Credit Card Surcharge Calculator
Find the surcharge that fully covers your card fee, checked against the 3% network cap and your state's rule.
Your numbers
The percentage part of your processor's rate. Surcharging can't recover any fixed per-transaction fee.
Based on where your business is registered, not the customer's location. Card networks also require 30 days' notice to them before you start.
Your result · updates as you type
Surcharge to fully cover your card fee
$2.99
2.99% on top of the price. The customer pays $102.99 in total.
- Card network cap
- 3%
- California law
- Allowed, disclosure required
- Most you can surcharge here
- $3.00
Debit and prepaid cards can never be surcharged, even in states that allow it on credit cards. Most processors need 30 days' notice before you turn surcharging on.
Breakdown
- Sale amount
- $100.00
- Surcharge needed (2.99%)
- $2.99
- Total charged to customer
- $102.99
- California: Allowed with clear disclosure; sellers who only take cards must build the fee into the sticker price.
Why the surcharge is a bit more than your card rate
A surcharge that just added your card rate to the price would leave you short, because the surcharge itself also gets charged a fee (it's part of the same transaction). To fully cover a rate of r%, you need to charge slightly more than r% extra.
Example: the default numbers ($100 sale, 2.9% card rate)
- Sale amount
- $100.00
- Surcharge
- 100 × 2.9 ÷ 97.1 = $2.99
You'd charge $2.99 extra, so the customer pays $102.99 and you still net $100 after the card fee.
The calculator can only recover the percentage part of your rate. Any fixed per-transaction fee your processor charges (often 15c to 30c) can't legally be passed on as a percentage surcharge in most states.
Where surcharging is legal
| Status | States |
|---|---|
| Banned outright | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts |
| Allowed with a cap or extra disclosure rules | California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas |
| No state-specific surcharge law | The remaining 37 states and Washington, DC |
Visa and Mastercard cap any surcharge at 3% of the transaction everywhere, regardless of state law. Debit and prepaid cards can never be surcharged, even where credit card surcharging is allowed. Most processors also require 30 days' notice to the card networks before you switch it on.
State rules change: this table is a starting point built from published trackers, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule for your state and your processor's own requirements before you turn surcharging on.
Surcharge vs a cash discount
- Cash discount (posting a higher list price and discounting for cash or debit) is treated more leniently than a credit card surcharge (adding a fee on top of a listed price) in several states, including some that restrict surcharging outright.
- Dual pricing (showing both a cash and a card price side by side) is explicitly allowed in more places than a straight surcharge line item.
- If your state bans or tightly caps surcharging, ask your processor about cash discount or dual pricing programs instead.
Questions people ask
Is it legal to add a credit card surcharge?
In most US states, yes, subject to disclosure rules and a 3% cap from Visa and Mastercard. It's banned outright in Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts, and capped or restricted in about ten other states.
Can I surcharge debit cards?
No. Card network rules ban surcharging on debit and prepaid cards everywhere, even in states that allow it on credit cards.
How much can I legally surcharge?
The lower of the card network's 3% cap and any cap in your state. Colorado and Oklahoma cap it at 2%, for example, while most other states with rules require you to charge no more than your real processing cost.
What's the difference between a surcharge and a cash discount?
A surcharge adds a fee on top of a listed price for paying by card. A cash discount starts from a higher list price and takes money off for cash or debit. Several states treat the two differently, so check which applies to you.
Related tools
Want this builtinto your store?
I'm Emmanuel, a Shopify and WooCommerce developer. If this tool pointed at something you'd rather have fixed for you (a faster store, cleaner product data, a migration, a custom feature), send me a note.
Emmanuel Asika
Shopify & WooCommerce developer, Dublin
I build and fix online stores: new builds, migrations, speed, SEO and the custom bits apps can't do.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026.
Sources: eBizCharge: Credit card surcharge laws by state · Nickel: Credit card surcharge laws by state