Quick Answer
For a standard US card, Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge. A $100 payment costs $3.20, and you keep $96.80. International cards add 1.5%, and currency conversion adds another 1%, for a total of 5.4% + $0.30. ACH Direct Debit costs 0.8%, capped at $5.00. To receive an exact amount, use the reverse formula:
Charge amount = (Desired net + $0.30) ÷ (1 − 0.029)To net $1,000.00, charge $1,030.18. The calculator above runs these in your browser, in both directions, with no sign-up.
1. The Real Cost of Stripe for Businesses
If you are asking how much does Stripe charge, the standard answer for a US business is simple. Stripe processing fees on a domestic card are a percentage of the payment plus a fixed amount:
Stripe US pricing (standard, pay-as-you-go): 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card charge. International cards: an additional 1.5%. Currency conversion: an additional 1%. ACH Direct Debit: 0.8%, capped at $5.00.
There is no monthly fee and no setup fee on the standard plan. You pay only when a charge succeeds. The two components behave differently, and that matters when you set prices:
- The percentage (2.9%) scales with the payment.
- The fixed fee ($0.30) does not, so it weighs more on small payments.
Effective rate by payment size (domestic card)
| Payment | Fee (2.9% + $0.30) | You receive | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $1.75 | $48.25 | 3.50% |
| $100 | $3.20 | $96.80 | 3.20% |
| $500 | $14.80 | $485.20 | 2.96% |
| $1,000 | $29.30 | $970.70 | 2.93% |
| $5,000 | $145.30 | $4,854.70 | 2.91% |
| $10,000 | $290.30 | $9,709.70 | 2.90% |
A $50 payment loses 3.5%, and a $10,000 payment loses 2.9%. If most of your invoices are small, your real Stripe payment fees run higher than the headline number.
Stripe vs. PayPal for B2B
Many businesses choose Stripe over PayPal for B2B work because of cleaner tooling: a well-documented API, hosted invoices, saved payment methods, and recurring billing that integrate with accounting software. Clients also tend to see a card form instead of a PayPal login, which reduces friction for corporate buyers.
On price, the comparison depends on which PayPal rate you are comparing against. PayPal's standard card rate (2.99% + $0.49) is nearly identical to Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30. PayPal's commercial checkout and invoicing rate (3.49% + $0.49) is higher.
2. The "Reverse" Calculation (How to Pass the Fee to the Client)
The most common question from freelancers and small agencies is: "If I want exactly $1,000 in my account, what do I charge?"
The formula
Stripe's percentage is taken from the total charge, including the part that covers the fee. That makes this an algebra problem. Let C be the charge, r the percentage rate, F the fixed fee, and N the net amount you want.
N = C − (r × C + F)
N = C × (1 − r) − F
C = (N + F) ÷ (1 − r)For a domestic card (r = 0.029, F = $0.30):
Charge = (Desired net + $0.30) ÷ (1 − 0.029)
= (Desired net + $0.30) ÷ 0.971Worked example: net $1,000
Charge = ($1,000.00 + $0.30) ÷ 0.971
= $1,000.30 ÷ 0.971
= $1,030.18Verify it:
Fee = $1,030.18 × 2.9% + $0.30 = $29.88 + $0.30 = $30.18
Net = $1,030.18 − $30.18 = $1,000.00 ✔The error almost everyone makes
The instinct is to add 2.9% to the price: $1,000 × 1.029 = $1,029.00. It is close, and it is short.
| Method | Charge | Stripe fee | You receive | Shortfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Add 2.9% | $1,029.00 | $30.14 | $998.86 | −$1.14 |
| Reverse formula | $1,030.18 | $30.18 | $1,000.00 | $0.00 |
The reason: Stripe takes 2.9% of the larger total, not of your $1,000. The extra you added is itself charged 2.9%, so you keep less than you planned. Dividing by (1 − 0.029) asks the right question: "what number, after losing 2.9% of itself and $0.30, leaves the target?" A $1.14 gap looks small on one payment. On 300 payments a year it is about $340 you quietly gave away.
3. The Hidden Costs: International Cards & Currency Conversion
Cross-border work is where Stripe international fees and the Stripe currency conversion fee add up. There are two separate surcharges, and they stack.
Surcharge 1: international cards (+1.5%)
If your customer pays with a card issued outside the United States, Stripe adds 1.5% to the standard rate.
Domestic card: 2.9% + $0.30
International card: 2.9% + 1.5% + $0.30 = 4.4% + $0.30Surcharge 2: currency conversion (+1%)
If the payment has to be converted from the customer's currency to your settlement currency, Stripe adds another 1%.
International card + conversion: 2.9% + 1.5% + 1.0% + $0.30 = 5.4% + $0.30What this costs on a $1,000 payment
| Scenario | Rate | Fee | You receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic card | 2.9% + $0.30 | $29.30 | $970.70 |
| International card, no conversion | 4.4% + $0.30 | $44.30 | $955.70 |
| International card with conversion | 5.4% + $0.30 | $54.30 | $945.70 |
An international card with conversion costs $25.00 more than a domestic card on the same $1,000 invoice, an increase of about 85% in fees.
4. How to Slash Fees with ACH Direct Debit
Stripe ACH fees work differently from card fees. ACH Direct Debit pulls the payment straight from your customer's US bank account and costs 0.8%, capped at $5.00.
There is no fixed fee, and the cap is what makes ACH powerful on larger payments. The cap is reached at $625, since 0.8% × $625 = $5.00. Above that, the fee never rises.
The math: card vs. ACH
On a $5,000 invoice:
Card: $5,000 × 2.9% + $0.30 = $145.30
ACH: $5,000 × 0.8% = $40.00 → capped at $5.00
Savings: $145.30 − $5.00 = $140.30| Payment | Card (2.9% + $0.30) | ACH (0.8%, max $5) | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $3.20 | $0.80 | $2.40 |
| $500 | $14.80 | $4.00 | $10.80 |
| $1,000 | $29.30 | $5.00 | $24.30 |
| $5,000 | $145.30 | $5.00 | $140.30 |
Because the cap is a fixed amount above $625, the reverse formula is simple: charge the net amount plus $5.00. To receive $1,000.00 by ACH, charge $1,005.00.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Stripe charge for a $100 invoice?
With a standard domestic card at 2.9% + $0.30, a $100 payment costs $3.20 in fees ($2.90 + $0.30), so you receive $96.80. An international card adds 1.5% ($4.70 total fee, $95.30 net), and currency conversion adds another 1%.
Are Stripe fees tax deductible?
Yes. Stripe processing fees are an ordinary business expense. Sole proprietors deduct them on Schedule C. Report the full amount customers paid as income and deduct the fees separately.
Does Stripe charge a monthly fee?
Standard pay-as-you-go pricing has no monthly fee and no setup fee. You pay per transaction. Optional add-on products can carry their own charges.
Is it legal to pass Stripe fees to customers?
Building the fee into your price is generally allowed. A separate card surcharge is regulated by card network rules and by state law, and is banned or restricted in some places. Check the rules that apply before adding one.
Santanu Sarma
Economics Researcher & Creator of GetInvoicePDF.com
Santanu specializes in public finance and econometrics, holding an Economics Honors from Bhattadev University. He builds high-precision financial models and calculators to help independent professionals optimize tax compliance.
Primary sources used in this guide
- Stripe official US pricing page: standard card, international, currency conversion, and ACH Direct Debit rates
- Stripe Services Agreement and surcharging guidance
- IRS Schedule C (Form 1040) instructions, Profit or Loss From Business