Stripe payouts & fees explained

A clear breakdown of Stripe's transaction fees, payout schedule, and how to read your Stripe dashboard balance.

One of the most common questions we hear from business owners is: "Stripe shows I made $500 — so why did only $480 reach my bank?" This guide explains Stripe's fees and payout process so there are no surprises.

Quick summary

Stripe takes its fee out of each payment before it reaches you. For US accounts, Stripe's listed standard rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful domestic card transaction — always check stripe.com/pricing for the current rate. A US card payment usually becomes available in your Stripe balance about two business days after the sale, and Stripe then sends it to your bank on your account's payout schedule. The Stripe Dashboard shows what was earned, what was deducted, and when the next payout is due.

How Stripe fees work

Stripe calls its standard pricing pay-as-you-go — you pay only when you make a sale. Stripe does not charge a setup fee or a monthly fee on standard pricing.

Standard US card fee

For US businesses on Stripe's standard pricing, the listed rate is:

2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic card transaction

So on a $100 sale, Stripe deducts $3.20 (2.9% of $100 = $2.90, plus $0.30), and you receive $96.80.

Rates may differ for your situation

The rate above is Stripe's publicly listed standard US rate. Rates vary by country, and extra charges apply for international cards, manually entered cards, currency conversion and payment methods other than cards. Large-volume businesses can also negotiate custom pricing. Always check stripe.com/pricing and your own Stripe Dashboard for the current rates that apply to your account.

Other fees to know

These are the extra charges Stripe lists against its standard US pricing. Check Stripe's pricing page for the current figures.

Situation	Additional charge
International cards	+1.5%
Currency conversion	+1% when a payment needs converting
Manually keyed-in cards	+0.5% on top of the standard rate
Instant payouts	1.5% of the payout amount, with a minimum fee of 50 cents
Disputed charges (chargebacks)	A flat fee for each dispute you receive, plus a second flat fee if you respond manually. You get the response fee back if you win
Refunds	No fee to issue a card refund, but the original processing fee is not returned

How the payout schedule works

Stripe does not send you each individual payment as it arrives. Two separate things decide when the money lands:

Settlement timing — how long a payment takes to move from your Stripe pending balance to your available balance. In the US this is about two business days for card payments. Bank payment methods such as ACH take longer.
Payout schedule — how often Stripe sends your available balance to your bank. Where Stripe supports it, payouts default to daily, and you can switch to weekly, monthly or manual.

What this means in practice: a US card payment taken on Monday is usually available in your Stripe balance on Wednesday, and goes out on your next scheduled payout. Your bank may take a little longer to post it.

Payouts scheduled for a weekend or a public holiday arrive on the next business day.

New accounts

Your first payout takes longer than the ones after it. Stripe says it typically schedules your initial payout to complete within 7 to 14 days of your first live payment, and it can take longer depending on your industry, country and risk level.

Instant payouts

If you need funds sooner, Stripe offers Instant Payouts to an eligible debit card or bank account. Funds usually appear within 30 minutes, including at weekends, for an extra fee (1.5% of the payout with a 50-cent minimum on standard pricing). New Stripe accounts are not immediately eligible; you can check your eligibility in the Dashboard.

Reading your Stripe Dashboard balance

When you log in to the Stripe Dashboard, you will see figures for your balance and for payouts in progress. Here is what each one means:

Label	What it means
Pending	Recent payments that have not settled yet. You cannot pay out or spend these funds
Available	Funds that have settled. These can go out as a payout, or cover a refund
In transit	A payout Stripe has already sent to your bank, on its way
Paid	A payout that went through. Occasionally one shows as paid and then turns to failed within a few business days, so check your bank

You can see a full history of individual payouts, and their expected deposit dates, in the Payouts section of your dashboard.

Stripe may also create a reserve balance on your account. That holds back funds to cover expected refunds and disputes, and you cannot pay them out until the reserve hold period ends.

How to read a payout

Each payout in the dashboard shows:

The total gross amount collected
Fees deducted
Refunds issued
The net amount sent to your bank

Stripe also has prebuilt reports covering payments, payouts, fees and balance changes. You can view them in the Dashboard or download them as a CSV for your accountant.

What happens with refunds?

When you issue a refund, Stripe returns the money to the customer's card. However, the original processing fee is not refunded to you. If you refund a $100 sale, you effectively absorb the $3.20 fee.

For partial refunds, the fee is not pro-rated — you simply receive less than the original net amount.

See Refunds: best practices for guidance on handling refunds well.

Common questions

Why was my payout less than I expected?

Check your Stripe Dashboard under Payouts and open the individual payout to see the breakdown. Common reasons include: transaction fees deducted, refunds issued during the period, a chargeback dispute fee, or a portion of funds held in your Pending balance.

Can I change my payout schedule?

Usually yes. You can switch between daily, weekly, monthly and manual payouts in your Stripe Dashboard under Settings → Payouts. Administrator access is needed to change it. A few countries have preset schedules set by local rules, so the options you see depend on where your business is. Moving to monthly means you wait longer between deposits.

Do I pay fees on failed or declined payments?

No. Stripe only charges a fee when a payment succeeds. Declined authorizations are free.

What currency does Stripe pay me in?

Stripe pays out in your settlement currency, which has to match the currency of the bank account you linked. If a payment comes in a currency you have not set up a bank account for, Stripe converts it to your default currency and charges a conversion fee (+1% on standard US pricing). In some countries you can add a bank account per currency to avoid the conversion.

How do I get a tax document from Stripe?

Stripe issues 1099-K forms to eligible US-based accounts. You can export your 1099-K from the Documents section of the Dashboard, and Stripe makes the previous calendar year's form available by 31 January. Thresholds are set by the IRS and have changed more than once, so check Stripe's own 1099-K help article for the year you are filing.

Need a hand?

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