Square fee calculator (US)
How much does Square charge per transaction?
On Square Free, in-person card payments cost 2.6% + 15¢ and online or invoice card payments cost 3.3% + 30¢. Square Plus ($49/mo per location) lowers those to 2.5% + 15¢ and 2.9% + 30¢; Square Premium ($149/mo) charges 2.4% + 15¢ in person. Manual entry is 3.5% + 15¢ on every plan. A $60 tap on Square Free costs $1.71.
| Square fee per payment | $1.71 |
| You keep per payment | $58.29 |
| Processing fees per month (150 payments) | $256.50 |
| Square Free subscription (1 location) | $0.00 |
| Total Square cost per month | $256.50 |
| As % of card sales | 2.85% |
| Square Free: fees + plan per month | $256.50 |
| Square Plus: fees + plan per month | $296.50 |
| Square Premium: fees + plan per month | $387.50 |
Cheapest for these inputs: Square Free. Plans also differ in features, which this does not price.
Square takes its fee from the full payment, including tax and tip, so enter the total the customer pays. US rates only. Excludes hardware, add-on apps, instant transfer fees and custom rates for businesses over $250,000 a year.
Last verified October 22, 2026 against Square Support: Learn about Square fees (US), Square pricing: plans and processing fees (US). Fee change tracker · How we verify
Square processing fees by plan (US)
| Square Free | Square Plus | Square Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee, per location | $0/mo | $49/mo | $149/mo |
| Tap, dip or swipe | 2.6% + 15¢ | 2.5% + 15¢ | 2.4% + 15¢ |
| Online or invoices (card) | 3.3% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Manual entry or card on file | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| Invoice paid by bank (ACH) | 1%, $1 min | 1%, $1 min, $10 cap | 1%, $1 min, $10 cap |
| Afterpay | 6% + 30¢ | 6% + 30¢ | 6% + 30¢ |
| Card issued outside the US | +1.5% extra | +1.5% extra | +1.5% extra |
Square lists $0 ACH fees when invoice payments are deposited into Square Checking, and no fees for cash or checks.
When does Square Plus pay for itself?
Plus costs $49/mo per location and cuts the in-person rate by 0.1 percentage points (the 15¢ stays the same). On fees alone, it breaks even at about $49,000 a month of in-person card sales per location. For online and invoice card payments the gap is 0.4 points, so the break-even is about $12,250 a month. Below that, Square Free is cheaper unless you need Plus features. Use the comparison under the calculator with your own mix.
Recording Square fees in your books
- Record the full sale (including tax and tip) as income, not the smaller deposit.
- Record the Square fee as a separate expense line ("merchant fees").
- Record sales tax collected as money you owe the state, not income.
- Match each Square transfer to your bank: sales minus fees minus refunds should equal the deposit.
Questions
Does Square charge fees on tax and tips?
Yes. Square's fee article says processing fees are taken out of the total amount of each transaction, including tax and tip.
Is Square Free really free?
There is no monthly plan fee on Square Free ($0/mo), but you pay processing fees on every card payment: 2.6% + 15¢ in person and 3.3% + 30¢ online or by invoice.
Why are manually entered payments more expensive?
Square charges 3.5% + 15¢ for keyed-in cards and cards on file because neither the card nor the cardholder has to be present, which Square says carries more risk.
Does Square charge for chargebacks?
Square lists chargebacks and dispute management among the things it does not charge for.
Can I get lower rates?
Square says businesses processing over $250,000 a year can contact its sales team about custom pricing.
General information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rates change: check the linked official source before you rely on a number. Not yet reviewed by a CPA or EA.
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