Stripe ACH Fee Calculator
ACH Direct Debit at 0.8%, capped at $5.00 per transaction. The most cost-effective way to accept large payments.
ACH Direct Debit: 0.8% capped at $5.00. Payments take 3–5 business days to settle. Compare with card payments.
How Stripe ACH Fees Work
Stripe ACH Direct Debit charges 0.8% of the transaction amount, with a maximum fee cap of $5.00 per transaction. There is no fixed per-transaction fee.
This means for any payment of $625 or more, the fee is always just $5.00 — making ACH extremely cost-effective for large transactions.
Compare:a $1,000 card payment via standard Stripe costs $29.30. The same $1,000 via ACH costs just $5.00 — a savings of $24.30.
Downsides to consider:ACH payments take 3–5 business days to settle (vs. instant for cards). There is also a higher dispute rate with longer resolution windows, and ACH only works for US bank accounts.
ACH vs Card: Fee Comparison
Card fee calculated at standard Stripe rate (2.9% + $0.30). The savings grow dramatically as amounts increase.
| Amount | ACH Fee | Card Fee (2.9%+$0.30) | Savings with ACH |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $0.80 | $3.20 | $2.40 |
| $500 | $4.00 | $14.80 | $10.80 |
| $625 | $5.00(cap) | $18.43 | $13.43 |
| $1,000 | $5.00 | $29.30 | $24.30 |
| $5,000 | $5.00 | $145.30 | $140.30 |
| $10,000 | $5.00 | $290.30 | $285.30 |
For amounts over $625, the ACH fee is always $5.00 regardless of how large the payment is.
FAQ
What is Stripe ACH Direct Debit?
ACH Direct Debit is a bank-to-bank transfer method that moves funds directly between US bank accounts through the ACH network. It is significantly cheaper than card payments, especially for large amounts, but takes longer to settle.
Why does ACH have a $5 cap?
Stripe's pricing structure caps the ACH fee at $5.00 to incentivize businesses to use ACH for large payments. This makes it far more economical than card processing for high-value transactions.
What's the break-even point for ACH vs cards?
For payments over approximately $180, ACH becomes cheaper than standard Stripe card processing (2.9% + $0.30). Below $180, the 0.8% ACH rate is actually slightly more than the effective card rate for small amounts.
How long does Stripe ACH take?
Stripe ACH Direct Debit payments typically take 3–5 business days to settle. This is one of the main tradeoffs vs. card payments, which settle much faster.
Does Stripe ACH work for subscriptions?
Yes. Stripe supports recurring ACH Direct Debit payments through Stripe Billing. Customers authorize the debit once and payments are automatically collected on your billing schedule.