.
💳 Transaction & Invoicing Details
$96.80
⚖️ Payment Gateway Competitor Benchmarking
Single Transaction📊 Annualized Processing Cost Toll
1,200 transactions/yrMathematical Formulation: The Reverse Gross-Up Equation
A universal pitfall in online commerce is assuming that you can offset Stripe’s 2.9% fee by simply adding 2.9% to your desired invoice total. Because Stripe applies its percentage cut to the new inflated total, simple addition always leaves you short.
2025/2026 Payment Gateway Fee Schedule Comparison
Standard domestic published pricing across major payment processors:
| Payment Gateway | Online Card Fee | ACH Direct Debit | International Surcharge | Fee on $1,000 Sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe US | 2.9% + $0.30 | 0.8% ($5 cap) | +1.5% | $29.30 |
| PayPal Commerce | 3.49% + $0.49 | N/A | +1.5% | $35.39 |
| Square (Online) | 2.9% + $0.30 | 1.0% ($1 min) | +1.0% | $29.30 |
| Shopify Payments (Basic) | 2.9% + $0.30 | N/A | +1.0% | $29.30 |
| Stripe ACH Direct Debit | Bank Transfer | 0.8% ($5 cap) | US Banks Only | $5.00 |
US Legal Surcharge & Convenience Fee Regulations
Can you pass the 2.9% Stripe fee onto your customers? Under the Dodd-Frank Act and major credit card settlement agreements (Visa/Mastercard), credit card surcharging is legal across 40+ US states provided specific requirements are met:
- Never Surcharge Debit Cards: Federal law explicitly forbids surcharging debit or prepaid card transactions, even when the cardholder runs it as a "credit" transaction.
- Clear Point-of-Sale Disclosure: Surcharges must be clearly disclosed on your store homepage, checkout page, and itemized separately on the receipt.
- Cap at Actual Processing Cost: You cannot profit from a surcharge; fees are capped at your actual processing rate (typically 3% to 4% maximum).
- State Exceptions: Certain states maintain specific consumer disclosure statutes (e.g., California Civil Code § 1748.1, New York General Business Law § 518 requiring total dollar price disclosure including the fee).
Frequently Asked Questions (Stripe Pricing & Payouts)
Does Stripe refund processing fees when I issue a customer refund? ▼
No. Since 2020, Stripe does not return original processing fees when you refund a charge. If a customer buys an item for $100 and you issue a full refund, Stripe returns the $100 to the customer's bank, but the original $3.20 processing fee is deducted from your Stripe balance.
How long do Stripe bank payouts take? ▼
For standard US accounts in good standing, payouts operate on a rolling 2-business-day schedule. Charges captured on Monday deposit into your bank account on Wednesday. High-risk industries or newly opened accounts may experience a 7 to 14-day rolling buffer for the first 30 days.
What is Stripe's chargeback or dispute fee? ▼
If a customer files a chargeback dispute through their issuing bank, Stripe assesses a $15.00 dispute fee. If you submit evidence and win the dispute in your favor, Stripe fully returns the $15.00 fee.
Can I negotiate custom volume discounts with Stripe? ▼
Yes. Stripe typically opens enterprise custom interchange-plus pricing discussions once a business consistently exceeds $80,000 to $100,000 in monthly processing volume (approx. $1M+ annualized run-rate). At this tier, merchants can negotiate lower variable percentage rates and multi-currency discounts.