# What is my credit card processing fee?

Works out the fee on a card sale from a percent rate and a fixed fee per transaction, what you keep, the effective rate, and the price to charge to keep the whole sale.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/credit-card-processing-fee-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/credit-card-processing-fee-calculator.json
- Version: 374eff8da597

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Sale amount $100.00, Percent fee 2.9%, Fixed fee per transaction $0.30): A $100.00 card payment at 2.9% plus $0.30 costs $3.20 in processing fees, leaving $96.80.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| amount | Sale amount | The amount of one card payment. |
| rate | Percent fee | The percent of each sale your processor charges, from your statement or contract. |
| fixed | Fixed fee per transaction | The flat amount charged on each payment. Optional; empty counts as $0. |
| count | Number of payments | How many payments of this amount, for totals such as a month’s card sales. Optional. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| fee | Processing fee | Sale × percent fee ÷ 100 + fixed fee. |
| net | You receive | Sale − processing fee. |
| effective | Effective rate | Processing fee ÷ sale × 100: the whole fee as a percent of the sale. |
| charge | Charge this to receive the full sale | (Sale + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percent fee ÷ 100): after the fee on it, the whole sale is left. |
| surcharge | Fee passed on | Charge to receive the full sale − sale. |
| totalFees | Total fees | Processing fee × number of payments. Shown when the number is typed. |
| totalNet | Total you receive | You receive × number of payments. Shown when the number is typed. |

## Method

Processing fee = sale × percent fee ÷ 100 + fixed fee. You receive = sale − fee. Effective rate = fee ÷ sale × 100. Price to charge to receive the full sale = (sale + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percent fee ÷ 100).

## Assumptions

- One percent rate and one fixed fee per payment, as typed; no monthly, statement or chargeback fees.
- The fee on a gross-up price is figured the same way as on any sale. Card network rules and state laws limit surcharges; check them before adding one.
- Arithmetic is exact on the typed decimals; money shows to the cent and the rate to 2 decimals, halves rounded up.

## Worked examples

1. amount = $100.00, rate = 2.9%, fixed = $0.30 gives fee = $3.20, net = $96.80, effective = 3.2%, charge = $103.30, surcharge = $3.30. Source: Regulation II, 12 CFR 235.3(b) (21 cents plus 5 basis points of the value of the transaction), https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/12/235.3 (the fee structure).
2. amount = $39.00, rate = 0.05%, fixed = $0.21 gives fee = $0.23, net = $38.77, effective = 0.588462%. Source: Regulation II, Appendix A, Official Board Commentary, comment 3(b)-3, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/12/appendix-A_to_part_235: for a $39 transaction the maximum fee is 22.95 cents; Regulation II, 12 CFR 235.3(b) (21 cents plus 5 basis points of the value of the transaction), https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/12/235.3.
3. amount = $50.00, rate = 0.05%, fixed = $0.22 gives fee = $0.25, net = $49.76, effective = 0.49%. Source: Federal Reserve Board press release, October 25, 2023 (a $50 debit card transaction: 24.5 cents under the current rule), https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20231025a.htm; Regulation II, 12 CFR 235.3(b) (21 cents plus 5 basis points of the value of the transaction), https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/12/235.3: 21 + 2.5 + 1 = 24.5 cents.
4. amount = $25.50, rate = 2.6%, fixed = $0.15, count = 1,200 gives fee = $0.81, net = $24.69, totalFees = $975.60, totalNet = $29,624.40.

## FAQ

### How do I calculate credit card processing fees?

Multiply the sale by the percent fee and add the fixed fee per payment. A $100 sale at 2.9% plus 30 cents costs 100 × 0.029 + 0.30 = $3.20, and you keep $96.80.

### What is the effective rate?

The whole fee as a percent of the sale: fee ÷ sale × 100. The fixed fee weighs more on small sales: 2.9% plus 30 cents is an effective 3.20% on $100, but 5.90% on $10.

### How much should I charge to cover the fee?

Divide the sale plus the fixed fee by 1 minus the percent fee. To keep $100 at 2.9% plus 30 cents, charge (100 + 0.30) ÷ 0.971 = $103.30; the fee on $103.30 is $3.30, which leaves $100. Adding 2.9% plus 30 cents to $100 is not enough, because the fee is also charged on the part you add.

### Can I add a surcharge for card payments?

That depends on the card networks’ rules and on state law, which differ from place to place. Check them before you add a fee to customers’ bills. The calculator shows the price that would cover the fee; it does not say whether you may charge it.

### How are debit card fees capped?

For card issuers with $10 billion or more in assets, Regulation II caps the debit card interchange fee at 21 cents plus 0.05% of the payment, plus up to 1 cent for fraud prevention. On a $39 payment the cap is 22.95 cents before the fraud cent. Your total processing fee also includes the processor’s and network’s charges.

### Where do I find my rates?

On your merchant statement or processing agreement. Many processors charge a flat percent plus a fixed fee per payment; others pass through interchange plus a markup. Type the percent and fixed fee you actually pay; this calculator does not use any card brand’s fee schedule.

## Sources

- Regulation II, 12 CFR 235.3(b): an interchange fee may be no more than 21 cents plus 5 basis points multiplied by the value of the transaction (a fixed amount plus a percent of the payment). Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/12/235.3 (retrieved 2026-10-19)
- Regulation II, Appendix A, Official Board Commentary, comment 3(b)-3: for a $39 transaction the maximum fee is 22.95 cents (21 cents plus 5 basis points of $39). https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/12/appendix-A_to_part_235 (retrieved 2026-10-19)
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, press release, October 25, 2023: the cap applies to issuers with $10 billion or more in assets, and on an average $50 debit card transaction it is 24.5 cents under the current rule (21 cents, 5 basis points and the 1-cent fraud-prevention adjustment of 12 CFR 235.4). https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20231025a.htm (retrieved 2026-10-19)