How do I handle credit card processing fees in my bookkeeping?
Credit card processing fees are a legitimate business expense and fully deductible. The question is how to record them so your books stay accurate and you can actually see what these fees cost you over time.
There are two main approaches. You can record gross sales with fees as a separate expense, or record net deposits after fees are already taken out. The gross method is generally better for most businesses because it gives you cleaner financial statements and shows your actual revenue separate from your costs.
Here’s how the gross method works. When you make a $100 sale, you record $100 in revenue. The processor might deposit $97.10 into your account after taking their 2.9% cut. You record the $2.90 as a credit card processing fee expense. Your books show what you actually sold, what you paid in fees, and what you deposited.
The challenge is that most processors don’t give you one clean deposit with one fee line. Square, Stripe, PayPal, and others batch transactions and take fees throughout the day or at varying times. Some hold fees and deduct them weekly or monthly. This creates reconciliation headaches if you’re not set up correctly.
In QuickBooks or similar software, create an expense account specifically for credit card fees or payment processing fees. When you reconcile, match your gross sales to your sales reports from the processor and book the fee as a separate line. Some accounting software can pull processor reports automatically and handle this split for you.
The net method is simpler but hides important information. Just recording whatever hits your bank account means you won’t know your true revenue or what percentage you’re paying in fees without digging through processor statements. For tax purposes you get the same deduction either way. For running your business you’re flying blind.
If you’re using multiple payment processors, track each one separately. The fees vary and you should know which platform costs you more. Professional bookkeeping support includes this kind of expense tracking and reconciliation so you always know where your money is going.
A business processing $500,000 annually at 2.9% pays over $14,000 in fees. That’s worth tracking closely.
The other common mistake is forgetting about fees entirely and recording deposits as revenue. This understates your actual sales and means you’re not claiming a legitimate deduction. It also makes your books impossible to reconcile when the processor statements don’t match your recorded income.
When it comes to small business tax preparation, having your processing fees already categorized correctly saves time. Your accountant can see exactly what you paid and deduct it without having to reconstruct records from processor statements at year end.
The Treasure Valley's Tax and Accounting Team
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