See exactly what Stripe takes — and what you actually keep.
Stripe charges merchants a fee on every successful card payment. For US-based businesses accepting US cards online, the standard rate is 2.9% of the transaction amount plus a fixed $0.30 per successful charge. There are no monthly fees, no setup costs, and no minimums — you only pay when you actually take money.
Because the fee combines a percentage with a fixed amount, the effective rate varies dramatically with charge size. A $25 charge loses roughly 4.1% to fees; a $1,000 charge loses just 2.93%. Larger transactions are proportionally cheaper.
| Charge Total | Stripe Fee | You Keep | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25 | $1.03 | $23.97 | 4.1% |
| $50 | $1.75 | $48.25 | 3.5% |
| $100 | $3.20 | $96.80 | 3.2% |
| $250 | $7.55 | $242.45 | 3.0% |
| $500 | $14.80 | $485.20 | 2.96% |
| $1,000 | $29.30 | $970.70 | 2.93% |
| $5,000 | $145.30 | $4,854.70 | 2.91% |
For US-based businesses accepting US cards online, Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge. There are no monthly fees, no setup costs, and no failed transaction fees. You only pay on successful payments.
Because Stripe's 2.9% is calculated on the full charge total, not your take-home. Simply adding 2.9% leaves you short, because the fee is then applied to the larger amount too. The correct reverse formula is Charge = (Take-Home + $0.30) ÷ (1 − 0.029). This calculator runs it instantly so the fee is built into your price — not deducted from your earnings.
Yes. Stripe adds 1.5% for international cards on top of the standard rate, and another 1% if currency conversion is required. An international charge can effectively cost 5.4% + $0.30. If you regularly invoice overseas clients, factor this in or consider ACH/bank transfer for major invoices.
Yes. Stripe ACH Direct Debit costs just 0.8% capped at $5 per transaction — dramatically cheaper than cards for invoices over $200. On a $5,000 invoice, ACH costs $5 vs. roughly $145 for a card. Wire transfers and bank debits across various countries have their own pricing, generally favourable for larger amounts.
Stripe's default payout schedule is 2 business days for US accounts. New accounts may have a 7-day initial rolling reserve. You can also opt into instant payouts to eligible debit cards for an additional 1.5% fee (with a $0.50 minimum), or schedule manual payouts at any time.
3 strategies to protect your earnings from processing fees
Don't just add 2.9% to your desired pay — Stripe will fee the markup too. Always run the reverse formula to get the exact charge amount. To keep $500, charge $515.24. This becomes muscle memory once you've done it a few times, and prevents the slow erosion of margin that comes from sloppy fee math.
Stripe ACH at 0.8% capped at $5 is a massive saving over card payments for any meaningful invoice. On a $2,000 invoice, the math: card = $58.30 fee, ACH = $5. That's $53.30 in your pocket per invoice. Enable ACH in your Stripe dashboard and present it as the default option for larger contracts.
Stripe's published rate is standard, but they will often negotiate custom pricing for businesses processing more than $80,000 per month. Even a 0.3% reduction on $100k/month volume is $3,600 per year. If you're at that scale, contact Stripe's sales team — many freelance agencies and SaaS founders are surprised they qualify.