Processing Fee Calculator: Know Your Real Rate.
Your sales, your average ticket, the published plans side by side.
Effective rate
Your Sales, Every Published Plan.
Slide the inputs and every figure updates. Arithmetic, not a quote.
Monthly card sales
Average sale
How you take cards
Lowest published plan3.05%3.05% Stripe, effective
What you pay nown/aadd last month's fees
| Plan | Effective | A month |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 3.05% | $1,220 |
| Square Plus$49 a month per location | 3.23% | $1,290 |
| Square Free | 3.24% | $1,297 |
| Square Premium$149 a month per location | 3.40% | $1,358 |
Get a Quote on Your Numbers
Your numbers carry over to the form.
Published flat rates from Square and Stripe as of October 2026, including Square’s monthly plan fee. Estimates only: interchange-plus and cash discount pricing depend on your card mix and are quoted on your real statement.
How the math works
Three Parts to Every Rate.
The same arithmetic a processor bills you with.
Percentage on every sale
Each plan charges a percentage of the sale, higher when the card is not in the room.
A fixed fee on every sale
Cents per transaction, which is why small average sales push the effective rate up.
Monthly plan fees
Square's paid plans add $49 or $149 a month per location, counted in the total.
The full picture is in average credit card processing fees and the cheapest processing for your business.
Commonly Asked Questions
What is an effective processing rate?
Total processing fees for the month divided by total card sales. It is the one number that lets you compare any two processors, because it includes the percentage, the per-sale fee and any monthly fees.
Why is my effective rate higher than the advertised rate?
Because of the fixed fee on each sale. On 2.6% + 15¢, a $5 sale costs 28¢ to process, an effective 5.6%. The smaller your average sale, the further your effective rate sits above the headline percentage.
Why do online and keyed-in payments cost more?
Published price lists charge more when the card is not present. Square charges 3.5% + 15¢ for manually entered cards, and Stripe adds 0.5% to its online rate for them.
Why are interchange-plus and cash discount not in the calculator?
Their cost depends on the actual cards your customers use, so it can only be priced on a real statement. Bring last month's statement and we will price it.
Is this a quote?
No. It uses Square and Stripe's published rates as of October 2026. Your real rate is set when you apply.
Let's talk
Bring the Statement. We'll Price the Real Thing.
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