Feature request - surcharges

[mikesee]

When will it be possible to configure surcharges in Square?

I see some old discussion topics (2 years) saying it is on the roadmap.

There are several reasons why we need surcharges but the two big ones for me:

1. Apply a credit card surcharge to all card transactions

2. Apply a Sunday or public holiday surcharge. This is pretty essential in Australia due to the higher wage costs.

Needs to be automated and rules-based.

[#2]

EDIT (July 2022): We've started to roll out Service Charges (AKA Surcharges) in Australia, which you can read more about here. The first iteration supports:

• The Square Point of Sale app
• Manually applied fixed ($) or variable (%) surcharges
  
  

In future iterations of Service Charges we hope to support:

• More Square products (eg Square for Restaurants, Square for Retail, Invoices etc)
• Automated service charges, so you won't need to manually add it

---------------

Hey @mikesee,

I'm sorry to say that I don't have an update on surcharges right now.

We're still tracking feedback on this and it's a popular request from Australian sellers. For now we recommend building surcharging into the overall price of your goods as you might other operating expenses, or you can manually calculate a surcharge into the overall cost of a given transaction.

If you would like to pass on credit card processing charges to your customers, you can use the following to calculate what you would charge.

For transactions put through a Square Reader at 1.9%:

Transaction amount divided by 0.981

e.g. $100 / 0.981 = $101.94 - you'd add $1.94 as a 1.9% surcharge.

For “Card not Present” transactions at 2.2%:

Transaction amount divided by 0.978

E.g. $100 / 0.978 = $102.25 - you'd add $2.25 as a 2.2% surcharge.

For transactions put through Square Terminal at 1.6%:

Transaction amount divided by 0.984

e.g. $100 / 0.984 = $101.63 - you'd add $1.63 as a 1.6% surcharge.

Why Wouldn’t I Just Add 1.9% or 2.2%?

Square’s card processing fees are based on the overall transaction amount, so if you’re adding $1.90 to a $100 transaction, the transaction becomes $101.90, not $100. Using the above formulas accounts for this small change to the overall fee on transactions if you’re adding a surcharge

Should you decide to apply a surcharge, it is your responsibility adhere to Australian regulations as set out by the ACCC.

[Seamus]

Hey @GSS1,

Not at the moment unfortunately!

I've moved your post to this thread, where we are tracking the feature request and also have a solution for manually calculating a surcharge 👍

Hopefully it's something we'll integrate for Australian Square sellers in the future!

[Captainsalvos]

Another vote for built in surcharging. 

As a separate issue I would like to see the merchant/square fees column in the item sales report.  

[Andykanna00]

Hey everyone, sorry if this has been asked, I am new to Square and am trying to figure out if I add the 1.9% fee to the total of the order? Or does Square charge the customer? I’m so confused it’s my 4 year olds fault hahaha :):) thanks in advance.

[Seamus]

Hey @Andykanna00,

Thanks for reaching out and welcome to the community 🙂

I've moved your message across to this existing thread we have on surcharges. At the moment Square doesn't feature the ability to calculate an automated surcharge, however we have some suggested workarounds if you decide not to build processing costs into the overall price of your goods/services. Check the top answer in this thread, and also our support centre for suggestions on how to pass on card processing fees.

[sjp]

Hello

are there any plans for Square to automate the increase in price when the merchant will be charged fees for the transaction? That way the fee is passed onto the customer?

[Seamus]

Hey @sjp,

Thanks for your message and welcome to the Seller Community forum!

I've moved your post to this feature request thread we're using to track feedback for surcharges. At the moment there's no way to apply an automated surcharge with Square, however you can look at some of the alternatives in this thread. We'd also suggest considering building card processing fees in to the overall price of your goods and services as you may other business expenses, though that's completely your call to make.

We're considering this feature for the Australian market in the future - I don't have a timeframe on if or when, but I'll update this thread if I hear of any changes.

Thanks again for adding your voice here!

[sjp]

Thankyou for your feedback

[DebThreeBirdies]

Hi Seamus,

Disregarding the issue of a surcharge for fees for a moment (like most businesses i factor that into my prices)

We NEED a way to charge a public holiday surcharge in Australia - unlike the US we pay our hospitality staff a set hourly wage (they dont rely on tips) and they get double that wage on public holidays so we need a way to pass on that expense on specific days

Is there a workaround? Could it be set up as a service charge somehow?

Deb

[saintlucifer]

Hi Deb at the moment all you can do is setup a custom tax and apply that to all items and then turn it off on non public holidays. A proper surcharge system would also be good for weekends. You can charge a service fee for table ordering but not for pickups or in person ordering. Its very frustrating.

[DebThreeBirdies]

thanks! i'll see if that will work for me