Understanding bank fees
Each online payment goes through a platform that charges a commission. This commission — called bank fees in Unisoft — is calculated automatically and displayed on each payment line. This page explains the mechanism, orders of magnitude, and accounting impact.
Gross, fees, net: the breakdown
Each online payment displays three amounts:
Gross amount Bank fees Net amount
100 € − 2.40 € = 97.60 €
| Amount | Definition | Who receives it? |
|---|---|---|
| Gross | What the donor paid | Recorded on their bank statement |
| Bank fees | Commission charged by the platform | The platform (Stripe, PayGreen…) |
| Net | What arrives in the organization's account | The organization |
The donor only sees the gross on their statement. This is also the amount that appears on their tax receipt — it's what they actually paid.
Bank fees are an internal expense to the organization, transparent for the donor.
For which payments are there fees?
| Payment source | Fees? |
|---|---|
| Online (Stripe, PayGreen, PayPal…) | Yes — platform commission |
| Donation kiosk / Tap-to-Pay | Yes — platform commission |
| Mobile app | Yes — platform commission |
| Manual — check, cash, transfer entered by hand | No |
| In kind | No |
| Software — automatic import | According to origin channel |
Manual payments never generate fees in Unisoft, since the money doesn't go through any platform.
Orders of magnitude per platform
Fees vary depending on the platform, country, and payment method.
Bank cards
| Platform | Typical fees | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 1.4% + 0.25 € (European cards) to 2.9% + 0.25 € (international cards) | Standard rate, negotiable for high-volume associations |
| PayGreen | 0.5% to 1.5% | Negotiated rate, often more advantageous in France |
| PayPal | 1.2% to 3.4% + 0.35 € | Depending on volume and card type |
| Cardcom | Variable per contract | Israel |
| Authorize.net | 2.9% + 0.30 USD | North American market |
| Axepta | 1.5% to 2.5% | German market |
Direct debits
| Platform | Typical fees | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| GoCardless | 1% (capped at 2 €) | Very advantageous for large amounts |
| Stripe SEPA | 0.35 € fixed + 0.8% (capped at 5 €) | Attractive fixed rate |
Transfers and Bit transfers
| Platform | Typical fees |
|---|---|
| Cardcom Bit (Israel) | Per contract |
| Standard bank transfer | No Unisoft fees (negotiated with your bank) |
Estimation then automatic adjustment
Unisoft calculates fees in two steps:
| Phase | Delay | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Estimation | Immediate | Unisoft applies known scales to give a first estimation |
| Actual fees | A few hours to 3 days | The platform reports the exact amount via webhook |
| Update | Automatic | Unisoft replaces the estimation with the actual value, the net is adjusted |
You have nothing to do: tracking is entirely automated. See Verify actual bank fees for details.
Who pays the fees?
By default, your organization bears the fees — that is, the donor pays 100 € and you receive 97.60 €. It's the classic model.
Some organizations prefer to ask the donor to cover the fees: on the donation page, a checkbox "I add 2.40 € to cover bank fees" appears. If the donor checks it, the amount paid is increased so that the organization ultimately receives 100 € net.
To configure this option, see the Website module.
Visualize fees
On a list line
In the Payments module (/app/paiements/list), three columns simultaneously display the amounts:
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Amount | Gross paid |
| Fees | Bank fees |
| Net | Amount actually received |
See View my payments.
In payment details
Open the side panel (eye icon) → Amount breakdown section. See View payment details.
In the Excel export
The export for accountant always includes the three amounts (gross, fees, net) for each line.
Accounting impact
Bank fees are an expense for the organization. For accounting, you record three entries:
| Entry | Amount |
|---|---|
| Income (donation, fee…) | Gross |
| Expense (bank fees) | Fees |
| Cash flow (bank account) | Net |
The tax receipt issued to the donor is always on the gross — it's the amount they actually paid, and therefore what they can deduct fiscally.
Why fees vary
From one payment to another, fees can fluctuate even for the same gross amount. Several reasons:
- Card type: premium card = higher fees than a standard card
- Country of issue: foreign card = increased fees
- Currency: if the donor pays in USD while your account is in EUR, conversion fees are added
- Tariff change on the platform side (renegotiation, terms update)
- One-time promotion from the platform
Variations are usually a few cents — unless there is a scale change.
Levers to reduce fees
| Lever | Effect |
|---|---|
| Favor direct debit for large amounts | GoCardless caps at 2 €, very advantageous from 200 € |
| Negotiate with your platform | The higher the volume, the more fees can be reduced |
| Offer fee coverage to donors | Many willingly accept to add 1 or 2 € |
| Use PayGreen for France | Often cheaper than Stripe for French associations |
| Encourage manual payments (transfer, check) for large donors | No bank fees |
What about refunded payments?
When a payment is refunded, bank fees are generally not returned by the platform. The cost of fees therefore remains a loss for the organization, even if the donor is fully refunded.
A few (rare) platforms return the fees in case of quick refund — check the conditions of your contract.
Go further
- Understanding a payment — overview
- Verify actual bank fees — delay and hooks
- Export for accountant — XLSX analysis
- Understanding bank fees (Recurring payments) — variant for subscriptions