Square Fee Calculator

What the calculator compares

The form has an amount field, a payment method dropdown and a reset button. The results are three plan cards: Square Free, Square Plus and Square Premium. Each card shows the fee, the net amount and the rate text used for that plan.

The cheapest plan for the entered amount is highlighted. A savings line shows how much more the other plans would cost. This is useful for comparing a high-volume online business with a low-volume in-person seller.

The calculator does not include hardware costs, monthly subscription fees, chargeback fees, refunds or taxes. A plan with a lower processing rate can still cost more overall if its monthly fee is higher than the savings.

The plans at a glance

The page labels Square Free as the basic plan, Square Plus as lower fees, and Square Premium as the lowest processing fees. The plan names and subtitles are fixed in the page; the rates come from the method configuration.

For in-person tap, dip or swipe, the stored rates are 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium. For online checkout, they are 3.3% + 30¢, 2.9% + 30¢ and 2.9% + 30¢.

For online API payments, all three plans store 2.9% + 30¢. For manual entry or card on file, Free stores 3.5% + 15¢, while Plus and Premium store 2.9% + 30¢. These differences are why the cheapest plan depends on the method.

Methods with minimums and caps

ACH bank transfer via invoice stores 1% with a $1 minimum. Free has no cap; Plus caps the fee at $10; Premium caps it at $5. ACH via API stores 1% with a $1 minimum and a $5 cap on all three plans.

Afterpay stores 6% + 30¢ on every plan. Cash or check is free. Bitcoin payments are shown as 0% until 2027. EBT stores 1.8% + 5¢.

The calculator applies the percentage and fixed fee first, then the minimum, then the cap. A small ACH payment therefore pays the $1 minimum rather than a few cents. A large ACH invoice payment can hit the cap and pay less than the percentage would suggest.

How to compare plans

1. Enter the transaction amount.
2. Choose the payment method that matches how the money is taken.
3. Read the three plan cards and the highlighted cheapest option.
4. Compare the monthly plan fee with the processing savings. A low volume may never recover a higher monthly fee.
5. Repeat for other methods if you accept more than one payment type.
6. Use the reset button to start a new comparison.

The cheapest plan for one $100 sale is not necessarily the cheapest plan for your annual volume. Multiply the per-transaction savings by your expected monthly volume, then subtract the plan fee.

Interpreting the net

The net amount is the transaction amount minus the processing fee. It does not account for the cost of goods, shipping, refunds or chargebacks. A positive net can still be a loss if the product cost is higher.

For a refund, the processing fee may not be returned, and some providers charge an additional refund fee. The calculator does not model that. For a disputed payment, a chargeback fee can dwarf the original processing cost.

For a cash sale, the fee is zero, but cash has its own handling and security costs. The page treats cash as free because there is no processor fee, not because the sale is costless.

Limits and privacy

The calculation runs in the browser. The amount and method are not uploaded to Newisty. The page does not connect to a Square account or read live rates.

The configuration is a stored snapshot. Square can change rates, introduce new plans or apply different pricing by country. A rate that is correct for one merchant may not apply to another.

Hardware, invoicing, payroll, banking and lending products are outside the model. Use the result as a starting point and confirm the current pricing with Square before choosing a plan.

Plan economics

A lower processing rate is not automatically a lower total cost. Square Plus and Premium may carry a monthly subscription, while Free does not. The calculator compares only the per-transaction processing fee, so you need to add the plan fee yourself.

To compare plans, estimate your monthly processed volume for each method. Multiply the per-transaction fee by the volume, add the monthly plan fee, and compare the totals. A business processing $2,000 a month online may save enough on the rate difference to justify Plus; a business processing $200 may not.

The plan names and rates in the page are a snapshot. Eligibility, country and account history can change what you are offered. Use the comparison as a prompt to check your actual Square dashboard.

In-person and hardware

In-person rates are lower than online rates because the card is present and the risk is lower. The page stores 2.6% + 15¢ on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium for tap, dip or swipe. A $20 in-person sale pays a small fixed fee and a percentage; a $2 sale is dominated by the 15¢.

Hardware is not included. A reader, terminal or register has a cost, and some plans bundle hardware differently. If you are choosing a plan for a physical shop, compare the hardware bundle as well as the processing rate.

Cash is free in the page, but handling cash has its own risks and time cost. The calculator does not value those.

Card-not-present risk

Online and manual-entry payments carry higher rates because the card is not present. Manual entry is especially risky: the page stores 3.5% + 15¢ on Free, compared with 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium. The fixed fee is lower on Free, but the percentage is higher, so the crossover depends on the amount.

The calculator does not model chargebacks, fraud filters or refunds. A card-not-present transaction that looks profitable can become a loss after a dispute. If you take online payments, build a reserve and use the processor's fraud tools.

Afterpay is stored at 6% + 30¢ on every plan. That is a high rate compared with standard online processing, but it can increase conversion for some buyers. The calculator shows the cost, not the conversion benefit.

Choosing a plan

1. List the payment methods you actually accept and the monthly volume for each.
2. Calculate the processing fee for each method at each plan.
3. Add the monthly plan fee to the processing total.
4. Include hardware and any add-on software you need.
5. Compare the annual totals, not just one transaction.
6. Recheck the rates and plan terms with Square before switching.

If most of your volume is in person, the in-person rate difference is the main lever. If most is online, the online and API rates matter more. If you take ACH, the cap can make a higher plan cheaper for large invoices.

Do not switch plans just because one sample transaction is cheaper. Use a realistic monthly mix.

Frequently Asked Questions