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Square fee calculator
A $100 online Square sale on the Free plan costs $3.60 and leaves $96.40. See in person, ACH and plan costs, and when a paid plan breaks even.
- Fee
- $3.603.3% + $0.30
- You keep
- $96.40
- Effective rate
- 3.60%
- Charge to keep this amount
- $103.72fee $3.72
How this was worked out
- Online or invoice, card on the Free plan is 3.3% + $0.30.
- $100.00 x 3.3% = $3.30, rounded to the cent.
- $3.30 + $0.30 fixed = $3.60 before any minimum or cap.
- The fee is $3.60.
- $100.00 - $3.60 = $96.40 kept, an effective rate of 3.60%.
- To keep $100.00, charge $103.72, which carries a fee of $3.72.
How the Square fee is worked out
Square charges a percentage of each payment plus a small fixed amount, and the pair depends on two choices: how the customer pays and which plan you are on. In-person card payments carry the lowest percentage. Online payments and card-on-file payments cost more. Bank transfers use a flat 1% with a floor and, on some plans, a ceiling.
In symbols, with the amount as A, the percentage as p, the fixed fee as f, the minimum as m and the cap as c:
fee = min(c, max(m, round(A x p) + f))
keep = A - fee
break-even volume = plan fee / (rate on Free - rate on plan)Most rows have no minimum or cap, so the fee is just the percentage plus the fixed amount. The bank transfer rows are the ones that use m and c.
Four worked examples
A $100 online sale on the Free plan
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Payment | $100.00 |
| How the customer pays | Online or invoice, card |
| Plan | Free |
| Fee | $3.60 |
| You keep | $96.40 |
| Effective rate | 3.60% |
| Charge to keep the full amount | $103.72 |
A $30 tap payment on the Premium plan
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Payment | $30.00 |
| How the customer pays | In person (tap, dip or swipe) |
| Plan | Premium |
| Fee | $0.87 |
| You keep | $29.13 |
| Effective rate | 2.90% |
| Charge to keep the full amount | $30.89 |
A $50 invoice paid by ACH on the Free plan
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Payment | $50.00 |
| How the customer pays | ACH bank transfer on an invoice |
| Plan | Free |
| Fee | $1.00 |
| You keep | $49.00 |
| Effective rate | 2.00% |
| Charge to keep the full amount | $51.00 |
A $2,000 invoice paid by ACH on the Plus plan
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Payment | $2,000.00 |
| How the customer pays | ACH bank transfer on an invoice |
| Plan | Plus |
| Fee | $10.00 |
| You keep | $1,990.00 |
| Effective rate | 0.50% |
| Charge to keep the full amount | $2,010.00 |
Rates by payment type and plan
| Payment type | Free | Plus | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| In person (tap, dip or swipe) | 2.6% + $0.15 | 2.5% + $0.15 | 2.4% + $0.15 |
| Online or invoice, card | 3.3% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Online API, card | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Card on file or manual entry | 3.5% + $0.15 | 3.5% + $0.15 | 3.5% + $0.15 |
| Afterpay | 6% + $0.30 | 6% + $0.30 | 6% + $0.30 |
| ACH bank transfer on an invoice | 1%, $1 minimum | 1%, $1 minimum, $10 cap | 1%, $1 minimum, $10 cap |
| ACH bank transfer through the API | 1%, $1 minimum, $5 cap | 1%, $1 minimum, $5 cap | 1%, $1 minimum, $5 cap |
Fee on a $100 payment by type and plan
| Payment type | Free | Plus | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| In person (tap, dip or swipe) | $2.75 | $2.65 | $2.55 |
| Online or invoice, card | $3.60 | $3.20 | $3.20 |
| Online API, card | $3.20 | $3.20 | $3.20 |
| Card on file or manual entry | $3.65 | $3.65 | $3.65 |
| Afterpay | $6.30 | $6.30 | $6.30 |
| ACH bank transfer on an invoice | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| ACH bank transfer through the API | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
Cards issued outside the US add 1.5% on the card rows. The online fee on Free moves from $3.60 to $5.10.
When a paid plan pays for itself
A paid plan has a monthly fee for each location. It earns that back only when the rate it saves, applied to a month of sales, adds up to more than the fee. Plus costs $49 and Premium costs $149. The volumes below are per location per month, using plan fee divided by the points saved.
| Compared | Payment type | Monthly fee | Points saved | Break-even monthly volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plus against Free | Online | $49 | 0.4 | $12,250 |
| Premium against Free | Online | $149 | 0.4 | $37,250 |
| Plus against Free | In person | $49 | 0.1 | $49,000 |
| Premium against Free | In person | $149 | 0.2 | $74,500 |
| Premium against Plus | In person | $100 | 0.1 | $100,000 |
| Premium against Plus | Online | $100 | 0 | No volume |
Plans also add features that have nothing to do with card fees, so a business can reasonably pay for a plan below these volumes. The table answers only the question of fees.
Bank transfers: the minimum and the cap
| Payment | ACH on an invoice, Free | ACH on an invoice, Plus or Premium | ACH through the API |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| $100.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| $500.00 | $5.00 | $5.00 | $5.00 |
| $1,000.00 | $10.00 | $10.00 | $5.00 |
| $2,000.00 | $20.00 | $10.00 | $5.00 |
| $5,000.00 | $50.00 | $10.00 | $5.00 |
Square next to Stripe and PayPal on $100
| Processor | Payment type | Rate | Fee | You keep | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Domestic card | 2.9% + $0.30 | $3.20 | $96.80 | 3.20% |
| PayPal | PayPal Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 | $3.98 | $96.02 | 3.98% |
| PayPal | Standard card payment | 2.99% + $0.49 | $3.48 | $96.52 | 3.48% |
| Square | Online, Free plan | 3.3% + $0.30 | $3.60 | $96.40 | 3.60% |
| Square | In person, Free plan | 2.6% + $0.15 | $2.75 | $97.25 | 2.75% |
These are the standard US rates for each processor. Hardware, software add-ons, instant transfers and negotiated pricing are not included.
Edge cases
- The ACH minimum means a small invoice can cost a large share. On $50.00 the $1 minimum is 2% of the payment, double the headline 1%.
- Plans with a cap stop charging a percentage once the cap is reached, so the largest invoices cost a flat amount.
- Afterpay and bank transfers are not cards, so the extra percentage for foreign cards is left off them here.
- A fee as large as the payment is flagged as invalid, because nothing would be left to receive.
Questions
How much does Square charge on a $100 online sale?
On the Free plan an online or invoice card payment is 3.3% + $0.30, so $100 costs $3.60 and you keep $96.40, an effective rate of 3.60%. On Plus or Premium the rate is 2.9% + $0.30, so the same sale costs $3.20.
What should I charge to keep a full $100 on Square?
On the Free plan, online, charge $103.72. Square deducts its fee from the full charge, so a price of $100 plus the $3.60 fee would still leave you slightly short. The calculator finds the smallest charge that nets $100 to the cent.
When does the Plus plan pay for itself?
Plus charges $49 a month for each location and lowers the online rate by 0.4 points. Divide the fee by the saving and the plan breaks even at $12,250 of online sales a month per location, or $49,000 of in-person sales a month, since the in-person saving is smaller.
Does Premium ever beat Plus on card fees?
Not online, where both charge 2.9% + $0.30. In person Premium saves one tenth of a point over Plus, so the extra $100 a month is only recovered above $100,000 of in-person sales a month per location. Premium also adds features that are not fees, which can be the real reason to choose it.
How are ACH payments charged?
ACH on an invoice is 1%, $1 minimum on Free, with a $10 cap on Plus and Premium. ACH through the API is 1%, $1 minimum, $5 cap. A $50.00 invoice pays $1.00, which is the minimum and not 1%, while a $2,000.00 invoice pays $20.00 on Free and $10.00 on Plus.
What does a card issued outside the US cost?
Square adds 1.5% to card payments when the card was issued outside the United States. The $100 online sale on Free then costs $5.10 and leaves $94.90. The extra percentage does not apply to ACH or Afterpay in this calculator.
How does Square compare with Stripe and PayPal on $100?
At standard rates a $100 online payment costs $3.60 on Square Free, $3.20 on Stripe (2.9% + $0.30) and $3.98 on PayPal Checkout (3.49% + $0.49). In person on Square Free it is $2.75. All three come from the same dated rate files.
Where do these rates come from?
They are read from Square's US pricing page, which was read on 19 Oct 2026. The rate file stores the address, the read date and who read it, and each figure on this page is generated from that file.
Related tools
Run the same payment through Stripe and PayPal, see the effect on profit with the gross margin calculator, or total your recurring sales with the MRR calculator. The pricing page covers what TrialValid costs.
Sources
- Square pricing, US: read 19 Oct 2026.