By Stephen Milner · UtilityForge · Last reviewed: May 2026
Stripe charges a processing fee on every transaction. For standard online card payments in the United States, the fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per charge. This calculator shows the exact fee for any amount across all Stripe payment types: online cards, international cards, manually keyed entries, in-person Terminal transactions, and ACH bank transfers.
The table below shows Stripe's published rates for US businesses (source: stripe.com/pricing). Custom pricing is available for businesses processing over $1 million per month.
| Payment type | Rate | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| Online card (domestic) | 2.9% | $0.30 |
| International card | 4.4% | $0.30 |
| Manually keyed card | 3.4% | $0.30 |
| In-person / Terminal | 2.7% | $0.05 |
| ACH direct debit | 0.8% | $0 (capped at $5) |
| Currency conversion (add-on) | +1.0% | none |
The international card rate of 4.4% consists of the standard 2.9% plus a 1.5% surcharge Stripe applies to cards issued outside the United States. The manually keyed rate of 3.4% adds 0.5% to the standard rate to reflect the increased fraud risk of card-not-present entry.
For card payments, Stripe fees follow a simple formula:
Fee = (Amount x percentage rate) + fixed fee
For example, on a $100 online card charge:
For ACH direct debit, there is no fixed fee but the percentage is capped:
Fee = Amount x 0.8% (maximum $5.00)
A $200 ACH transfer costs $1.60. A $1,000 ACH transfer costs $5.00. Any amount above $625 also costs $5.00. The cap limits further fee growth.
Freelancers and agencies often need to work backwards. They know what they want to receive and need to calculate how much to invoice so Stripe fees do not reduce their take-home below target.
For card payments, the reverse formula is:
Invoice amount = (Target amount + fixed fee) / (1 - percentage rate)
To receive exactly $500 after a standard online card charge:
The "I want to receive" mode in this calculator performs this calculation automatically for all payment types.
ACH direct debit becomes cheaper than card processing at approximately $175. A $10,000 payment costs $5.00 via ACH versus $290.30 via online card. For B2B invoices, SaaS subscriptions billed annually, and high-value freelance projects, switching to ACH reduces processing costs by over 98% at scale.
The trade-off: ACH payments take 3 to 5 business days to settle versus 2 days for card. Some customers also prefer not to share bank account details for one-off payments.
Freelancers and consultants use the reverse calculator to find the gross invoice amount that will net the right amount after fees. Sending a $500 invoice when you want $500 will leave you $15 short.
SaaS founders use it to model the true cost of Stripe at different pricing tiers. A $29/month plan charged to 10,000 customers per year generates $3,480 in Stripe fees alone, a cost worth factoring into pricing decisions before launch.
E-commerce operators use it to understand the hidden cost of international sales. A customer paying with a card issued outside the US silently increases your processing cost by $15 per $1,000 charged compared to a domestic card.
Agencies and service businesses processing high-value invoices use it to decide whether to offer ACH as a payment option. On a $5,000 invoice, ACH saves $140 in processing fees compared to card.
What percentage does Stripe take?
Stripe's standard rate for online card payments in the US is 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction. For international cards, the rate is 4.4% plus $0.30. For ACH direct debit, Stripe charges 0.8% capped at $5.00 per transaction. In-person Terminal transactions cost 2.7% plus $0.05.
How do I calculate what to charge so I receive a specific amount?
Use the reverse formula: invoice amount = (target amount + $0.30) divided by (1 minus 0.029). To receive $1,000 after standard card fees: ($1,000 + $0.30) / 0.971 = $1,030.20. Stripe deducts $30.20 and you receive exactly $1,000. Toggle "I want to receive" in this calculator and it performs this maths automatically for any payment type.
Does Stripe charge extra for international cards?
Yes. Stripe adds a 1.5% surcharge on cards issued outside the United States, bringing the total rate to 4.4% + $0.30. This applies automatically based on the issuing bank's country. You do not need to configure it. If a UK or Australian customer pays, the international rate applies even if they are buying in USD.
What is the Stripe ACH fee, and when is it cheaper than card?
Stripe's ACH direct debit fee is 0.8%, capped at $5.00 per transaction with no fixed per-transaction fee. ACH becomes cheaper than standard card processing on transactions above approximately $175, where the 0.8% fee crosses the effective rate of a card charge. For amounts above $625, the ACH fee caps at $5.00 flat, far cheaper than card for large invoices.
How do I pass Stripe fees to customers?
Calculate the gross charge using the reverse formula (or the "I want to receive" mode in this calculator) and invoice that higher amount. The customer pays the fee indirectly as part of the invoice total. Directly surcharging card payments (adding a separate line item for the card fee) is legal in most US states but prohibited in a few, and has card network rules to follow. Consult your payment processor and legal counsel before implementing overt surcharging.
Does Stripe charge a monthly fee?
Stripe's standard pay-as-you-go pricing has no monthly fee. You pay only the per-transaction rate. Stripe add-on products including Stripe Billing, Stripe Radar for custom rules, Stripe Tax, and Stripe Sigma have separate pricing not included in the calculations here.
Is Stripe cheaper than PayPal?
For standard US online card payments, both Stripe and PayPal charge 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for US merchants. The difference appears on international transactions, where fees vary, and on high-volume accounts, where both offer custom pricing. Square charges 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person and 2.9% + $0.30 for online, making it comparable to Stripe for most use cases.
What does currency conversion cost on Stripe?
Stripe adds a 1% fee when it performs currency conversion, for example when a customer pays in GBP and you settle in USD. This is on top of the card processing rate. For an international card with currency conversion, the total cost is 5.4% + $0.30 (4.4% + 1%). You can avoid the conversion fee by accepting payouts in the customer's currency if your Stripe account supports multi-currency settlement.