Authorize.net Fee Calculator

Enter your sale amount, rate, and monthly volume to calculate per-transaction fees, net revenue, blended rate, and projected costs over time.
Luis GonzalezCreated by Luis GonzalezLast updated:

How to Use This Calculator

  1. 1

    Enter Transaction and Fee Details

    Input your sale amount, percentage rate (default 2.9%), per-transaction flat fee (default $0.30), monthly gateway fee (default $25), and estimated monthly transaction count.

  2. 2

    Review Results

    See the Fee Per Transaction, Total Monthly Cost, and Blended Rate cards. The Insights panel shows per-transaction breakdown, monthly cost split, annual projection, and rate comparison. The table shows projected costs over 1-12 months.

Example Calculation

An e-commerce business processes 100 transactions/month at $500 per sale, using Authorize.net's standard 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction with a $25 monthly gateway fee.

Sale Amount

500

Percentage Rate

2.9

Per-Transaction Flat Fee

0.30

Monthly Gateway Fee

25

Monthly Transactions

100

Results

Fee Per Transaction

$14.80

Total Monthly Cost

$1,505.00

Blended Rate

3.01%

Insights card shows $485.

Tips

$14.80 Per Transaction = 2.96% Effective Rate

On a $500 sale, the $14.50 percentage fee (2.9%) dominates the $0.30 flat fee. The flat fee's impact shrinks with larger sales — on a $100 sale it adds 0.30%, but on $500 only 0.06%.

Gateway Fee Adds Just 0.05% to Your Blended Rate

At 100 transactions/month, the $25 gateway fee adds only $0.25 per transaction, pushing the blended rate from 2.96% to 3.01%. At 50 transactions, it would add $0.50/tx (0.10% impact).

$18,060 Annual Fee Cost on $600K Revenue

Over 12 months, you'll pay $18,060 in total fees ($17,760 transaction fees + $300 gateway fees) on $600,000 gross revenue, netting $581,940. Compare this to competitors like Stripe (2.9% + $0.30, no gateway fee).

Increase Average Order Value to Lower Effective Rate

The $0.30 flat fee is fixed regardless of sale amount. Doubling your average sale from $500 to $1,000 drops the effective rate from 2.96% to 2.93%, saving $0.30 per transaction on the percentage equivalent.

Understanding Your Authorize.net Transaction Costs

The Authorize.net Fee Calculator breaks down payment processing costs across per-transaction fees, monthly gateway charges, and projected totals.

For a business processing 100 transactions/month at $500 per sale with standard 2.9% + $0.30 pricing and a $25 gateway fee, the fee per transaction is $14.80, the total monthly cost is $1,505, and the blended rate is 3.01%.

Over 12 months, that's $18,060 in fees on $600,000 gross revenue.

The Calculation of Processing Fees

The calculator combines percentage-based charges, flat per-transaction fees, and the monthly gateway fee:

Fee Per Transaction = (Sale Amount x Percentage Rate / 100) + Flat Fee
Total Monthly Cost = (Fee Per Transaction x Monthly Transactions) + Monthly Gateway Fee
Blended Rate = Total Monthly Cost / (Sale Amount x Monthly Transactions) x 100

The blended rate is the most meaningful metric — it captures every fee you pay, not just the advertised percentage rate.

💡 If you sell on other platforms, our Etsy Fee Calculator can help you analyze similar transaction costs for your online store.

Example: Monthly Cost Breakdown for 100 Transactions

An e-commerce store processing 100 transactions/month at $500 per sale with Authorize.net's standard 2.9% + $0.30 pricing and $25 monthly gateway fee:

Metric Value
Fee Per Transaction $14.80 ($14.50 percentage + $0.30 flat)
Effective Rate (per-tx) 2.96%
Monthly Transaction Fees $1,480.00
Monthly Gateway Fee $25.00
Total Monthly Cost $1,505.00
Monthly Gross Revenue $50,000.00
Monthly Net Revenue $48,495.00
Blended Rate 3.01%
Annual Total Fees $18,060.00

The $0.05% gap between the effective rate (2.96%) and blended rate (3.01%) represents the $25 gateway fee spread across 100 transactions.

At lower volumes, this gap widens significantly.

💡 For musicians and labels, our CD Baby Fee Calculator can help you understand distribution and sales costs.

When the Gateway Fee Matters Most

The $25 monthly gateway fee is fixed regardless of volume.

At 100 transactions it adds just $0.25/tx (0.05% to blended rate), but at 10 transactions it adds $2.50/tx (0.50%).

For low-volume businesses processing fewer than 50 transactions/month, consider processors without monthly fees — Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 with no gateway fee, saving $25/month at the same per-transaction rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fees does Authorize.net charge?

Authorize.net charges three types of fees: a percentage rate per transaction (standard 2.9%), a flat fee per transaction ($0.30), and a monthly gateway fee ($25). On a $500 sale, that's $14.50 + $0.30 = $14.80 per transaction, plus the $25/month gateway fee spread across your volume.

What is the blended rate and why does it differ from the percentage rate?

The blended rate is total fees divided by total gross revenue. It includes the percentage rate, flat fee, and monthly gateway fee. At 2.9% + $0.30 on $500 sales with 100 transactions and $25 gateway fee, the blended rate is 3.01% vs the 2.9% percentage rate — the 0.11% difference comes from the flat fee and gateway fee.

How many transactions do I need to cover the monthly gateway fee?

Divide the gateway fee by the fee per transaction. At $25 gateway fee and $14.80 per transaction, you need just 2 transactions to cover it. The gateway fee becomes less significant with higher volume — at 100 transactions it's only $0.25 per transaction.

How does Authorize.net compare to Stripe or PayPal?

Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 with no monthly fee, making it cheaper for low-volume businesses. PayPal charges 2.99% + $0.49 with no monthly fee. For 100 transactions at $500, Authorize.net costs $1,505/month, Stripe costs $1,480, and PayPal costs $1,543. The $25 gateway fee makes Authorize.net more expensive at low volumes.

How can I reduce my Authorize.net processing costs?

Three strategies: (1) negotiate lower rates if you process over $50,000/month, (2) increase average order value to reduce the flat fee's percentage impact, and (3) consider interchange-plus pricing instead of flat-rate — it can save 0.3-0.5% for businesses with mostly consumer debit card transactions.

What is the effective rate vs. the blended rate?

The effective rate (2.96%) is the fee per transaction divided by the sale amount — it excludes the monthly gateway fee. The blended rate (3.01%) includes all fees (transaction + gateway) divided by gross revenue. Use the blended rate for true cost comparison since it captures every fee you pay.