Card processing fees
Decide whether you or the couple covers the card fee, set it for the studio or per invoice, and see how it shows at checkout.
Stripe and Square charge a processing fee on every card payment, roughly 2.9% plus $0.30. You can absorb it or pass it on to the couple. Hailo itself takes 0%.
Some states restrict card surcharges. Check your state's rules before turning pass-through on.
The studio default
- Open Settings > Client payment methods.
- Under Card processing fee, switch Pass card fee to clients on or off.
The description on the switch: "When a couple pays by card through Stripe or Square, add the processor's ~2.9% + $0.30 fee to their total so you keep the full invoice amount. It shows as a clear 'Card processing fee' line at checkout, and you can override it per invoice."
This is the default for every invoice and booking that does not say otherwise.
Per invoice
On the invoice document, unfold Who covers the card fee and pick:
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Whatever my settings say | Follows the studio switch above. |
| The couple pays it | Adds the fee at checkout for this invoice, whatever the studio default. |
| I absorb it | Never adds the fee on this invoice. |
Then click Save changes. The note under it: "Only applies when they pay by card." The old form view has the same choice under Sales tax and card fees as Who covers the card fee?.
What the couple sees
The fee only exists at card checkout. Manual rails (Venmo, Zelle, check, wire) never carry it. When the fee is passed on, the Stripe or Square checkout lists the invoice amount and a separate line called Card processing fee, so the couple sees exactly what it is. When you absorb it, the checkout shows the invoice amount only and the processor deducts its fee from what reaches you.
The invoice itself, in Hailo and on the couple's page, shows the invoice total without the fee. The fee is a checkout line, not part of what you billed.