Stripe charges most businesses 2.9% + 30¢ per card transaction. Approved US nonprofits pay 2.2% + 30¢ instead — a saving of 0.7% on every card gift.
Being a nonprofit does not get you the rate
This is the part most organizations miss. Registering as a charity, or even completing Stripe's business verification as a 501(c)(3), does not apply the discount on its own. Stripe grants it on request, and plenty of nonprofits have been paying the standard rate for years without realising there was anything to ask for.
Do you qualify?
Stripe asks for all three:
- Registered nonprofit status, with valid tax documentation confirming it — in the US, your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter.
- A supported region. The US and Canada, much of Europe, and Australia and New Zealand.
- At least 80% of your Stripe volume from tax-deductible donations.
The third one is where organizations fall down, and it is worth doing the arithmetic before you apply. Stripe does not count membership fees, tuition, ticket sales, registration fees or auction payments as donations. If you run events, classes, a membership programme or a fundraising auction through Studio, that revenue counts against the 80% rather than towards it. A church taking $60,000 in giving and $20,000 in camp registrations is at 75% and would not qualify on those numbers.
Nothing stops you asking if you are close. Stripe assesses it per account, and volumes change year to year.
How to check which rate you are on
- Sign in to your Stripe Dashboard.
- Go to Settings → Plans and fees, on the Plans tab, and read the Payments row. It is not in the Business section — that only holds your entity details.
- If it reads Standard pricing — 2.9% + 30¢ per successful charge for domestic cards, you are on the commercial rate. The nonprofit rate reads 2.2% + 30¢. The Invoice history tab in the same section settles any doubt: it shows exactly what Stripe deducted.
If you see 2.2% + 30¢, you have the nonprofit rate. If you see 2.9% + 30¢, you do not — yet.
How to apply
Stripe handles this through its support team rather than a self-serve setting. Sign in to the account you want discounted first — the form attaches itself to whichever account you are signed in as, which matters if your login reaches more than one.
Open Stripe's nonprofit pricing request form → (the subject is filled in for you). The background is on Stripe's Fee discount for nonprofit organizations page.
Have these ready:
- Your Stripe account ID (it starts with
acct_, in Settings → Business) - The email registered on the account
- Your tax registration details — EIN, and your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter
- A short statement confirming that at least 80% of your volume is tax-deductible donations
It costs nothing to ask, and there is no penalty for being turned down.
One condition to be aware of. Stripe is explicit that accepting the nonprofit rate commits the account to being used mainly for receiving donations, not for selling products or tickets. If you expect ticketing or merchandise to grow into a large share of what you process here, that is worth weighing before you apply.
Why Studio asks you about it
Studio cannot see your rate. Payments go directly to your own Stripe account rather than through us, so Stripe bills you and we never see the deduction. There is no setting for us to read.
It matters because of “cover the fee”. When a donor chooses to cover processing costs, Studio has to work out the fee before the charge happens — and that estimate is built from your rate. If you are on 2.2% and we assume 2.9%, every donor who covers fees is asked for about 0.7% more than Stripe actually takes:
| Gift | Quoted at 2.9% | Actual at 2.2% | Donor over-charged |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $106.03 | $105.25 | $0.78 |
| $1,000 | $1,057.40 | $1,049.63 | $7.77 |
| $5,000 | $5,285.73 | $5,246.90 | $38.83 |
The extra is not lost — it lands in your account — but your donor was asked for more than the true cost, which is not what the option promises.
Telling Studio
Go to Settings → Payments and switch on “Stripe gave us the 2.2% nonprofit rate”. It takes effect on the next payment.
Only switch it on once you have confirmed the rate. Turning it on without the discount has the opposite problem: your donors under-cover, and you receive slightly less than the full gift.
What it does not change
- Bank transfers (ACH). Stripe's nonprofit programme discounts card processing; ACH stays at its usual rate.
- Studio's own fee. That is separate and unchanged — this is Stripe's cut, not ours.
- What you actually pay Stripe. The switch changes what donors are quoted, nothing more. Only Stripe can change your rate.