Square fees in 2026: what Square takes from each sale

Square processing fees in 2026 by payment type

Square fees are a percentage of each card payment plus a fixed amount per transaction. The rate depends on how the customer pays and on your plan. On Square Free, a card tapped, dipped or swiped in person costs 2.6% + 15¢, an online or invoice card payment costs 3.3% + 30¢, and a card number typed in or a saved card on file costs 3.5% + 15¢.

The table lists the main rates from Square's fee help article for a US seller on its three current plans. Sellers still on an older, individually priced plan can check their own rates on the Pricing & subscriptions page in Square Dashboard.

Square's credit card processing fees are the same for every card brand: Square accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover at the same processing fees. The fee is charged on the total amount of each transaction, including tax and tip, and it is deducted before the money is transferred to your linked bank account. Square charges no fees for cash, check and other tender payments.

Square fees per transaction on a $25 craft fair sale

Example: a $25 mug sold at a weekend craft fair. The same sale costs a different amount in Square fees depending on how the buyer pays: a tap on the reader at the stall, a card number typed in by hand, an online order placed later from the shop link, a custom order invoiced and paid by bank transfer, or Afterpay at the stall.

Square fee calculator: work out the fee on any sale

You can work out any Square fee by hand in four steps. Example: the same $25 mug, paid by tap on Square Free.

1. Find the rate for how the buyer pays

   A tap, dip or swipe costs 2.6% + 15¢ on Square Free. An online or invoice card payment costs 3.3% + 30¢, and a card typed in costs 3.5% + 15¢.

2. Start from the full charge

   Square charges on the total amount of each transaction, including tax and tip. If the buyer adds a tip or you collect sales tax, use the total the card was charged, not the item price.

3. Multiply by the percentage and add the fixed part

   Multiply the total by the percentage, then add the fixed amount once per transaction. For the $25 mug paid by tap, the fee is $0.80. Because the fixed part is the same on every transaction, it is a larger share of a small sale.

4. Add the international card fee if it applies

   If the card was issued outside the US, Square charges an additional 1.5% on top. The fee is deducted before the money is transferred to your linked bank account, so what is left is what reaches your bank.

Square reader fees and card reader costs

Square reader fees come in two parts: the price of the device, and the in-person processing rate on each payment taken with it. The tap, dip or swipe rate applies to in-person payments when a card is present, so a card tapped, dipped or swiped on a Square reader, Stand or Terminal pays 2.6% + 15¢ on Square Free.

You do not need hardware to take payments. Square lists several ways to take them without a reader: invoicing, payment links, virtual terminal, Tap to Pay on iPhone and Tap to Pay on Android. With Tap to Pay, the phone itself takes contactless cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets in person, so at a stall the phone can stand in for a reader.

Is Square free? Square Free, Plus and Premium

Square has no sign-up fee: it does not charge for activation, chargebacks and dispute management, account inactivity and early termination. On Square Free there are no monthly subscription costs; you pay processing fees only when you take a payment, and the plan itself costs $0 a month per location.

Square Plus costs $49 a month per location and Square Premium costs $149 a month per location. Both lower the in-person and online card rates shown in the table above, and both come with a free 30-day trial. The rate cut is a fraction of a percent, so it pays back the monthly fee only at a high card volume. Compare it with your own monthly card sales before you switch. Sellers who process over $250,000 a year can ask Square about custom rates.

Other Square fees: transfers, refunds and gift cards

Processing is the fee you pay on every card sale. The others apply only when you use a particular feature.

• Transfers: Square offers a free next-business-day transfer to your bank. An instant transfer costs 1.95% per transfer.
• Refunds: when you refund a buyer, the processing fees on the original payment are not refunded.
• Manual entry: Square charges more for a typed-in card because neither the card nor the cardholder needs to be present, so the risk is higher.
• Afterpay: you pay 6% + 30¢, and you get paid immediately while the customer pays over time in four installments.
• Gift cards: Square Free and Square Plus pay a 2.5% load fee when a gift card is loaded.
• Disputes and account fees: Square does not charge for activation, chargebacks and dispute management, account inactivity and early termination.

Ways to pay less in Square fees

None of these remove the processing fee on a card payment. They move more of your sales onto the lower rates and avoid the optional extras.

• Take cards by tap, dip or swipe whenever the buyer is in front of you. On Square Free the in-person rate is 2.6% + 15¢, against 3.5% + 15¢ for a card typed in.
• Ring several items up as one transaction, so the fixed part is paid once.
• Offer bank transfer on large invoices. On Square Free it costs 1%, $1 min, against 3.3% + 30¢ for a card payment on the same invoice, and an ACH payment deposited into Square Checking costs $0 in fees.
• Wait for the free next-business-day transfer instead of paying 1.95% per transfer for an instant transfer.
• Accept cash where it suits the buyer: Square charges no fees for cash, check and other tender payments.
• Ask Square about custom rates once you process over $250,000 a year.

Where Nation fits

Questions about Square fees