Estimate your Stripe payment processing fees in real time, see your exact net payout, and find out precisely how much to charge a customer so you receive the amount you want after fees.
Payment Processing Calculator
$
In "Calculate fees on a charge" mode this is what the customer is billed. In "Invoice a specific net amount" mode this is the amount you want to receive in your bank account.
Your Net Payout
$96.80
Amount deposited to your bank after Stripe fees
Your effective processing fee is 3.20% of the total transaction.
Visual Fee Breakdown
Stripe Transaction Receipt
Total Customer Charge$100.00
- Stripe Percentage Fee (2.9%)-$2.90
- Stripe Fixed Fee (30¢)-$0.30
Net Payout to Your Bank$96.80
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Key Terms Explained
Merchant Account
A type of bank account that lets a business accept and hold funds from card payments. With Stripe, the merchant account function is built into your Stripe account, so you do not need to open one separately with a bank.
Payment Gateway
The technology that securely transmits card details from your checkout to the card networks and back. Stripe acts as both the gateway and the payment processor, handling authorization, capture, and settlement.
Fixed Fee vs. Percentage Fee
Stripe charges two components per transaction: a percentage of the amount (2.9% standard) plus a flat fixed fee (30 cents). The percentage scales with sale size, while the fixed fee is the same on every charge and weighs heaviest on small transactions.
Net Payout
The money that actually lands in your bank account after Stripe deducts its fees from the customer charge. This is the number that matters for your real revenue, not the sticker price.
Gross-Up
The practice of raising the price you charge so that, after the processor takes its cut, you are left with the exact net amount you intended. The math is not a simple add-on because the fee applies to the higher total.
Chargeback
When a cardholder disputes a charge with their bank and the funds are forcibly reversed. Stripe typically charges a dispute fee on top of returning the disputed amount, making chargebacks costly to merchants.
Cross-Border Fee
An extra charge (about 1%) applied when the customer's card was issued in a different country than your account. It reflects the higher cost and risk of processing international cards.
Currency Conversion Fee
An additional fee (about 1%) charged when a payment must be converted from one currency to another before settling into your account, such as a euro payment settling into a US dollar balance.
Effective Fee Rate
The total fee expressed as a percentage of the full transaction. Because of the fixed 30 cent component, the effective rate is always higher than the headline percentage and rises sharply on small charges.
The Complete Guide to Stripe Processing Fees
Stripe makes accepting card payments simple, but the headline rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents hides a few details that quietly shape your real revenue. This guide explains exactly how Stripe fees are calculated, how to find your true net payout, and how to charge the right amount when you want to pass the processing fee to your customer.
How to Use This Stripe Fee Calculator
Start by choosing a mode at the top of the calculator. In "Calculate fees on a charge" mode, you enter what the customer pays and the tool shows your net payout after fees. In "Invoice a specific net amount" mode, you enter the amount you want to keep, and the tool grosses up the price to tell you exactly how much to charge so the fee comes out of the customer's pocket instead of yours. Tick the International Card box if the customer's card was issued abroad, and the Currency Conversion box if the payment crosses currencies. Every result updates instantly with no submit button.
Stripe's Standard Fee Structure
For online card payments in the United States, Stripe's standard pricing is 2.9% of the transaction plus a fixed 30 cent fee on every successful charge. Two optional add-ons can raise the percentage: roughly 1% more for an international (cross-border) card, and roughly 1% more when a currency conversion is needed. Stacking both brings the maximum standard rate to 4.9% plus the same 30 cent fixed fee.
Variable Percent = 2.9% + (International ? 1% : 0) + (Conversion ? 1% : 0)
Total Fee = (Charge * Variable Percent / 100) + 0.30
Net Payout = Charge - Total Fee
How to Pass the Stripe Fee to Your Customer (the Gross-Up)
A common mistake is to simply add 2.9% and 30 cents to your price. That undercharges you, because Stripe takes its percentage on the new, higher total, not on your original amount. The correct approach is to gross up using algebra that solves for the charge whose fee leaves you with exactly your target net.
Required Charge = (Net Amount + 0.30) / (1 - Variable Percent / 100)
Total Fee = Required Charge - Net Amount
Net Payout = Net Amount (exactly what you wanted)
For example, to receive a clean 100 dollars at the US standard rate, you would charge the customer 103.30 dollars. They cover the fee, and you net your full 100. Before surcharging, check the rules in your region and your card network agreements, since some jurisdictions limit or regulate passing fees to customers.
Why the 30 Cent Fixed Fee Hurts Small Charges
Because the 30 cent fee is flat, it makes up a tiny slice of a large sale but a huge slice of a small one. On a 100 dollar charge the effective rate is about 3.2%, but on a 2 dollar charge it balloons past 18%. If your business runs on small payments, consider setting a minimum order value, bundling purchases, or building the fixed cost into your pricing.
Refunds Do Not Return Your Fees
One detail that surprises many merchants: when you refund a customer, Stripe gives them their money back but keeps the original processing fee. A fully refunded 100 dollar sale leaves you 3.20 dollars out of pocket with zero revenue collected. Factor expected refunds into your margins, especially in return-heavy categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stripe's standard published rate for online credit and debit card payments in the United States is 2.9% of the transaction amount plus a fixed 30 cent fee per successful charge. So on a 100 dollar charge you pay 2.90 dollars in percentage fees plus 0.30 cents, for a total fee of 3.20 dollars and a net payout of 96.80 dollars. Stripe adds an extra 1% for cards issued outside the United States (an international or cross-border card), and another 1% when a currency conversion is required. That pushes the maximum standard percentage rate to 4.9% plus the same 30 cent fixed fee. Custom or negotiated Interchange Plus pricing is available for high volume businesses and may differ.
To receive an exact net amount after fees, you cannot simply add 2.9% and 30 cents to your price, because the fee is charged on the higher total, not on your original amount. You have to gross up. Switch this calculator to the second mode, Invoice a specific net amount, and enter the amount you want to land in your bank account. The tool applies the formula Required Charge = (Net Amount + 0.30) divided by (1 minus the percentage rate). For a 100 dollar net at the US standard rate, you would charge 103.30 dollars. The customer pays the fee for you, and you net exactly what you intended. Note that some jurisdictions and card network rules restrict or regulate surcharging, so confirm what is permitted where you operate.
No. When you refund a charge, Stripe returns the full amount to your customer, but the original processing fee (the 2.9% plus 30 cents, plus any international or conversion add-ons) is not returned to you. This means a refunded transaction actually costs you the entire fee out of pocket. For a 100 dollar charge that you fully refund, you are out the 3.20 dollar fee with nothing collected. This is an important reason to be careful with refund-heavy business models and to factor expected refunds into your pricing.
An international or cross-border fee is an extra charge Stripe applies when the customer's card was issued by a bank outside your own country. Stripe adds approximately 1% on top of the standard rate for these cards. A separate 1% currency conversion fee applies when the charge must be converted from one currency to another (for example, a customer paying in euros into a US dollar account). Both add-ons can apply at the same time, which is why the maximum standard percentage rate reaches 4.9%. Use the International Card and Currency Conversion checkboxes above to model these scenarios.
The 30 cent fixed fee is charged on every successful transaction regardless of size, so it dominates the effective rate on small charges. On a 100 dollar sale, 30 cents is only 0.3% of the total and the effective fee rate is about 3.2%. But on a 2 dollar sale, that same 30 cents is 15% of the transaction, pushing the effective rate above 18%. This is why micro-transactions are expensive to process and why many businesses set minimum order values or batch small payments together.
This calculator is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Stripe, Inc. It uses Stripe's standard published US pricing (2.9% plus 30 cents, with optional 1% international and 1% currency conversion add-ons) for estimates only. Your actual fees may differ based on your country, negotiated or custom pricing, product type, and current Stripe terms. Always confirm exact rates in your Stripe dashboard. This is not financial or legal advice; surcharging and fee pass-through rules vary by jurisdiction.