Does TidyCal charge a fee on payments?
Yes. TidyCal adds a 1% platform fee to Stripe payments on the Free Plan and lifetime plans. Pro has no platform fee, and PayPal payments carry none.
How the TidyCal Platform Fee Works
When a client pays for a booking through Stripe, TidyCal charges a platform fee of 1% of the amount paid. By default it is added to your client's total, so you receive the full price you set. Stripe's own processing fees are separate: Stripe sets and deducts them, and they are not part of the 1%.
| Plan | Platform fee | Can you choose who pays it? |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | 1% | No — your client pays it |
| Individual Lifetime | 1% | Yes — your client, or you |
| Agency Lifetime | 1% | Yes — your client, or you |
| Pro | None | Not needed — there is no fee |
If you have both Pro and a lifetime plan, Pro applies and no platform fee is charged. Pro counts for as long as your subscription is active. See the plan comparison for everything else each plan includes.
Which Payments Carry the Fee?
On a Stripe connection, the 1% fee applies to:
- One-off paid bookings
- Recurring and package sessions (added to each session's charge)
- Subscription charges
- Digital Storefront sales, including store products added to a booking
No platform fee is charged on:
- PayPal payments
- Cancellation and no-show fees — your client is charged exactly the fee you set
- Stripe accounts connected with API keys, an older connection method TidyCal is retiring — see Legacy Stripe API Keys
- Stripe accounts in countries where Stripe does not allow platform fees — TidyCal charges no fee there
Discounts come first. The fee is worked out on the amount your client actually pays. If a coupon brings a $100 booking down to $50, the platform fee is $0.50.
Who Pays the Fee: You or Your Client?
By default, your client pays it. The fee is added on top of your price at checkout, and your payout is the full price you set.
On Individual Lifetime and Agency Lifetime, you can cover it instead. Your client then pays exactly the price you set, and the fee comes out of your payout.
Cover the fee yourself (lifetime plans)
- In the sidebar, click Settings.
- Open the Bookings tab.
- In the Platform fee card, turn on I'll cover the 1% platform fee. The note under the switch confirms the result: "Bookers pay the price you set, and the platform fee comes out of your payout."
- Click Save changes.
The setting applies to your whole account, not to individual booking types. For subscriptions, it applies to new subscribers; subscriptions that have already started keep the price they started with.
On the Free Plan, the same switch is shown but locked, with a Lifetime badge: choosing who covers the fee is included with lifetime plans. On Pro, there is no switch — the card simply confirms that Pro includes zero platform fees, so there is no fee to assign.
What Your Client Sees at Checkout
When your client pays the fee, the checkout summary lists your price, then a Platform fee line, then the total. Hovering the ? next to the fee shows: "1%: This helps cover running the platform and transaction costs."
The Platform fee line only appears when your client is paying one. It does not appear on Pro, when you cover the fee yourself, or on payments that carry no fee.
Refunds and the Platform Fee
When you refund a Stripe payment, TidyCal returns the platform fee automatically — you don't need to ask. A partial refund returns a matching share of the fee: refund half the payment and half the fee comes back. See refunds and cancellation fees for paid bookings for how refunds work.
Troubleshooting
My client was charged more than my price
- That is the 1% platform fee, shown to your client as a separate Platform fee line at checkout.
- On a lifetime plan, turn on I'll cover the 1% platform fee in Settings → Bookings so your client pays only your price.
- On Pro, no platform fee is charged at all.
I can't turn on the switch to cover the fee
- On the Free Plan the switch is locked. Covering the fee is included with Individual Lifetime and Agency Lifetime.
- On Pro there is no switch because there is no fee to cover.
- After changing the switch, click Save changes at the bottom of the page.
My payout is lower than the price I set
- Stripe deducts its own processing fees from every payment. Those are Stripe's, not TidyCal's — check the payment in your Stripe Dashboard.
- If you turned on I'll cover the 1% platform fee, the 1% also comes out of your payout.
My client didn't see a platform fee
- Your client sees no fee line on PayPal payments, on Pro, or when you cover the fee yourself (it then comes out of your payout instead).
- Stripe accounts connected with API keys, and accounts in countries where Stripe does not allow platform fees, carry no fee either.
- Still unsure? Email support@tidycal.com with the booking details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pro have a platform fee?
No. Pro has no platform fee on any payment, so your clients pay exactly the price you set. Compare plans on the TidyCal pricing page.
Does TidyCal charge a fee on PayPal payments?
No. PayPal payments carry no TidyCal platform fee on any plan. PayPal charges its own fees.
Is Stripe's processing fee part of the 1%?
No. Stripe charges its own processing fees on top of TidyCal's platform fee. Stripe sets those rates. See Connect your Payment Services for how payments are set up.
Is the platform fee refunded when I refund a client?
Yes. When you refund a Stripe payment, TidyCal returns its platform fee automatically, so you are not left paying for it. A partial refund returns a matching share of the fee.
Change Who Pays the Fee in TidyCal
➜ Open Settings → Bookings to see your platform fee and, on a lifetime plan, choose who pays it.