All about payment processing fees

This guide walks you through how payment processing fees work and how to choose the option that best fits your business needs.

Digital Payments Are Easy and Reliable

At Tough Commerce, we make it easy to accept payments — whether through credit card, ACH, or even cash. We encourage using digital payments like ACH or credit card for the smoothest experience. They help streamline order processing, ensure faster reconciliation, and get funds delivered directly into your bank account.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how processing fees work, and how they affect your payout.

Understanding Processing Fees

Here is a breakdown of the fees:

Who Pays the Fee?

You have the flexibility to either pass the fee on to your customer or cover it yourself.

Example: $100 Order

• If the fee is passed on to the customer:
  The customer pays the invoice total including processing fee, $103.80  (100 * 0.035 + 0.3) and you receive the full $100.

• If the fee is paid by your team:
  The fee is deducted from your payout. For a $100 order, you’ll receive $100 minus the processing fee.

Either way, your payout reflects the net amount after fees, depending on your preference.

What Happens If You Issue a Refund?

If you need to refund a payment:

• Your customer receives their full refund.

• The original processing fee is not returned to you — even though the payment was reversed.

This applies to both credit card and ACH transactions.