Stripe donations: one-time and recurring gifts, fees and the nonprofit discount

Checked against Stripe's documentation, support pages and pricing on 21 October 2026. Stripe changes these tools, so the changelog at the end records each update.

Can you accept donations with Stripe?

Yes. Stripe's checkout docs describe the feature as a way to "accept tips and donations, or sell pay-what-you-want products and services." (Stripe: let customers decide what to pay)

Donor covers the fee on a $100 giftWrong: $100 + 2.9% + 30¢$103.20nets $99.91Right: ($100 + $0.30) ÷ 0.971$103.30nets $100.00Stripe fee on $103.30$3.302.9% + 30¢$50 a month, covered$51.81nets $50.01Stripe US standard card pricing, 2.9% + 30¢. Round up to the next cent

Stripe also sets conditions on what counts as a donation. Its support page says a donation "must be tied to a specific charitable purpose that you're committing to accomplish," that you may not accept donations on behalf of someone other than yourself, and that the money must be used for the purpose described to the donor. (Stripe: requirements for accepting tips or donations)

How do you set up a Stripe donation link?

The quickest route is a payment link, which needs no website code. In the Dashboard you create a payment link and choose Customers choose what to pay, then add a title, description and image. (Stripe: create a payment link)

Two settings are optional:

• A suggested preset amount, shown on the payment page. The donor can change it.
• A minimum and a maximum. By default the maximum is 10,000.00 USD, and Stripe's support form raises it.

The same link can be shared directly, embedded as a button on your site, or turned into a QR code for a flyer. (Stripe: recurring payments)

Stripe lists three limits on pay-what-you-want payments. You can't add other line items and the quantity can only be 1. You can't use promotion codes or discounts. And they "don't support recurring payments or optional items." (Stripe: let customers decide what to pay)

How do recurring donations work on Stripe?

Through subscriptions, at an amount you set. Stripe's payment link page says the customer-chooses model "currently doesn't support recurring payments or recurring donations." (Stripe: create a payment link)

Stripe's own steps for a recurring donation link are:

1. Create a payment link and select Products or subscriptions.
2. Find or add a recurring product that represents the recurring donation.
3. Under Advanced options, set the call to action to Donate.
4. Create the link and share it, embed it or make a QR code.

(Stripe: accept recurring donations)

In practice, each monthly amount you offer is its own recurring price. A donor who wants to give $50 a month picks the $50 link. A donor who wants $65 a month needs a $65 price or a conversation with you. Stripe's no-code links don't let a donor type any amount and have it repeat.

Does Stripe offer a nonprofit discount?

Yes, for some organizations. Stripe's support page says it offers discounted processing fees to eligible nonprofits that primarily accept donations, in select regions. (Stripe: fee discount for nonprofit organizations) The page doesn't publish the discounted rate.

To qualify, the organization must meet all three conditions:

• Nonprofit status. It is registered as a nonprofit and has valid tax documentation confirming it.
• Region. It is in a supported country. The list includes the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and much of Europe.
• Donation volume. At least 80% of its Stripe payment volume comes from tax-deductible donations.

Stripe names the payments that don't count toward the 80%: membership fees, tuition payments, ticket sales, registration fees and auction payments.

You apply through Stripe's nonprofit pricing contact form, signed in to the account you want enabled. The form asks for the Stripe account ID, the account's email address, a statement that over 80% of the volume is tax-deductible donations, and your tax registration details, such as your EIN or the IRS letter confirming 501(c)(3) status.

The discount is set on an account, and a new account starts on standard terms. Stripe says a newly activated account "doesn't inherit any special status" from your existing account. (Stripe: multiple separate accounts) An organization that takes tuition or ticket sales alongside gifts should look at the 80% line before it applies.

What are Stripe's fees on donations?

Without the nonprofit discount, standard pricing applies. Stripe's US pricing page lists 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards, and 0.8% with a $5.00 cap for ACH Direct Debit. (Stripe pricing)

On a $100 card gift that is $2.90 + $0.30 = $3.20, so $96.80 reaches you. The same gift by bank debit costs $0.80. The ACH fee stops growing at $625, where 0.8% reaches the $5 cap.

How do you let donors cover the Stripe fee?

Ask the donor to add enough that the fee comes out of the extra, not the gift. The common mistake is to add 2.9% + 30¢ of the gift. The fee is charged on the larger total, so that falls short.

The right figure divides by what's left after the percentage:

Total to charge = (gift + 30¢) ÷ (1 − 2.9%)

Round the result up to the next cent, so a fraction of a cent never comes out of the gift.

The same formula works for a monthly gift. A donor giving $50 a month who covers the fee is charged ($50 + $0.30) ÷ 0.971 = $51.8023, rounded up to $51.81. Stripe's fee on $51.81 is $1.50 + $0.30 = $1.80, so $50.01 arrives each month, a cent over because of the rounding, or $600.12 a year from $621.72 charged.

For bank debit there is no fixed part, so the formula is gift ÷ (1 − 0.8%). A $100 gift becomes $100.81, with a fee of $0.81. Above the cap it is simpler: a $1,000 gift by ACH carries the $5 cap, so the donor adds $5 and is charged $1,005.

Two things to settle before you add a cover-the-fee box:

• Card or bank. The card formula overcharges a donor who pays by bank debit. If your form offers both, work out the extra for each.
• Which fee. If Stripe approves a nonprofit rate, use that rate in the formula, not 2.9%.

What should you check before you launch a donation page?

• The purpose. Each page names the charitable purpose the gifts fund, as Stripe's donation requirements expect.
• The entity. Gifts go to the legal entity that will use them. Stripe ties each account to one tax ID and one legal entity, so a separate foundation needs its own account. (Stripe: multiple separate accounts)
• One-time and recurring. A custom amount works for one-time gifts. Decide which monthly amounts to offer as recurring prices.
• The maximum. Raise the 10,000.00 USD default if you expect larger gifts.
• The fee. Decide whether donors can cover it, and use the formula above for card and bank separately.
• The discount. Check the 80% donation line, then apply on the account that takes the gifts.

Changelog

• 21 October 2026: first published.