Understanding Payment Fees

One of the most important things to understand about payments in Gilded is the fee structure. The short version: you keep 100% of your fee, every time. Here is how it works in detail.

The Core Principle

Gilded does not charge a platform fee on payments. Stripe processing fees are passed through to your client (the couple paying the invoice), not to you. This means the amount you quoted is the amount you receive.

How Fees Are Calculated

Stripe charges standard processing fees based on the payment method your client chooses:

Credit or Debit Card

• 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction

For example, if your deposit is $2,000:

• Stripe fee: $2,000 x 2.9% + $0.30 = $58.30
• Your client pays: $2,058.30
• You receive: $2,000.00

ACH Bank Transfer

• 0.8% per transaction, capped at $5.00

For the same $2,000 deposit:

• Stripe fee: $2,000 x 0.8% = $16.00 (but capped at $5.00)
• Your client pays: $2,005.00
• You receive: $2,000.00

ACH is significantly cheaper for your clients, especially on larger payments. A $6,000 balance payment costs your client just $5.00 in fees with ACH, compared to $174.30 with a credit card.

What Your Client Sees

On the payment page, your client sees:

• The base amount (your fee)
• The processing fee (itemized separately)
• The total they will be charged

The fees are clearly displayed before your client submits payment, so there are no surprises. They can also see the fee difference between card and ACH, which often encourages bank transfer for larger payments.

What You Receive

You always receive the exact amount you set as the deposit or balance. Gilded never deducts anything from your payout. The processing fee is added on top of your amount and collected from your client.

| Your Fee | Payment Method | Client Pays | You Receive | |----------|---------------|-------------|-------------| | $1,500 | Card | $1,543.80 | $1,500.00 | | $1,500 | ACH | $1,505.00 | $1,500.00 | | $3,000 | Card | $3,087.30 | $3,000.00 | | $3,000 | ACH | $3,005.00 | $3,000.00 | | $5,000 | Card | $5,145.30 | $5,000.00 | | $5,000 | ACH | $5,005.00 | $5,000.00 |

No Platform Fee

Unlike some other tools in this space, Gilded does not add its own transaction fee on top of Stripe's processing costs. Whether you are on the Basic plan or the Pro plan, the fee structure is the same — just Stripe's standard rates, passed to your client.

Talking to Clients About Fees

Most couples are familiar with processing fees from other services. If a client asks, you can explain it simply: "Stripe charges a small processing fee on payments. It's added to the total so you receive exactly the amount we agreed on. Paying by bank transfer keeps the fee under $5."

Many planners include a note about processing fees in their payment terms section when building contracts.

Next Steps

Head back to Requesting Payments to learn how to send payment requests, or revisit Setting Up Stripe if you have not connected your account yet.