Every card payment has processing costs. PoolFlow lets you decide who pays them.
The two options
You absorb the fees (default)
Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. This comes out of your payout.
Example: Customer pays $100 → Stripe takes $3.20 → You receive $96.80
This is the simpler approach. Your prices are exactly what customers see and pay.
Pass fees to customer
Enable this in Settings → Payments to add the processing fee to the customer's total.
Example: Your price is $100 → Customer pays $103.30 → Stripe takes $3.30 → You receive $100
The fee is calculated so you receive your full price after Stripe's cut.
How the fee is calculated
Stripe's standard rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge.
When passing fees to customers, we use a reverse calculation to ensure you get exactly your listed price:
Fee = (Price × 0.029 + 0.30) ÷ (1 - 0.029)
This accounts for the fact that Stripe also charges a percentage on the fee itself.
What customers see
When fees are passed to customers:
- The checkout page shows a "Processing fee" line item
- Confirmation emails include the fee breakdown
- The customer portal displays the fee on order details
When you absorb fees:
- Customers see only your service price
- No mention of processing fees anywhere
What you see
Regardless of your fee setting, your admin always shows:
- Gross amount — What the customer paid
- Stripe fee — What Stripe took
- Net payout — What you'll receive
This helps you understand your actual revenue on every job.
Platform fee
In addition to Stripe's processing fee, PoolFlow charges a 1% platform fee on all transactions. This fee:
- Is always paid by you (never passed to customers)
- Covers PoolFlow's costs for payment infrastructure
- Appears in your payout breakdown
Combined fees example (absorbing processing):
- Customer pays: $100
- Stripe fee (2.9% + $0.30): $3.20
- Platform fee (1%): $1.00
- Your payout: $95.80
When to pass fees
Consider passing fees if:
- Your margins are tight
- Competitors in your area do the same
- You want your quoted price to be your exact take-home
Consider absorbing fees if:
- You want simpler, rounder pricing
- You're already factoring fees into your rates
- You prefer the cleaner customer experience
Changing your setting
You can toggle fee handling anytime in Settings → Payments.
- Changes apply to new bookings only
- Existing quotes and jobs keep their original fee structure
- No need to update your service prices
Subscriptions and fees
For recurring services:
- Fees apply to every payment (first and renewals)
- When passing fees, customers see them on each invoice
- The same calculation applies regardless of billing frequency