Stripe and Shopify Transaction Fees: How to Calculate Them
Separate the payment processor’s card fee from Shopify’s platform transaction fee, use the correct fee base, and calculate what remains from each order.
Table of Contents
The short answer
Stripe processing fee = successful charge amount × Stripe percentage rate + fixed fee
Shopify third-party transaction fee = (product amount after discounts + tax + shipping) × your plan’s applicable rate
Combined payment cost = processor fee + any applicable Shopify third-party transaction fee
These are separate charges with different fee bases. A Stripe processing fee pays for processing the payment. Shopify’s third-party transaction fee may apply when you use an external payment provider, depending on your plan and setup. Check the current rates for your country, plan, payment method, and account before forecasting. Shopify documents the fee base in its third-party transaction fee guide, while Stripe lists its payment pricing by region and method on its pricing page.
Use the Shopify and Stripe fee calculator to compare assumptions and see how payment costs affect a modeled order margin. Its percentage inputs are applied to the selling-price value you enter. Shopify’s actual third-party fee base can include tax and shipping and subtract discounts, so use the calculator as a planning model, not as a reconciliation of your Shopify bill.
Three charges founders often mix up
Payment processing fee. Stripe charges for processing a successful payment. The fee can depend on the customer’s payment method, card location, currency conversion, and your negotiated pricing. For a simple online card example in the U.S., Stripe currently lists a standard domestic card rate of 2.9% plus $0.30; other payment types and situations can have different pricing. Check the live Stripe price for your account rather than copying a rate from an old article.
Shopify third-party transaction fee. Shopify may charge an additional platform transaction fee when an order uses a third-party payment provider. The applicable rate depends on the Shopify plan and is shown in your account. Shopify’s published calculation uses product costs after discounts, plus tax and shipping charges, multiplied by the rate. This charge is separate from whatever the external processor charges.
Shopify Payments processing fee. If Shopify Payments is available and enabled for the order, Shopify charges its own payment processing rate based on the plan, location, payment method, and other conditions. Shopify says orders processed through Shopify Payments are not subject to its third-party transaction fee, though card processing fees still apply. See the current Shopify Payments fee information.
Do not automatically add a Stripe processing fee and Shopify Payments card fee to the same order. Usually you are modeling one processor for a given transaction. If an external provider processes it, model that provider’s fee and any applicable Shopify third-party transaction fee. If Shopify Payments processes it, model Shopify Payments’ processing fee and check the account for any exceptions.
Worked example: one U.S. online card order
Assume a customer’s order contains $100 in product value before a $10 discount, $5 shipping, and $5 tax. The final successful charge is $100 ($100 − $10 + $5 + $5). For illustration, assume Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30, and the store’s Shopify plan has a hypothetical third-party transaction rate of 1%.
| Fee | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe processing | $100 × 2.9% + $0.30 | $3.20 |
| Shopify fee base | $100 − $10 + $5 + $5 | $100.00 |
| Shopify third-party fee | $100 × hypothetical 1% | $1.00 |
| Combined modeled fees | $3.20 + $1.00 | $4.20 |
| Amount after modeled fees | $100 − $4.20 | $95.80 |
The 1% Shopify rate is only an example, not a statement of your plan’s price. The Stripe amount uses an illustrative current U.S. domestic card rate and assumes no international-card, currency-conversion, dispute, or other extra charge. The $95.80 is not profit: subtract product cost, fulfillment, shipping subsidy, refunds, advertising, and other variable costs to estimate order contribution.
This example also shows why the two bases should be checked separately. Stripe’s percentage is modeled on the successful charge amount. Shopify’s documented third-party fee base accounts for product discounts and includes taxes and shipping. For a checkout with different adjustments or tax treatment, reconstruct each provider’s fee from the actual order and account rate.
Calculate the fee for your own order
- Identify which provider actually processed the order: Stripe or Shopify Payments, or another provider.
- Find the exact account rate for that payment method and market. Include any fixed fee, international-card uplift, currency-conversion charge, or other applicable line item.
- Calculate the processor fee on the amount the provider uses. For a percentage-plus-fixed schedule, multiply the eligible charge by the percentage and add the fixed amount.
- If the order used an external provider, check your Shopify plan and calculate the Shopify third-party transaction fee using Shopify’s documented base.
- Reconcile the estimate against the payment-provider balance transaction and Shopify billing entry. Keep refunds, chargebacks, and subscription charges in their own rows.
Shopify plan rates and Stripe pricing can change. Current Shopify plan information is on Shopify’s pricing page. A rate shown in a forum post, another merchant’s account, or an old invoice may not apply to your store. Tax on platform or processing fees may also appear depending on your billing location.
Model the impact on order margin
Suppose the example order has $100 collected, $35 product cost, $8 fulfillment and shipping subsidy, and $4.20 modeled payment costs. Pre-ad contribution is $52.80 before advertising and fixed overhead. If ad cost per order is $30, the order contributes $22.80 before fixed overhead.
The fee impact on order profit tool can compare fee assumptions and contribution margin. Enter your actual rates, then make sure the calculator’s Shopify rate is applied to a base consistent with the model. Because the tool applies its percentage assumptions to the selling-price input, manually adjust or separately calculate the Shopify fee when discounts, taxes, or shipping make the actual base different.
For a quick scenario, the transaction fee and margin estimator lets you see how a higher payment rate changes the modeled contribution. Use actual settlement and billing data for bookkeeping or payout reconciliation; a calculator estimate is not a substitute for either provider’s transaction record.
Common calculation mistakes
- Adding Shopify Payments fees and Stripe fees to the same order without checking which provider processed it.
- Treating Shopify’s third-party transaction fee as the processor’s card fee.
- Applying Shopify’s percentage to gross checkout total without accounting for discounts, tax, and shipping as Shopify defines them.
- Assuming one Stripe rate applies to every country, currency, card type, or payment method.
- Forgetting fixed fees on low-value orders, where they make up a larger share of revenue.
- Calling the amount after payment fees “profit” before subtracting product, fulfillment, advertising, and overhead.
- Using modeled fees to reconcile actual payouts without checking the order-level provider records.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shopify charge a transaction fee when I use Stripe?
Shopify may charge a third-party transaction fee for orders processed through an external provider, depending on your plan and setup. Stripe’s processing fee is separate. Check your Shopify account’s current rate and billing records.
Are Shopify transaction fees the same as credit card processing fees?
No. Card processing is charged by the payment provider. Shopify’s third-party transaction fee is a separate platform charge that may apply when an external provider processes the payment.
Does Shopify charge both fees if I use Shopify Payments?
Shopify says third-party transaction fees do not apply to orders processed through Shopify Payments. The applicable Shopify Payments card processing fee still applies; verify current terms for your country and store.
How do I calculate a Stripe fee on an order?
For a percentage-plus-fixed rate, multiply the eligible successful charge by the percentage and add the fixed fee. Apply extra charges only when they match your payment method, card location, currency, and account terms.
Why does my calculated fee differ from the payout?
The transaction may have a different payment method or rate, currency conversion, refund, dispute, tax on fees, or another adjustment. Reconcile against the provider’s transaction detail and Shopify billing entries.