Credit Card Processing for Contractors: Fees Compared

For a contractor, payment processing isn't a coffee-shop problem. A single invoice for an HVAC replacement or a new roof can run to thousands of dollars, and a 3% card fee on that is real money. The biggest savings usually don't come from finding a slightly lower card rate. They come from getting large payments onto bank transfers (ACH) with a fee cap.

This comparison covers four ways contractors commonly get paid: Stripe and PayPal (standalone processors), QuickBooks Payments (built into your accounting) and Housecall Pro (built into field service software). Rates are from each company's own pages as of November 3, 2026. We left out Square and Jobber Payments because we couldn't confirm their current rates on their own sites.

Quick comparison

What a $10,000 job costs to collect

Using the listed rates, here's what each option keeps from a single $10,000 payment:

Two things stand out. Card fees are close across providers: roughly $260 to $330 on $10,000. ACH fees aren't: $5 or $10 with a cap, $100 without one. If your customers pay big invoices, asking them to pay by bank is worth more than switching card processors.

QuickBooks Payments

If you already keep your books in QuickBooks, its payments add-on puts paid invoices straight into your accounting. Its listed rates:

• Cards and digital wallets on invoices, recurring payments or quick requests: 2.99% (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Apple Pay, PayPal and Venmo).
• ACH bank payments: 1%.
• In person with a card reader or Tap to Pay on iPhone: 2.5%.
• Keyed-in cards: 3.5%.
• Instant deposit: 1.75% to get funds immediately, including nights and weekends.
• Buy now, pay later: 2.99%, through Affirm, where available.

QuickBooks says businesses processing over $2,500 a month may qualify for up to 25% off transaction costs, and it offers optional payment dispute protection starting at 0.99%. Its rate table is dated September 18, 2026.

Best for: contractors who already run their books in QuickBooks and want invoices, payments and accounting in one place. See our QuickBooks for contractors guide for which QuickBooks plan fits a contracting business.

Stripe

Stripe is a general-purpose processor with no setup or monthly fees on its standard pricing:

• Cards: 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic cards, plus 0.5% for manually entered cards, 1.5% for international cards, and 1% if currency conversion is needed.
• ACH Direct Debit: 0.8%, capped at $5.
• In person (Stripe Terminal): 2.7% + 5¢ for domestic cards.
• Invoicing: Stripe Invoicing's Starter plan adds 0.4% per paid invoice (0.5% on the Plus plan).
• Disputes: $15 for each dispute you receive, and another $15 if you respond to it manually (refunded if you win).

The ACH cap is the standout: a $20,000 payment by ACH costs $5. Some trade apps process payments through Stripe (RoofLink, for example), so check what your software already uses before opening a separate account.

Best for: contractors who want the lowest cost on large bank payments and don't mind setting up invoices in Stripe or a connected app.

PayPal

PayPal's invoicing rates apply when you send a PayPal invoice and the customer pays through it:

• Credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and other wallets: 2.99% + 49¢.
• PayPal checkout, Venmo or PayPal guest checkout: 3.49% + 49¢.
• Pay by Bank (ACH): 1%, capped at $10.
• PayPal Pay Later: 4.99% + 49¢. International payments add 1.5%. Outside invoicing, PayPal's QR code rate for in-person payments is 2.29% + 9¢, and its Virtual Terminal for keyed-in cards is 3.39% plus a fixed fee. PayPal's fee page was last updated October 1, 2026.

Best for: contractors whose customers already like paying with PayPal or Venmo, and anyone who wants capped ACH without a new merchant account. Watch the higher rate when customers choose PayPal checkout or Venmo instead of a card.

Housecall Pro

Housecall Pro builds payments into its field service software, so invoices, payments and the job record stay together. It lists card processing from 2.59% and 1% for bank payments, and says check deposits through the mobile app are free. Its Instapay option deposits eligible card and ACH payments, typically in under 30 minutes, for an extra 1%, subject to eligibility requirements and transaction limits. Customers can also apply for consumer financing through Wisetack on estimates and invoices.

Housecall Pro's software itself is a monthly subscription; see our Housecall Pro pricing breakdown for the plans.

Best for: home service businesses that want scheduling, invoicing and payments in one app and collect most payments on site.

Can you pass the card fee on to customers?

Sometimes. Adding a surcharge for credit card payments depends on your state's law, card network rules and your processing agreement. Visa says merchants must notify their acquirer (the company that processes your payments) 30 days before they begin surcharging, and card networks have their own rules on which cards can be surcharged. Before adding a fee, ask your processor what's allowed and how you must disclose it.

Two simpler alternatives:

• Offer ACH for large invoices. At a capped rate, you lose almost nothing on a big job, and you don't need a surcharge.
• Price the fee into your work. Build card costs into your rates instead of adding a line item.

How to choose

1. Look at your invoice sizes. Large jobs make ACH caps (Stripe, PayPal) worth far more than a few tenths of a percent on cards.
2. Start from the software you already use. Payments inside your accounting (QuickBooks) or field service app (Housecall Pro) save you from matching payments to invoices by hand.
3. Count every fee. Add instant deposit, keyed-in card, dispute and invoicing fees for the way you actually get paid.
4. Ask for a quote on volume. QuickBooks advertises discounts above $2,500 a month, and Stripe offers custom pricing for large volume.
5. Make paying easy. A payment link on every invoice gets you paid faster than waiting for a check.

For the software that sends those invoices, see our contractor invoicing software comparison or start with a free contractor invoice template. If customers balk at paying a big job up front, customer financing for contractors lets them pay over time while you get paid in full.