A merchant category code (MCC) is a four-digit number that classifies a business by its main line of trade. The acquirer, the bank or processor that signs up the merchant, assigns it, and Visa's rules require the code that most accurately describes the business. Card networks and issuers use it for interchange, authorization, risk and reporting. MCC 8299 covers schools and educational services not classified elsewhere. MCC 8249 covers vocational and trade schools. The code matters because some card programs are open only to certain codes. Visa's US service fee, for example, lists 8249 but not 8299.
What is a merchant category code?
Visa's rules define a merchant category code as "a code designating the principal trade, profession, or line of business in which a Merchant is engaged." Visa's Merchant Data Standards Manual adds that it is a four-digit number, assigned to describe a merchant's primary business based on annual sales volume. Some codes also identify a specific merchant, such as an airline, or a type of transaction.
The codes come from an international standard. ISO 18245, "Retail financial services — Merchant category codes", defines code values used to classify merchants into categories. Visa says its own MCCs and descriptions were derived from ISO codes and from Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes, and that they don't always match SIC.
Who assigns a merchant category code?
Your acquirer, the bank or processor that signs you up to take cards. Visa's Core Rules say an acquirer must assign each merchant outlet the MCC that most accurately describes its business. Visa's manual adds that Visa can require corrections to a code.
On Stripe, the code sits on the Stripe account. Stripe's Connect documentation says each Stripe account has exactly one MCC, that Stripe sets the code for connected accounts automatically, usually from the industry given at sign-up, and that a platform setting one by hand needs Stripe to verify it fits the business. If Stripe can't work out a code, it falls back to the platform's code or to 5734, Computer Software Stores. Stripe may change a code after a review, and some codes are restricted until you contact Stripe.
Can a business have more than one MCC?
Yes, in some cases. Visa's manual says a business with more than one line of business either uses the code for the line with the highest sales for all its Visa sales, or uses a different code for each line. A business with several locations must choose the right code for each one. Visa's Core Rules also require separate codes when separate lines of business share one location and, for example, each has its own merchant agreement or trades under a different name.
What is MCC 8299?
MCC 8299 is "Schools and Educational Services (Not Elsewhere Classified)". Visa's manual says it is for merchants that offer educational courses and services not classified with a more specific code. The examples it lists include art schools, cooking and culinary schools, driving instruction and traffic school, flying instruction, job training services, karate schools and modeling schools.
Codes ending in 99 are catch-alls. Visa's manual says a "miscellaneous" code may be used only when no code specific to the business applies.
How is 8299 different from 8249 and the other school codes?
Visa's manual describes the education codes like this:
| MCC | Visa's title | Who it's for, in Visa's words |
|---|---|---|
| 8211 | Elementary and Secondary Schools | Schools that provide academic instruction |
| 8220 | Colleges, Universities, Professional Schools, and Junior Colleges | Schools that provide academic courses and grant degrees |
| 8241 | Correspondence Schools | Instruction by mail or internet |
| 8244 | Business and Secretarial Schools | General business and clerical training |
| 8249 | Vocational and Trade Schools | Training in specialized professions such as welding, mechanics, carpentry, real estate and truck driving |
| 8299 | Schools and Educational Services (Not Elsewhere Classified) | Courses not classified with a more specific code |
A welding, mechanics or truck-driving school fits 8249's own description. Because 8299 is a catch-all, Visa's rule is that it applies only when nothing more specific does. If you are a trade school and your processor coded you 8299, ask why.
Why does your MCC matter?
Several things key off the code:
- Interchange. Stripe's documentation says MCCs are often used for calculating interchange fees, authorizing payments and preventing fraud. Visa's US interchange schedule has industry programs, including Education rates for payments of $500 or more. Which codes qualify is set by Visa's program criteria, so ask your processor which program your payments land in. See interchange fee.
- Fees you are allowed to charge. Visa's US service fee is open only to nine codes. They include 8211, 8220, 8244 and 8249, but not 8241 or 8299.
- Cardholder controls. Visa's rules allow a card issuer to let its cardholders limit card use by merchant category code. A payment blocked that way is declined with response code 9G.
- Tax reporting. The IRS instructions for Form 1099-K put the four-digit MCC in Box 2, for the payment card transactions on the form.
Does your MCC decide whether you can surcharge?
No. Visa's US credit card surcharge rules apply by card type and by state, not by merchant category. The service fee is the program that depends on the code. A business can't charge a surcharge and a service fee on the same payment.
How do you find your MCC?
Ask your processor. On Stripe, the code is a property of the account (business_profile.mcc in the Accounts v1 API, configuration.merchant.mcc in Accounts v2). If your locations run on separate Stripe accounts, each account carries its own code.
This page uses Visa's published rules. Mastercard and the other networks publish their own, and your processor applies them. General information, not legal advice.
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules, 18 April 2026: section 1.5.1.11 (MCC assignment), section 5.5.3.1 and table 5-6 (service fee permitted MCCs), and the glossary entry for Merchant Category Code
- Visa Merchant Data Standards Manual, October 2026: "Determining Merchant Category Codes" and the listings for MCCs 8211, 8220, 8241, 8244, 8249 and 8299
- Visa USA Interchange Reimbursement Fees, 18 April 2026: consumer credit tables, Education 1 and Education 2
- Standards Council of Canada: ISO 18245:2023, Retail financial services — Merchant category codes
- Stripe: Set merchant category codes
- IRS: Instructions for Form 1099-K: Box 2, Merchant Category Code
Every figure on this page was checked against these sources on Oct 21, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.