Shopify fees have two main parts: your plan subscription and the cost of accepting payments. Apps and other services add to that bill when you use them. Your payment method also matters: a standard card payment, PayPal payment, and international payment can have different costs.
This guide uses US prices in USD, checked in October 2026. It separates annual billing from monthly billing and shows the assumptions behind each estimate. Use the rate in your store’s admin and your actual provider statement for final bookkeeping.
Shopify Fees at a Glance
| Plan | Monthly equivalent, billed yearly | Billed monthly | Standard online card, Shopify Payments | Third-party transaction rate when applicable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29 | $39 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2% |
| Grow | $79 | $105 | 2.7% + $0.30 | 1% |
| Advanced | $299 | $399 | 2.5% + $0.30 | 0.6% |
Sources: Shopify pricing and Shopify’s US plan and payment rates. These are standard rates, not a quote for every card or merchant. Promotions, region, premium cards, and other payment methods can change your bill. Check the contract for Starter or Plus rather than applying this table to them.
The third-party column is a separate Shopify charge, not the provider’s processing rate. There are exemptions, including qualifying PayPal payments when Shopify Payments is your primary gateway.
How Much Does Shopify Charge on a $20 Sale?
For a US standard online card payment on Basic:
| Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|
| Customer payment | $20.00 |
| Percentage fee: $20 × 2.9% | $0.58 |
| Fixed fee | $0.30 |
| Total processing fee | $0.88 |
| Payment left after processing | $19.12 |
This example has no tax, shipping, discounts, refunds, or currency conversion. The $19.12 is not profit: you still need to account for the goods, fulfillment, subscription, and other business costs.
The fixed fee matters more on small orders. With the same assumptions, a $10 payment costs $0.59, or 5.9% of the payment. A $100 payment costs $3.20, or 3.2%. A single advertised percentage cannot explain both orders.
If the customer pays shipping or tax, use the actual total charged when checking processing costs. Keep sales tax separate from revenue in your books. A combined checkout total and a product’s selling price are not interchangeable.
Calculate Your Monthly Shopify Fees
Per month · US Shopify Payments · USD
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You can also open this calculator on its own page: Shopify fee calculator.
The calculator estimates standard US online card processing plus your plan’s subscription, billed yearly or monthly. Enter the total card payments processed and the average amount per payment using the same basis. Estimated orders equal payment volume divided by average payment value; your actual count may differ.
For example, $10,000 processed through Basic at a $50 average means 200 payments. Processing is $290 plus $60 in fixed fees, or $350. Add the $29 annual-billed monthly equivalent subscription for $379. If you pay Basic monthly, use $39 instead: $389.
The estimate excludes apps, provider-specific rates, refunds, disputes, currency charges, and other services. It is a budget estimate, not a payout statement or profit calculator.
Annual Billing vs Monthly Billing
Annual prices are monthly equivalents of a yearly commitment. Compare the cash you need to pay upfront with the flexibility of monthly billing before choosing a plan.
Changing plans solely for the standard card rate needs enough eligible payment volume to cover the subscription increase. The fixed $0.30 fee is the same across these three plans, so it cancels out in this comparison:
| Upgrade | Extra subscription per month, annual equivalent | Rate saving | Monthly standard-card volume to break even |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic to Grow | $50 | 0.2 percentage points | $25,000 |
| Grow to Advanced | $220 | 0.2 percentage points | $110,000 |
These are calculations using the table above, not recommended revenue thresholds. If only half your payments qualify for that rate difference, total store sales need to be higher to reach the same savings. Monthly billing gives different thresholds: $33,000 for Basic to Grow and $147,000 for Grow to Advanced. Staff access, reporting, and other features may justify a plan before its processing savings do.
Shopify Payments vs Third-Party Transaction Fees
A processor charges you for accepting a payment. Shopify can also charge a third-party transaction fee when an external provider processes it. Review both, rather than treating them as one fee.
Shopify’s third-party transaction fee rules exempt Shopify Payments transactions and specify a PayPal exemption when Shopify Payments is your primary gateway. Merely having a PayPal button does not tell you whether that condition is met. Check your payment settings and bill.
When a third-party fee applies, Shopify calculates it from eligible order amounts after discounts, plus tax and shipping. The provider fee is separate, and Shopify does not return its third-party transaction fee when an order is refunded. These details can make a net deposit differ from a simple sale-price estimate.
What About PayPal on Shopify?
Do not automatically add Basic’s 2% third-party fee to every PayPal payment. First check whether your store meets the exemption. Then identify the PayPal payment product, currency, and domestic or international treatment on the provider statement.
US Shopify Payments merchants use PayPal Wallet, bundled into Shopify Payments payouts. External PayPal Checkout instead has a separate processor settlement path. Identify your integration before choosing a reconciliation method. Our PayPal fees and Shopify reconciliation guide explains the rate choices and the documented Xero clearing workflow.
Other Shopify Costs to Budget For
Build your budget from the services you actually use:
- Apps: List each recurring charge and any usage-based billing. Include your accounting app here.
- Theme and domain: Separate one-time purchases and annual renewals from monthly operating costs.
- POS: Check whether a retail location needs a paid POS upgrade, hardware, and in-person processing.
- Tax services: Review calculation and filing charges separately. A tax amount on a payout is not proof that a return has been filed.
- International payments: Check card type, currency conversion, and cross-border terms.
- Refunds and disputes: Use the provider’s policy and statement rather than assuming every original fee is returned.
Avoid a generic “average apps” allowance if you can list your own subscriptions. A store with two paid apps has a different cost base from one with a large stack.
Record Fees Without Treating the Deposit as Revenue
Consider a simplified payout with $100 of product sales, $8 of tax collected, and $3 in processing fees, with no refunds, shipping, reserves, or adjustments. The deposit is $105: $100 + $8 − $3.
Recording $105 as revenue would combine a tax liability and a fee deduction with sales. Keep the sales, tax, and fee amounts separate, then match the $105 net deposit. This is an illustrative example, not a screenshot or a claimed customer result.
Taxomate’s Shopify QuickBooks integration and Shopify Xero integration organize payout activity into mapped summaries. Review one payout before posting more history. Test external gateways separately; US PayPal Wallet activity is bundled into Shopify Payments payouts, while external Checkout needs its own reconciliation path.
If you are still choosing your accounting stack, compare the best accounting software for Shopify. Once you have picked QuickBooks Online or Xero, start a Taxomate trial and check the first post against the actual deposit.
Shopify Fees FAQ
What percentage does Shopify take per sale?
There is no single percentage for every sale. The table covers standard US online card payments on Basic, Grow, and Advanced. A fixed fee, different card types, another provider, or a third-party transaction fee can change the cost. Your subscription is separate.
Does Shopify charge an extra fee for PayPal?
When Shopify Payments is the primary gateway, qualifying PayPal transactions are exempt from Shopify’s third-party transaction fee. PayPal’s own processing fee still applies. Check the configuration before adding the plan’s extra percentage.
Is Basic $29 or $39 a month?
US Basic is $29 per month equivalent when billed yearly or $39 with monthly billing, before applicable taxes and promotions. Annual billing means a yearly payment, not a $29 month-to-month plan.
When should I upgrade for lower processing fees?
Calculate the subscription increase divided by the rate reduction using only eligible payments. For annual billing, the standard-card break-even amounts are $25,000 monthly for Basic to Grow and $110,000 for Grow to Advanced. Features and payment mix can change your choice.
Does this calculator show profit?
No. It estimates two fee components. Deduct product costs, shipping, apps, other payment charges, and all other operating expenses separately to estimate profit.
