Square for Nonprofits: Fees, In-Person Giving and What 85 Giving Pages Show
connectNPO · Updated October 2026
Key takeaways
- Square has no nonprofit rate; it charges a nonprofit the same as any business: 2.6% plus 15 cents for a card tapped, dipped or swiped in person, and 3.3% plus 30 cents for an online payment on its Free plan. Its nonprofit page lists no special nonprofit rate.
- On a $50 gift that is $1.45 in person and $1.95 online. Typing a card number in by hand costs 3.5% plus 15 cents, $1.90 on the same gift, so a reader at the table is cheaper than a phone keypad.
- We looked at 85 working online giving pages from small California nonprofits. Square handled the gifts on only 3, and none of the three offered a monthly gift. PayPal was the giving tool on 18, and Stripe’s payment code loaded on 37.
- Square’s nonprofit page centres on in-person payments: extra readers so staff and members can take payments and donations at special events, and card payments that work without a signal. That is a different job from a monthly donation form.
- If you raise more than $250,000 a year through Square, its fees page says to ask about custom pricing. Below that, compare the six prices in the chart here before you choose where online gifts go.
The silent auction closes at nine. There is a line at the checkout table, a card reader that worked well at the bake sale, and a treasurer wondering aloud whether the same account should run the website too.
Square for nonprofits is the same Square a coffee shop uses: the same readers, the same app and the same fees. That is its strength at a gala or a thrift store, and the reason to look closely before it becomes your online donation form. On October 2, 2026 we read Square’s own pages, and we looked at what the giving pages of 85 small California nonprofits run on.
Square for nonprofits: what it costs
On its Free plan, Square charges 2.6% plus 15 cents for a card tapped, dipped or swiped in person, 3.3% plus 30 cents for an online payment, and 3.5% plus 15 cents for a card typed in by hand. On a $50 gift that is $1.45, $1.95 and $1.90.
| Square, US, Free plan | Fee | On a $50 gift |
|---|---|---|
| In person: tap, dip or swipe | 2.6% + 15¢ | $1.45 |
| Online: a donation page, a payment link or an invoice | 3.3% + 30¢ | $1.95 |
| A card number typed in by hand, or a saved card | 3.5% + 15¢ | $1.90 |
| Online on the paid Plus or Premium plans | 2.9% + 30¢ | $1.75 |
From Square’s fees page, read October 2, 2026. The paid plans carry a monthly charge; see Square’s page for it. Check before you budget, because fees change.
Square’s pricing page lists the Free plan at $0 a month, so on that plan you pay only the fees per payment. The paid Plus and Premium plans lower the online rate to 2.9% plus 30 cents but carry a monthly charge, listed on Square’s page; add it to your sums before you decide. Money reaches the bank in one to two business days, according to Square’s nonprofit page.
Is there a Square nonprofit discount?
Yes, a 501(c)(3) can use Square: its nonprofit page lists cash, checks, bank transfers and card payments for organizations. It also lists the same card fees as for any business, and neither it nor the fees page, read on October 2, 2026, mentions a nonprofit discount. The fees page does say that an organization processing over $250,000 a year can talk to Square’s team about custom pricing.
That is the difference from PayPal and Stripe, which both offer a lower rate to qualifying nonprofits on application; Stripe’s requires at least 80% of the account’s volume to be tax-deductible donations, and ticket sales, membership fees and registration fees do not count toward it. Our guides to PayPal for nonprofits and Stripe for nonprofits cover how each one works.
Square’s price depends on where the gift happens: a card tapped at the table, a form online, or a number typed in by hand. Comparing the six prices below without asking that is like comparing train fares without asking which train.
A $50 gift, six published prices
Here is one $50 gift priced six ways, from four companies’ own published prices. Square’s in-person rate is the second-lowest line here, though the others are online or in-app prices, not readers. Online, Square’s Free plan is the most expensive of the six, about a cent above PayPal’s standard donation rate.
The fee on one $50 US card gift, from each company’s own published price, read October 2, 2026, rounded to the cent. Each company may round differently, and some rates need an application first.
The cheapest line, the Venmo charity profile, works inside the Venmo app rather than as a form on your website; Venmo for nonprofits explains the difference. PayPal’s charity rate needs PayPal’s approval first.
How many small nonprofits use Square online
In our donation form count, Square was the payment company behind only 3 of the 85 working online giving pages: one page hosted by Square, one form on the organization’s own website connected to Square, and one Weebly website store, which takes payment through Square. None of the three offered a monthly gift; two showed suggested amounts.
For comparison, PayPal was the giving tool behind 18 of the 85, and Stripe’s payment code loaded on 37. Three pages is too few to judge Square overall. Among these 85 organizations, it was the way online gifts came in on three. The sample is drawn from the one in our count of what small nonprofit websites are built on.
A donation page on the processor you already use
We build the donation page on your site. Gifts still go through the Square account or giving tool you already use. Every page is checked each month for broken links. One plan, $180 a month, and the $1,000 build fee only after you approve the finished site.
Square’s rate is lowest at the till at the front of the room. An online donation form is more like the mail slot: open all night, with no one standing beside it, and Square charges more for a gift that comes in that way.
Where Square fits: events and in-person giving
Square is good for in-person giving and weaker for online giving, in our reading of its pages and our count. Square’s nonprofit page describes extra readers that let staff and members accept payments and donations, a free point-of-sale app that turns a smartphone or tablet into a till, card payments that work even without a signal, and money in the bank in one to two business days. It also covers cash, checks, bank transfers, and phone payments such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
In our reading, that suits a gala, a fun run, a bake sale, a box office or a thrift store. For gifts that arrive through the website, especially monthly ones, the form matters too, not only the fee: a page that says what a gift pays for, suggested amounts, and a monthly choice. Our donation page examples show eight, and year-end giving covers what to change before December.
Five questions before you choose Square
- 01Is the gift in person or online? Square’s page centres on readers and the point-of-sale app. If most of your gifts arrive through the website, compare the online prices above first.
- 02Do donors want to give monthly? None of the three Square-based giving pages in our count offered a monthly gift. If monthly giving matters, check that the form you use offers it; our donation page examples show eight that do.
- 03Will you take gifts over the phone? When someone reads you a card number and you type it in, the fee is 3.5% plus 15 cents. A card on a reader is 2.6% plus 15 cents.
- 04Does it fit the rest of your tools? Square can keep a list of the people who paid you and send them email, according to its nonprofit page. Decide whether that list is where your donor records live, or whether they belong somewhere else.
- 05Who thanks donors and records the gifts? The Square pages we read mention digital receipts but not donation acknowledgments. Decide who sends the thank-you and keeps the record of each gift, the same as for any other gift.
To press a working give panel, see our sample sites: fifteen invented nonprofits with complete demonstration websites.
Comparing donation platforms such as Zeffy or Givebutter? Our Zeffy vs Givebutter comparison shows what donors saw added before they paid, on real nonprofit giving pages. For every option on one page, see our guide to nonprofit payment processing.
Frequently asked questions
Does Square offer a discount for nonprofits?
Square’s nonprofit page and its fees page, read on October 2, 2026, list no nonprofit discount. The fees page says organizations processing over 250,000 dollars a year can ask about custom pricing.
Can a 501(c)(3) use Square?
Yes. Square has a page for nonprofits and says organizations can accept cash, checks, ACH bank transfers, credit and debit cards and contactless payments. It lists the same card fees as for any business, with no special nonprofit rate on that page.
How much does Square cost for a nonprofit?
Square’s pricing page lists the Free plan at 0 dollars a month, so you pay only per payment: 2.6 percent plus 15 cents in person, 3.3 percent plus 30 cents online, and 3.5 percent plus 15 cents for cards typed in by hand. Paid plans lower the online rate to 2.9 percent plus 30 cents.
Is Square good for nonprofits?
It depends on the job. Square’s nonprofit page centres on taking payments in person, including without a signal. In our count of 85 small California nonprofit giving pages, Square was behind 3 online giving pages, and none of the three offered a monthly gift.
What is the cheapest way to take a 50 dollar donation?
Using each company’s own published price, a 50 dollar gift costs about 1.05 dollars through a Venmo charity profile, 1.45 dollars on a Square reader in person, 1.49 dollars at PayPal’s charity rate, 1.75 dollars on Stripe and 1.95 dollars online on Square’s Free plan. Prices change, so check each page.
See your finished website before you pay for it.
A donation page on your own site, with gifts still going through the payment company or giving tool you already use. You pay nothing until you approve the finished site; the first payment is then $1,180 (the build fee plus the first month), and $180 a month after that.
See the plan and apply →Fees from Square’s, PayPal’s, Stripe’s and Venmo’s own pages, read October 2, 2026; check them before you budget. Counts from our check of 85 California nonprofit giving pages on October 1 and 2, 2026; no organization is named. The sample sites we link to are fictional. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.