Understanding Payment Fees
How payment processing fees work in Gilded, who pays them, and what to expect.
The fee structure in Gilded is simple: you keep 100% of your fee, every time. Stripe's standard processing fee is added on top of your amount and paid by your client (the couple) — Gilded never takes a platform cut, on any plan. The amount you quote is the amount that lands in your account.
How Fees Work
Stripe charges a standard processing fee based on how your client pays:
- Card: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- ACH bank transfer: 0.8% per transaction, capped at $5.00
ACH is dramatically cheaper on larger payments — a $6,000 balance costs your client about $5.00 by bank transfer versus $174.30 by card — so it is worth steering clients toward ACH for big amounts.
What Your Client Sees
On the payment page, before submitting, your client sees the base amount (your fee), the processing fee itemized separately, and the total they will be charged. Nothing is hidden, and they can compare the card vs. bank-transfer cost themselves.
What You Receive
You always receive the exact amount you set as the deposit or balance — the processing fee is added on top and collected from your client, never deducted from your payout:
| 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 |
Talking to Clients About Fees
Most couples are familiar with processing fees from other services. If a client asks, keep it simple: "There's a small processing fee added to the total — that's our payment processor's standard rate, not a charge from us. Paying by bank transfer instead of a card keeps it to around $5." Many planners also add a short note about processing fees to their contract's payment terms.
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.