Square fees explained: what it takes in 2026

Square charges a US seller 2.6% + $0.15 to take a card in person, 3.3% + $0.30 online or on an invoice, and 3.5% + $0.15 when the number is keyed in or charged from a card on file. On the Square Free plan there is no monthly fee and no gateway charge. This guide sets out each rate as Square publishes it, with worked examples computed by the same engine as the Square fee calculator. Every rate below is quoted from Square's official pricing page, cross-checked against Square's "Learn about Square fees" support article for each market, and was verified on 3 September 2026.

What Square charges in the United States

Square prices one thing — a card payment — and the rate turns on how the card reached it.

The spread between the first three rows is a verification gap: a card presented to a reader is the cheapest thing Square handles, a keyed-in number with no card present the most expensive, and an online checkout sits between them.

On a $100 sale taken in person, the fee on $100.00 is $2.75 and you keep $97.25, an effective rate of 2.75%. On a $100 sale with the number keyed in, the fee on $100.00 is $3.65 and you keep $96.35, an effective rate of 3.65%.

These are Square Free rates. Square Plus and Square Premium subscribers pay lower in-person and online rates for a monthly fee; this schedule does not model them, so treat every figure as the most a US seller pays.

The international-card fee

Square adds 1.5% when the card was issued in a country other than the one your account is registered in. It stacks on the base rate.

On a $100 in-person sale paid with a foreign card, the fee on $100.00 is $4.25 ($2.75 in-person — tap, dip, or swipe plus $1.50 international card surcharge) and you keep $95.75, an effective rate of 4.25%.

It is never charged on Afterpay, and Square's US page also exempts ACH, Cash App Pay, Bitcoin and EBT. Australia publishes no international rate at all, so the calculator hides the buyer-location control there.

Outside the United States

Every market has its own schedule and currency, and the shape differs as well as the numbers: the UK charges nothing fixed on an in-person tap, and prices an online payment from a non-UK card as a single total.

On a £100 in-person sale in the United Kingdom, the fee on £100.00 is £1.75 and you keep £98.25, an effective rate of 1.75%.

Buy now, pay later is 6% plus 30 units of local currency in all four markets; in the UK it is branded Clearpay.

Pricing so you keep a round number

Square's fee comes out of what the customer pays, so adding the rate to what you want is never quite enough. Work backwards instead:

• In person: To keep $100.00 you charge $102.82, and the fee is $2.82.
• Online or on an invoice: To keep $100.00 you charge $103.72, and the fee is $3.72.

The calculator's "I want to net" mode does this for any amount, market and method.

What this guide leaves out

The schedule covers card processing: in person, online, invoices, keyed entry and Afterpay, plus the international surcharge. Out of scope: the lower rates that come with a Square Plus or Square Premium subscription; per-product monthly software fees for Restaurants, Retail, Appointments and Payroll; hardware; Canada's debit-card-present rate; chargeback, instant transfer and Square Card fees; and custom pricing for large sellers. Australian rates are quoted excluding GST, as Square states them.

When these rates last changed

This schedule was first verified on 3 September 2026 against Square's official pricing page for each of the four markets, cross-checked against Square's "Learn about Square fees" support article. The two sources agree on every rule, so it is high confidence. The Square fee changelog holds that single entry; later changes are added there with the date and the rule affected, and the schedule is re-verified every 60 days. The methodology explains the check; if a figure here disagrees with what Square shows you, report it.

Frequently asked questions

Does Square charge a monthly fee?

Not on the Square Free plan, the pricing this guide covers: you pay per transaction and nothing else. Square Plus and Square Premium are paid subscriptions that lower the processing rates, and several Square products carry a monthly software fee.

Is Square cheaper than PayPal or Stripe?

For a card taken in person, usually: 2.6% + $0.15 is below what card-not-present processors charge, because the risk is lower. Online it is closer — compare the PayPal fee calculator at your own average sale, and the PayPal fees guide for its international surcharges.

Why was I charged more than the rate on the page?

Usually the payment method or the card's origin: a keyed-in card costs 3.5% + $0.15 rather than 2.6% + $0.15, and a card issued abroad adds 1.5% on top in the US, the UK and Canada.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every figure is quoted from Square's official pricing page for that market, saved as a dated snapshot and checked by a person. The schedule is quoted line by line, with the verbatim source text behind every rule, in the calculator's fee table for anyone who wants to check it.