I want to take home
Currency you receive
Select Payment Gateway
Tax is included in your take-home amount. The invoice amount already accounts for tax.
Invoice Breakdown
Fee Impact
Gateway Comparison
Same take-home, different gateways — sorted cheapest first
| Gateway | Fee Structure | Invoice Amount | Total Fee | Fee % |
|---|
Every row uses the same target take-home and the same platform fee and tax you entered above, so the Invoice Amount column matches the figure at the top of the page for whichever gateway you have selected.
Recommended Tools
If you're a freelancer or small business owner sending invoices, keeping track of your finances is critical. We highly recommend a thermal receipt printer for your physical records, and a dedicated business ledger to ensure you never miss a deductible expense.
Why Use a Reverse Fee Calculator?
When you invoice a client for $1,000 via Stripe or PayPal, you don't actually receive $1,000. Payment gateways take a percentage plus a fixed fee before depositing the funds into your bank account. If you need exactly $1,000 to cover your business expenses, you must "gross up" or reverse-calculate the invoice amount. NetZero Invoice instantly performs this calculation for Stripe, PayPal, Square, Wise, and custom rates, ensuring you always net your desired take-home amount. All calculations are performed 100% locally on your device for absolute privacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate the invoice amount to net a specific take-home after fees?
To net a desired amount after a percentage fee plus fixed fee, use this formula: Invoice Amount = (Desired Net + Fixed Fee) / (1 - Percentage Fee). For example, to net $1,000 after Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30: ($1,000 + $0.30) / (1 - 0.029) = $1,030.18.
What are Stripe's payment processing fees?
Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card transaction for US domestic payments. International cards add 1.5%, and currency conversion adds 1%, and the two stack, so an international card that also has to be converted runs 5.4% + $0.30. Stripe also charges for disputes ($15), instant payouts (1.5% of the payout, minimum $0.50), and Radar fraud prevention (starting at $0.05 per screened transaction). Rates checked 2026-09-03 on stripe.com/pricing.
Do payment processing fees apply to sales tax and VAT?
On the amount the processor authorises, which includes the tax. Square states it directly: processing fees are taken out of the total amount of each transaction, including tax and tip. A processor cannot see which slice of a charge you have designated as tax, so if you bill $1,000 plus 10% tax, the percentage is charged on $1,100, not on $1,000. That is why this calculator grosses up against the tax-inclusive total when you choose "tax added on top" — pricing off the pre-tax figure leaves you short by the price times the tax rate times the processor's percentage.
Do freelancers pass payment processing fees to clients?
Practice varies by market and by contract. Passing fees on is common in B2B consulting and professional services and less common in B2C and creative work. Card surcharging specifically is a separate question from ordinary pricing: it is restricted or prohibited in some jurisdictions, capped in others, and governed by the card network agreements a merchant signs. Building the fee into a quoted rate — which is what this calculator does — is not a surcharge and shows the client a single number.
A reverse fee calculator determines the exact invoice amount to charge so you net your desired take-home after payment processing fees. Select your gateway (Stripe, PayPal, Square, Wise) and enter your target net amount — the calculator works backward through percentage and fixed fees.