GoCardless Fee & Direct Debit Calculator
Calculate exact fees for UK Bacs (1% + £0.20, £4 cap), EU SEPA (€5 cap), US ACH, and see real-time savings compared to credit card processing.
Fee Wealth Leakage Radar & Profit Drag
Multi-Rail Arbitrage ("Switch & Save")
%
Pass Fee to Client (Legal Surcharge Engine) Calculate zero-shortfall compliant markup & legal surcharge limits
• United States: Visa & Mastercard cap credit card surcharges at 3.00% (effective April 2023). Surcharging debit or prepaid cards is strictly illegal under federal operating rules.
• UK & European Union: Surcharging consumer debit and credit cards is prohibited under PSD2. B2B / corporate card surcharges remain permitted.
• Australia: Governed by RBA; surcharging is legally restricted strictly to the merchant's actual cost of card acceptance.
Client Invoice Message
Bookkeeping Journal Entry
Recent Calculations (Click to Restore)
GoCardless vs Stripe Credit Card Savings Matrix (2026)
See how GoCardless's £4.00 cap saves massive processing costs as B2B invoice sizes scale.
| Invoice Size | GoCardless Fee | Stripe Card Fee (1.5% + 20p) | Immediate Savings | Fee Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £100 | £1.20 | £1.70 | £0.50 | -29.4% |
| £500 | £4.00 | £7.70 | £3.70 | -48.1% |
| £1,000 | £4.00 | £15.20 | £11.20 | -73.7% |
| £2,000 | £4.00 | £30.20 | £26.20 | -86.8% |
| £5,000 | £13.00 | £75.20 | £62.20 | -82.7% |
| £10,000 | £28.00 | £150.20 | £122.20 | -81.4% |
| £20,000 | £58.00 | £300.20 | £242.20 | -80.7% |
Frequently Asked Questions: GoCardless & Direct Debit (2026)
Detailed guidance on UK Bacs caps, EU SEPA rules, high-value +0.3% surcharges, and Direct Debit Guarantee protections.
1. What are GoCardless payment processing fees for UK Bacs Direct Debit in 2026?
For UK Bacs Direct Debit, GoCardless charges a standard fee of 1.00% plus £0.20 per transaction, with fees capped at a maximum of £4.00 for transactions up to £2,000. For high-value invoices exceeding £2,000, an additional +0.3% surcharge applies strictly to the amount above £2,000. For example, a £5,000 invoice pays £4.00 (base cap) + £9.00 (0.3% of £3,000) = £13.00 total.
2. How much money does GoCardless save compared to Stripe card payments on B2B invoices?
GoCardless offers substantial cost savings on medium and high-value invoices. On a £1,000 invoice, Stripe card processing charges £15.20 (1.5% + £0.20), whereas GoCardless charges only £4.00, saving £11.20. On a large £5,000 B2B invoice, Stripe charges £75.20, whereas GoCardless charges £13.00, generating an immediate saving of £62.20 (82.7% reduction in processing costs).
3. How does the GoCardless fee cap and >£2,000 surcharge formula work for Gross-Up invoicing?
To ensure your client covers GoCardless fees so you receive your target net payout: (1) Under £376 net: Gross = (Net + £0.20) / 0.99; (2) Between £376 and £1,996 net: Gross = Net + £4.00; (3) Above £1,996 net: Gross = (Net + £4.00 - (£2,000 × 0.003)) / (1 - 0.003) = (Net - £2.00) / 0.997. For example, to receive exactly £5,000.00 net, invoice for £5,013.04.
4. What are the fees for EU SEPA Direct Debit and US ACH on GoCardless?
For European SEPA Direct Debit, GoCardless charges 1.00% plus €0.20, capped at €5.00 (with a +0.3% surcharge on volume above €2,000). For US ACH Direct Debit, pricing is 1.00% plus $0.25, capped at $2.50 (with +0.3% above $2,000). International cross-border direct debits incur an additional 2.0% fee plus standard interbank FX conversion.
5. What is GoCardless Instant Bank Pay (Open Banking) and how does it compare to Direct Debit?
Instant Bank Pay leverages UK Open Banking and European PSD2 APIs to execute immediate account-to-account bank transfers. Unlike traditional Direct Debit mandates which require 3 business days to clear, Instant Bank Pay confirms payment within seconds. Pricing is standard 1.00% + £0.20 per transaction, making it ideal for one-off B2B invoices and instant e-commerce checkouts.
6. What are the payout settlement timelines for GoCardless Bacs and SEPA?
UK Bacs Direct Debit settlements take 3 to 4 business days from payment creation to funds appearing in your bank account, governed by the Bacs clearing cycle. SEPA Direct Debit takes 3 to 5 business days. Once customer mandates are established, subsequent recurring subscription charges process automatically without customer intervention.
7. How does GoCardless handle failed payments and direct debit indemnity claims?
Under the UK Direct Debit Guarantee and SEPA scheme rules, customers can claim indemnity chargebacks for unauthorized debits. However, because Direct Debit requires explicit bank mandate verification, chargeback dispute rates are under 0.1% (vastly lower than credit cards). GoCardless includes 'Success+' AI-driven payment retry intelligence that automatically recovers up to 70% of failed payments.
8. Are there monthly subscription fees or minimum contract commitments with GoCardless?
GoCardless offers a Standard tier with £0/month platform fees and pay-as-you-go transaction pricing. For businesses requiring custom branded checkout pages, advanced subscription billing features, and custom mandate names on customer bank statements, GoCardless offers Plus (£50/mo) and Pro (£250/mo) tiers.