ARDOTOOLS

Payment Fee Calculator

Work out Stripe, PayPal or any card processing fee: what you keep after the cut, and what to charge to receive an exact amount. Free, runs in your browser.

Inputs

Result

Planning estimate only. Replace assumptions with your real costs, contracts, taxes, and market conditions.

How it works

  1. Enter the processor's rate

    A percentage and a fixed amount per transaction. Both matter, especially on small sales.

  2. See what actually lands

    What the customer pays, minus the cut, is what reaches your account.

  3. Or work backwards

    Enter what you need to receive and it tells you what to charge to net exactly that.

Who this is for

Stripe fees

Percentage plus a fixed amount per charge. Enter your own rate — it varies by country, card type and volume.

PayPal fees

A higher percentage and a larger fixed fee than most card rates, which matters most on small payments.

Invoicing an exact amount

When you have agreed to receive a specific sum, the gross-up is what you put on the invoice.

Comparing processors

A lower percentage with a higher fixed fee can cost more at your average order value. Run both.

Questions

What does Stripe charge?
As of September 2026, Stripe's standard online card rate in the US is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction. Rates differ by country, card type and negotiated volume, and they change — take the figure from your own Stripe dashboard and enter it.
What does PayPal charge?
As of September 2026, PayPal Checkout's standard US commercial transaction rate is 3.49% + $0.49. It is higher than a typical card rate on both parts, which is why it bites hardest on small payments. Check your own PayPal fee page for your country.
Why is the charge-to-receive figure more than my target plus the fee?
Because the fee applies to the higher amount you are now charging, so it grows with the charge. Solving it properly means dividing rather than adding, which is what this does.
Why does it refuse to calculate at a 100% fee?
At 100% the processor takes the whole payment, so no charge amount nets your target. Above it, the arithmetic goes negative. The tool warns instead of printing a nonsense figure.
Does this account for refunds and chargebacks?
No. Refunded transactions often do not return the fixed fee, and chargebacks usually carry a separate charge. Both are worth checking in your processor's terms.
Is this tool affiliated with Stripe or PayPal?
No. ArdoTools is independent and not connected to either company. They are named because they are the processors most people are calculating for; the tool works with any rate you type in.