How to Recover Payment Processing Fees

While it may seem easiest to pass those fees directly to families as a separate charge, credit card network rules and state regulations limit how this can be done. Credit card companies—and some state laws—restrict surcharging, which is when a separate “credit card fee” is added at checkout. Improper surcharging can put an organization at risk of penalties or disputes.

To best recover payment processing fees, clubs should build fees into their pricing from the start, use consistent pricing across all payment methods, and communicate clearly with parents. Families generally value transparency and simplicity over itemized fees, and this approach helps protect both your organization and your members.

The recommended approach is to use what's called a single pricing model. With single pricing, the price is the same regardless of how a family pays (check, cash, debit, credit, etc). This method avoids surcharges entirely while allowing clubs to plan for and offset payment costs.

For example, if you have a $150 registration:

WrestlingIQ then processes this as follows:

Using the above example, setting your price to $154.88 will result in a net payout of $150. Here is what that example looks like:

To help you calculate what you should look to price registrations to recover payment processing fees check out our WrestlingIQ calculator tool.