thread How can I add a "convenience fee" to Invoices? in Archived Discussions (Read Only)

How can I add a "convenience fee" to Invoices?

usa — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 20:25:15 GMT

[The title of this thread has been edited from the original: adding a "convenience fee" line item]

It would be great to be able to send and invoice with a convenience fee percentage.

A lot of locations charge a convenience fee for taking a credit card. This would give customers the option to send in a payment or to use a card. For the merchant it would help offset the costs of accepting credit cards.

Re: adding a "convenience fee" line item

isabelle — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 20:21:17 GMT

Hi @usa!

It sounds like you're referring to adding a surcharge to your Invoices and payments.

While we can't advise on surcharges, here is a thread where other sellers have written about what they've done to add a convenience fee, or surcharge to their sales.

We suggest talking to a tax or legal professional for guidance on whether surcharges are permitted in your area. If decide to apply a surcharge or convenience fee, it is your responsibility to meet all legal and card network requirements. You can learn more about surcharges here.

Require Credit Card

ryanlh — Sat, 07 Dec 2019 15:52:28 GMT

Hello, I run a mental health counseling practice and accept credit cards in-person from clients. I add a surcharge to these in-person transactions to cover the processing fee I'm charged by Square. I do not accept debit cards, because my understanding is that I cannot legally add a surcharge to debit card transactions.

There are some instances (no-shows, client forgets to bring a payment method, etc.) wherein I need to send my clients an invoice and have them pay later (not in-person). For these cases, is there a way for Square to require them to pay by credit card (and not debit card?). If not, I would need to leave the surcharge off the invoice, and for a variety of reasons, I don't want to do that.

Re: Require Credit Card

nika — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 15:50:51 GMT

Hi @ryanlh. Thanks for posting here in the Community!

Take a peek at @isabelle's answer above. You'll want to check with a tax professional to see if you're able to add a surcharge to your transactions. There are different laws for different states around surcharges.

In regards to the second part of your question, there isn't a way to require a credit card over a debit card (or vice versa.)