How much does Square charge per transaction?
Square charges 2.6% + $0.15 when a card is tapped, dipped or swiped in person, and 3.3% + $0.30 for online and invoice payments on the Free plan. On a $100 in-person sale the fee is $2.75 and you receive $97.25. Online, the same sale costs $3.60, or $3.20 on the Plus and Premium plans.
$100 in person
$97.25
2.6% + $0.15, you receive
$100 online or invoice
$96.40
3.3% + $0.30 on the Free plan
$100 online on Plus or Premium
$96.80
2.9% + $0.30
$100 keyed in
$96.35
3.5% + $0.15
Square fees by payment method (US, 2026)
| How the payment is taken |
Free plan |
Plus ($49/mo) |
Premium ($149/mo) |
| In person: tap, dip, swipe |
2.6% + $0.15 |
2.5% + $0.15 |
2.4% + $0.15 |
| Online, payment links, invoices paid by card |
3.3% + $0.30 |
2.9% + $0.30 |
2.9% + $0.30 |
| Online through the Square API |
2.9% + $0.30 |
2.9% + $0.30 |
2.9% + $0.30 |
| Manually keyed, card on file |
3.5% + $0.15 |
3.5% + $0.15 |
3.5% + $0.15 |
| ACH on an invoice |
1%, $1 minimum |
1%, capped at $10 |
1%, capped at $10 |
| Afterpay (buy now, pay later) |
6% + $0.30 |
6% + $0.30 |
6% + $0.30 |
| EBT, in person |
1.8% + $0.05 |
1.8% + $0.05 |
1.8% + $0.05 |
Plan prices are per location. Square raised the Free plan online rate from 2.9% to 3.3% and the in-person fixed fee from $0.10 to $0.15 in its late-2025 repricing, so older calculators understate the fee. Merchants above about $250,000 a year can ask for custom pricing.
Is Square Plus worth $49 a month?
Plus only pays for itself when the rate cut covers the subscription. The break-even depends on where the sales happen.
$12,250
online card sales a month
0.4 point cut × $12,250 = $49
$49,000
in-person sales a month
0.1 point cut × $49,000 = $49
$74,500
in-person sales for Premium
0.2 point cut must cover $149
A store doing $20,000 a month online saves $80 in fees on Plus and pays $49 for it, a $31 gain before any software features. A cafe doing $20,000 a month in person saves $20 and loses $29. Enter the monthly volume in the calculator and compare the two plan rates before upgrading.
Square fee formula
Where Square is cheaper than PayPal and Stripe
Square's headline rates are close to the others. The difference is what happens after the sale.
Square
- Refund: processing fee kept since April 2023
- Dispute: no dispute fee; funds are held during the case
- In person: 2.6% + $0.15
- Online: 3.3% + $0.30 (2.9% on Plus)
PayPal
- Refund: full fee kept by PayPal
- Dispute: $15 per case ($30 high volume)
- In person (QR): 2.29% + $0.09
- Online: 3.49% + $0.49
Stripe
- Refund: full fee kept by Stripe
- Dispute: $15 per case
- In person: 2.7% + $0.05
- Online: 2.9% + $0.30
For a store with 1,000 orders a month at $75 and a 0.5% dispute rate, Square's missing dispute fee saves $75 a month against Stripe or PayPal. Online on the Free plan that saving disappears: 0.4 points on $75,000 is $300 more in processing than Stripe. In person, Square wins on both counts. Refunds are now a wash, since all three keep the fee.
What a dispute costs you on Square
$0
No dispute fee, but the money is frozen
Square does not charge a per-dispute fee. It holds the disputed amount from your balance, or debits your linked bank account, until the card issuer decides, which can take up to 90 days. If you lose, the sale and the original processing fee are gone; if you win, the hold is released. The real cost is cash flow and the time spent on evidence.
Square gives you seven days from the notification email to respond through the Disputes dashboard, and once the form is submitted nothing can be added. Afterpay disputes close within 30 days.
Fraud disputes on Cash App Pay are covered entirely by Square, which no other Square payment method gets. Orders over $250 should ship with signature confirmation; "item not received" is the most common reason code Square merchants lose on.
How to charge a 3% fee on Square
Square's credit card surcharge feature, in open beta for US sellers, adds up to 3% to credit card payments at the point of sale and on invoices. It is switched on under Payments in the Square Dashboard.
- Credit cards only. Debit, ACH, tips, offline and split payments cannot be surcharged
- Capped at 3% or your actual cost of acceptance, whichever is lower
- Not available in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts or Puerto Rico; extra rules in CA, CO, FL, KS, NY, OK and TX
- Signage at the entrance and the counter, and a notice on every receipt
- Not supported on Square Kiosk, Virtual Terminal or Square Online
A 3% surcharge on a $100 in-person sale brings in $3.00 against a $2.75 fee, so it covers the cost. Online, where the Free plan fee is $3.60, the surcharge is not available anyway. The calculator's reverse mode is the cleaner route: price the fee in and skip the signage.
How to pay less in Square fees
Take payments in person where you can2.6% beats 2.9%, and the fixed fee is half. A $50 sale costs $1.45 in person and $1.75 online.
Avoid keying in cards3.5% is Square's highest card rate. Send a payment link or invoice instead (2.9% to 3.3%).
Offer ACH on large invoices1% with no fixed fee; a $2,000 invoice costs $20 by ACH and $66.30 by card. On Plus and Premium the ACH fee caps at $10.
Price for the netUse reverse mode. To net $500 online on the Free plan you need to charge $517.37.
Upgrade to Plus once online sales pass $12,250 a monthThe 0.4 point cut outruns the $49 fee from there. Below it, stay on Free.
Ask for custom pricing above $250k a yearSquare negotiates the in-person rate for larger merchants.
Respond to disputes in the first 7 daysThe hold releases faster and Chargeflow's data shows response quality moves win rates more than any other factor.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage does Square take?
2.6% + $0.15 per in-person card payment and 3.3% + $0.30 online or by invoice on the Free plan in the US. Plus and Premium cut those to 2.5% or 2.4% in person and 2.9% online. Keyed-in cards cost 3.5% + $0.15 on every plan, and ACH 1%.
How much does Square take from $100?
$2.75 in person ($97.25 to you), $3.60 online or by invoice on the Free plan, $3.20 online on Plus or Premium, $3.65 keyed in, and $1.00 by ACH bank transfer.
Does Square charge a monthly fee?
No on the Free plan. Square Plus costs $49 a month per location and Premium $149, each with lower in-person and online rates. Plus breaks even at about $12,250 a month in online card sales or $49,000 in person.
Does Square refund the processing fee on a refund?
No. Since April 11, 2023 Square keeps the processing fee on full and partial refunds, the same as PayPal and Stripe. There is no extra fee for issuing the refund. Refund a $100 in-person sale and the $2.75 fee is gone.
Does Square charge a chargeback fee?
No. Square holds the disputed amount while the case is open, up to 90 days, but does not add a fee. If you lose, you lose the sale amount and the original processing fee.
How do I charge a 3% fee on Square?
Turn on credit card surcharges under Payments in the Square Dashboard. The feature is in open beta, applies to credit cards only, caps at 3% or your cost of acceptance, and needs signage. It is blocked in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico and is not offered on Square Online.
How do I calculate what to charge to receive a specific amount on Square?
Add the fixed fee to your target and divide by one minus the rate. To receive $100 online on the Free plan: ($100 + $0.30) ÷ 0.967 = $103.72. In person: ($100 + $0.15) ÷ 0.974 = $102.82.
Are Square fees the same in every country?
No. Canada, the UK, Australia, Ireland, France, Spain and Japan have their own rates. The calculator uses US rates.
Sources
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