What Are Stripe Fees?
Stripe fees are the charges deducted for processing payments, including a percentage of each transaction and, for many payment types, a fixed fee. Your effective rate is the total processing costs divided by the revenue processed, so it can be higher than Stripe’s advertised base rate when you accept international cards, convert currencies, or receive disputes.
For a Shopify store, fees affect the amount left to cover product costs, shipping, marketing, and profit. Estimating them by payment mix helps you compare payment methods and decide whether a negotiated rate or another processor is worth exploring.
Stripe Fee Formulas
Standard online processing fee = (Transaction amount × 2.9%) + $0.30
International card surcharge = International transaction amount × 1.5%
Currency conversion surcharge = Converted transaction amount × 1%
Dispute fees = Number of disputes × $15
Estimated monthly Stripe fees =
Base processing fees
+ international surcharges
+ currency conversion surcharges
+ dispute fees
Effective rate = (Estimated monthly Stripe fees ÷ Monthly revenue) × 100
Stripe generally keeps the original processing fee when you refund a payment. The refunded sale amount is returned to the customer; it is not itself a processing fee.
How to Use This Calculator
- Choose your
pricingTier— select standard pricing or custom pricing if Stripe has negotiated a rate for your account. - Enter
monthlyRevenue— provide the total monthly payment volume processed through Stripe, before refunds. - Enter
avgTransaction— use your average order value; the calculator uses it with monthly revenue to estimate transaction count. - Set
intlPct— enter the share of transactions made with cards issued outside your country. These transactions add an international surcharge. - Set
currencyConvPct— enter the share requiring currency conversion. This fee may apply in addition to the international-card surcharge. - Enter
disputeRate— estimate what percentage of transactions become disputes or chargebacks. - Enter
refundPct— estimate what percentage of transactions you refund. Stripe typically retains the original processing fee. - If you selected custom pricing, enter
customRateandcustomFixed— use the negotiated percentage and fixed fee per transaction from your Stripe agreement.
The results estimate fees from the mix you enter. Check your Stripe balance and transaction reports periodically because actual payment types, dispute outcomes, and negotiated pricing can change your total.
Step-by-Step Example
Suppose a Shopify store processes $55,000 per month, with an average order of $55. Assume 10% of transactions use international cards, 5% require currency conversion, 0.5% become disputes, and 3% are refunded.
| Fee component | Calculation | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated transactions | $55,000 ÷ $55 | 1,000 |
| Percentage processing fee | $55,000 × 0.029 | $1,595.00 |
| Fixed processing fee | 1,000 × $0.30 | $300.00 |
| International surcharge | ($55,000 × 10%) × 0.015 | $82.50 |
| Currency conversion surcharge | ($55,000 × 5%) × 0.01 | $27.50 |
| Dispute fees | (1,000 × 0.5%) × $15 | $75.00 |
| Estimated total fees | $1,595 + $300 + $82.50 + $27.50 + $75 | $2,080.00 |
The effective rate is $2,080 ÷ $55,000 × 100 = 3.78%. The example treats the international-card and currency-conversion shares as separate fee bases; some transactions may qualify for both surcharges. The 3% refund share does not add a second processing fee in this estimate because Stripe keeps the original fee.
How Payment Mix Changes Your Effective Rate
A quoted base rate is not the same as your all-in cost. A store with more small orders pays the fixed per-transaction charge more often relative to its revenue, while cross-border payments can add percentage-based surcharges. Refunds and disputes affect the economics differently: a refund can leave you without the sale while the original processing fee remains, and a dispute can add a separate fee.
Compare processors using the same order values and payment mix. Use the PayPal Fee Calculator to compare PayPal charges, or the Currency Conversion Fee Calculator to examine conversion costs across processors. For the broader cost of a dispute—including lost revenue and product costs—try the Chargeback Cost Calculator.
The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends tracking revenue and expenses to understand cash flow; processor fees belong in that review, not just in a checkout-rate comparison (SBA guide to managing business finances). Keep fee and payout records with your business financial records; the IRS explains why small businesses need a recordkeeping system (IRS recordkeeping guidance).
Stripe Fee Benchmarks by Payment Type
These are reference rates for common Stripe payment situations, not a prediction of your store’s effective rate. Pricing can vary by country, payment method, and negotiated agreement.
| Payment type | Reference fee |
|---|---|
| Standard online card payment | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| In-person Stripe Terminal payment | 2.6% + $0.10 |
| International card | Standard rate + 1.5% |
| International card with currency conversion | Standard rate + 1.5% + 1% |
| Dispute | $15 per dispute; refunded if you win |
High-volume merchants may be eligible to negotiate custom rates. Compare the expected monthly savings with any change in fixed fees, eligibility terms, or other payment costs before switching.
6 Ways to Test Your Stripe Costs
- Change
avgTransactionfrom $25 to $50 while keeping monthly revenue fixed. The transaction count falls, so fixed per-order fees take a smaller share of sales. - Change
intlPctfrom 30% to 10% to test how a more domestic customer mix would affect surcharges. - Change
currencyConvPctfrom 20% to 5% to estimate the fee impact of pricing and settling in customers’ local currencies. - Change
refundPctfrom 8% to 4% after testing clearer sizing details, product descriptions, or post-purchase support. Compare fee exposure, then check whether the change also affects your retained revenue. - Change
disputeRatefrom 1% to 0.3% to model the impact of clearer billing descriptors and faster customer-service responses. The FTC explains how consumers can dispute credit-card billing issues, so make purchase and billing information easy to recognize (FTC guide to disputing credit-card charges). - Switch
pricingTierto custom and test a lowercustomRatealongside the fixed fee incustomFixed. Use a written quote from Stripe and compare total monthly costs, rather than judging the percentage rate alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Stripe charge per transaction?
Stripe's standard online rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, while in-person payments via Stripe Terminal are 2.6% + $0.10. High-volume businesses can negotiate custom rates, often around 2.5–2.7% with lower fixed fees; international cards add 1.5%, and currency conversion adds 1%.
Does Stripe charge fees on refunds?
Yes; Stripe returns the payment amount to the customer but generally keeps the original processing fee. For a $100 transaction at 2.9% + $0.30, the retained fee is $3.20, so a full refund does not necessarily restore the seller’s original processing cost.
What is Stripe's effective rate?
The effective rate is total Stripe fees divided by total revenue processed, expressed as a percentage. Domestic-only sellers often see roughly 3.0–3.2%, while international payments, disputes, and refunds can push the rate higher; the right comparison is your own payment mix, not another store’s headline rate.
How much does Stripe charge for international transactions?
International cards issued outside your country add 1.5% to the base rate, and currency conversion adds another 1% when required. For an online transaction with both surcharges, the total is 5.4% + $0.30 under the standard 2.9% + $0.30 base pricing.
How much do Stripe chargebacks cost?
Stripe charges $15 per dispute, regardless of the transaction amount, and refunds that fee if you win the dispute. The industry-average dispute rate is often cited around 0.5–1%; clear billing descriptors and responsive customer service can help reduce avoidable disputes, while the Chargeback Cost Calculator estimates costs beyond the dispute fee.
About This Calculator
The Stripe Fee Calculator was built by Luis Dev Studio for Shopify merchants estimating payment-processing costs and effective rates. For help reviewing your store’s payment setup, contact us or explore our services.
Updated by Luis Gonzalez · Aug 25, 2026