What donation platforms and processors charge: a 2026 fee benchmark
A sourced 2026 benchmark of nonprofit payment processing and platform fees: Stripe, PayPal, and Square published rates, typical platform-fee ranges, and the donor-tip model, each attributed to a named public source.
Last updated July 2026 by Fatih
Quick answer
Nonprofits pay two layers of fees. Processing comes first: Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 online (2.2% + $0.30 for approved nonprofits) and 2.7% + $0.05 in person, PayPal's confirmed-charity rate is 1.99% + $0.49, and Square's in-person rate is 2.6% + 15 cents. Many donation platforms then add their own fee, commonly 2% to 5%, such as Donorbox's 2.95% standard fee. Tip-based platforms like Zeffy shift that cost to donors.
Key takeaways
- A 2.95% platform fee on top of 2.2% + $0.30 processing can push a gift's cost past 5%.
- In-person card rates are usually lower than online rates at the same processor.
- When offered, about 51% to 60% of donors choose to cover fees (GiveCampus, Classy).
Who this is for: Nonprofit finance teams and development directors choosing or budgeting a donation platform; Journalists and researchers reporting on the cost of online and in-person giving; Faith-community treasurers and board members reviewing payment vendors; Grant writers and analysts modeling net revenue after fees
Stripe, the processor behind much of the nonprofit web, lists a standard online card rate of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction, with an approved 501(c)(3) discount down to 2.2% plus $0.30 (Stripe, 2026). That processing layer is the floor almost every donation platform builds on top of.
Most fundraising tools then add their own platform fee on top of processing. Published rates commonly fall in the 2% to 5% range: for example, Donorbox lists a 2.95% standard platform fee, while donor-tip platforms such as Zeffy shift the cost to an optional checkout contribution instead (Donorbox, 2026; Zeffy, 2026).
The takeaway for budgeting: read processing and platform fees as two separate layers, and remember that in-person and recurring giving can change the effective rate. Stripe Terminal in-person runs 2.7% plus $0.05, below the 2.9% plus $0.30 online rate (Stripe, 2026).
Processing rates from the big three: Stripe, PayPal, Square
Stripe publishes a standard online rate of 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful card charge, and an approved-nonprofit rate of 2.2% plus $0.30; its in-person Stripe Terminal rate is 2.7% plus $0.05 (Stripe, 2026). PayPal lists a confirmed-charity rate of 1.99% plus a fixed fee of $0.49 for domestic donations, well below its standard commercial rates of roughly 2.89% to 3.49% plus $0.49 (PayPal, 2026).
Square, common for in-person and event giving, lists 2.6% plus 15 cents for tapped, dipped, or swiped card-present payments on its free plan, 3.3% plus 30 cents online, and 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed or card-on-file transactions (Square, 2026). These are the raw processing rates before any fundraising platform adds its own fee.
Platform fees stack on top of processing
Published examples sit broadly in the 2% to 5% band: many donation platforms charge a software or platform fee in addition to whatever the processor takes, so Donorbox lists a 2.95% standard platform fee that stacks on top of Stripe or PayPal processing (Donorbox, 2026). GoFundMe.org applies a 2.2% plus $0.30 transaction fee for verified charities (GoFundMe, 2026).
Because the two layers compound, a 2.95% platform fee on top of a 2.2% plus $0.30 nonprofit processing rate can push the effective cost past 5% per gift. Reading the platform fee and the processing fee as separate numbers is the only reliable way to compare vendors.
The donor-tip model and who actually pays
Some platforms advertise no platform fee and instead ask the donor for a voluntary tip at checkout. Zeffy describes covering all processing fees this way and says roughly two of three donors leave a tip; the nonprofit receives 100% of the base gift in every scenario (Zeffy, 2026). GoFundMe and similar tools also surface an optional donor tip alongside their stated transaction fee.
A related lever is asking donors to cover the processing fee outright. When offered the option, about 51% to 60% of donors choose to cover fees (GiveCampus, 2025; Classy), and GiveCampus reports 51% on giving forms and 59% on social fundraising campaigns (GiveCampus, 2025). Pre-checking the option can raise cover rates substantially, though it shifts a default onto donors.
Why in-person and recurring change the math
In-person card-present rates often beat online rates: Stripe Terminal is 2.7% plus $0.05 versus 2.9% plus $0.30 online, and Square in-person is 2.6% plus 15 cents versus 3.3% plus 30 cents online (Stripe, 2026; Square, 2026).
Recurring revenue also compounds: M+R Benchmarks 2025 reports that 31% of online revenue came from monthly giving in 2024, with monthly gifts averaging $24 against $126 for one-time gifts (M+R Benchmarks, 2025).
For comparison, Givebear charges a flat platform fee from 1.9% to 5.9% depending on plan (one rate online, at kiosks, and on memberships), plus Stripe card processing at cost, with no setup fee and no monthly minimum.
Net of fees, the structure that fits your giving mix matters as much as the headline rate. A congregation taking tap-to-pay gifts in the lobby, or a nonprofit building a monthly-donor base, will see a different effective cost than one running occasional online appeals, even at identical published rates.
Sources
Stripe, official Pricing and nonprofit fee-discount pages, 2026 (standard 2.9% + $0.30 online, 2.2% + $0.30 nonprofit, 2.7% + $0.05 Terminal). PayPal, official business and charity-rate pages, 2026 (1.99% + $0.49 confirmed charity; up to 3.49% + $0.49 standard). Square, official Our Fees / Pricing page, 2026 (2.6% + 15¢ in-person, 3.3% + 30¢ online, 3.5% + 15¢ keyed).
Donorbox, published pricing, 2026 (2.95% standard platform fee). GoFundMe / GoFundMe.org, published fees, 2026 (2.2% + $0.30 verified charity). Zeffy, published model description, 2026 (voluntary donor tip; ~2 of 3 donors tip). GiveCampus, donor-covered-fee data, 2025 (51% giving forms, 59% social fundraising); Classy (55% to 60% cover rate). M+R Benchmarks 2025 (31% of 2024 online revenue from monthly giving; $24 monthly vs $126 one-time average gift).
Practical use cases
- Cite published processing rates when comparing donation vendors in an RFP or board memo
- Model net revenue by separating the processing layer from the platform-fee layer
- Reference donor fee-cover rates when deciding whether to add a cover-fees option
- Quote dated vendor rates in journalism or research on giving costs
Key features
- Stripe standard online card rate: 2.9% + $0.30; in-person Stripe Terminal: 2.7% + $0.05 (Stripe, 2026)
- Stripe nonprofit discount for approved 501(c)(3)s: 2.2% + $0.30 per charge (Stripe, 2026)
- PayPal confirmed-charity rate: 1.99% + $0.49 domestic, versus up to 3.49% + $0.49 standard commercial (PayPal, 2026)
- Square in-person tap/dip/swipe: 2.6% + 15¢; online 3.3% + 30¢; manually keyed 3.5% + 15¢ (Square, 2026)
- GoFundMe.org verified-charity transaction fee: 2.2% + $0.30 per donation (GoFundMe, 2026)
- When offered the option, roughly 51% to 60% of donors choose to cover processing fees (GiveCampus, 2025; Classy)
Common questions
What is the standard payment processing fee for nonprofits?
Do donation platforms charge a fee on top of payment processing?
Are in-person donation fees cheaper than online?
Will donors cover the processing fees if asked?
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