What I Pocket

Fees and take-home

Stripe Fee Calculator

Estimate Stripe payment fees for US domestic online card payments and see the net amount you pocket after processing costs.

Your numbers

Breakdown

Formula

  • Fee per transaction = Amount * 0.029 + 0.30
  • Net per transaction = Amount - Fee per transaction
  • Total fees = Fee per transaction * Number of transactions
  • Effective fee rate = Total fees / Gross revenue * 100

Examples

  • A $49 charge has an estimated Stripe fee of $1.72 and leaves $47.28 before other costs.
  • One hundred $29 sales produce $2,900 gross revenue and about $114.10 in estimated Stripe fees.
  • A $9 product has a higher effective fee rate than a $99 product because the fixed $0.30 fee matters more.

When to use this calculator

  • Estimate payment processing cost before choosing a price.
  • Understand why low-ticket products lose more to fixed fees.
  • Compare direct Stripe checkout with platform-based selling.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming the same rate applies to international cards.
  • Forgetting fixed per-transaction fees on low-priced products.
  • Treating processing fees as the only cost of selling.

Frequently asked questions

What are Stripe's standard fees in the US?

Stripe's standard US online card rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic card transaction. International cards, currency conversion, manually entered cards, ACH, Stripe Tax, Billing, Radar, disputes, and other Stripe products can add different or additional fees. Always verify the current rate on Stripe's pricing page.

How is the Stripe fee calculated on a sale?

Multiply the sale amount by 2.9% and add $0.30. A $49 sale is $49 * 0.029 = $1.421, plus $0.30, or about $1.72 in fees. You receive about $47.28 before refunds, taxes, platform costs, or other expenses.

Can I pass Stripe fees to the customer?

Rules vary by location and card network, and customer experience matters. Many creators avoid adding a separate card surcharge because it creates friction at checkout. A simpler approach is to include expected processing costs in the product price and keep the checkout price clean.

Are there cheaper alternatives to Stripe?

Sometimes. PayPal, Square, Adyen, and platform checkouts can be competitive depending on volume, country, payment method, and product type. For digital products, merchant-of-record platforms like Lemon Squeezy or Paddle may cost more per sale but can include tax handling and compliance support.

What about refunds - do I get the Stripe fee back?

Stripe generally does not return the original processing fee when you refund a customer. That means a refund can cost both the refunded amount and the processing fee already paid. If your product has a meaningful refund rate, include that risk in your pricing.

Why does my Stripe payout seem smaller than expected?

Common reasons include international card fees, currency conversion, Stripe Tax, Billing, Radar, disputes, refunds, or platform fees charged outside Stripe. Your bank payout can also be lower if multiple charges, refunds, or adjustments are batched together in one payout.

Does Stripe charge a monthly fee?

The standard Stripe Payments setup does not have a monthly platform fee for basic payment processing. Optional products such as Stripe Tax, Billing, Radar, Connect, and other advanced features may have separate pricing. Check the product-specific pricing before assuming processing is the only cost.

Are international transactions worth the extra fee?

For digital products, often yes. International buyers can be a meaningful share of sales, and the extra fee may be smaller than the revenue you would miss by blocking those buyers. If you sell into regions with VAT or complex tax rules, consider whether a merchant-of-record platform is worth the added cost.

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This calculator uses Stripe's standard US domestic online card rate. International cards, currency conversion, manually entered cards, refunds, disputes, Stripe Tax, Billing, and other products may add extra costs.