Overview

This article guides you, as an Authorize.net merchant, through the process of viewing your account fees and interpreting your billing statements within the Merchant Interface. It explains the base fees associated with your payment gateway account, outlines the different types of statements available depending on the services you have enabled, and highlights key terminology to help you accurately read and understand your billing activity. Use this article to become familiar with charges, statement layouts, and where to go for additional support.

Viewing Account Fees

Follow these steps to view your account fees:

1. Sign in to the Merchant Interface.
2. Select Account from the main toolbar.
3. Click Merchant Profile in the main left-side menu.
4. Click Fees to the right of Payment Gateway in the Payment Methods section.

Payment Gateway Fees

• Gateway Setup Fee: Charged for the creation and setup of a new gateway account.
• Gateway Monthly Fee: Monthly fee for a payment gateway account.
• Credit Card Transaction Fee: Charged for each credit card transaction processed.
• Batch Fee: Assessed per settled credit card transaction batch.
• Credit Card Discount Rate: Percentage of the total amount of each credit card transaction submitted.
• Credit Card Monthly Minimum Fee: Minimum credit card processing service fee charged per billing cycle.
• Returned Payment Fee: Assessed if your bank returns an Automated Clearing House (ACH) or credit card debit attempt for Authorize.net billing.
• Late Payment Fee: Assessed for late payment of service fees.
• Service Reactivation Fee: Assessed to reactivate a closed payment gateway account.
• Abandon Account Fee: Assessed if no further communication can be made with a merchant to apply a credit to the ACH or credit card on account.

Note: The above fees are the base account fees. Additional fees may display if and when additional products and services are enabled.

Viewing Billing Statements

Follow these steps to view your billing statements:

1. Sign in to the Merchant Interface.
2. Click Statements.
3. Click Billing.

The billing statement displays a summary of all fees associated with processing transactions through the system. The fees are listed individually with a description of the fee under Item Description. The most current charges are listed at the top of the statement.

Saving, Printing, or Downloading Billing Statements

You can print the current Billing Details view or download monthly billing statements in PDF format in the new experience/2.0.

1. Sign in to the Merchant Interface.
2. Confirm you are using the New Merchant Interface (2.0).
3. Click Account in the left navigation.
4. Click Manage Billing.
5. Click View Billing Statement.

Print the Current Billing Details View

• Click Print in the upper-right corner of the Billing Details page.
• Use your browser's print options to print the page or select Save as PDF to save a copy.

Note: The Print option includes the currently displayed Billing Details view, which contains a rolling six months of billing activity.

Download Monthly Billing Statements

• Click Download in the upper-right corner of the Billing Details page.
• Select one or more billing periods.
• Click Download.

Notes:

• Monthly billing statements are available for up to 24 months.
• Selecting a single billing period downloads one PDF statement.
• Selecting multiple billing periods downloads a separate PDF file for each selected statement.
• Billing statements are downloaded in PDF format.

Statement Types

Depending on the services you have enabled, you may see more than one statement type:

• Billing Statement: Tracks monthly billing for your payment gateway service fees.
• Billing Reserve Statement (eCheck related): Tracks funds withheld from batch settlement funds for payment gateway service fees. These funds are applied toward your monthly billing.
• Settlement Statement (eCheck related): Tracks all funds received from batch settlements.
• Reserve Statement (eCheck related): Tracks a percentage of batch settlement funds withheld to cover potentially high-risk transactions.
• Tax Invoices: Lists all taxes generated for your account for the past six years. Tax invoices are only visible to United Kingdom (UK), European, and Australian accounts.

Understanding Fees and Charges

To find the fees charged for a specific month, scroll down until you find all entries for that month, indicated by the billing date. The total amount withdrawn from your bank account or charged to your credit card will be the first line.

Key Terms on Your Billing Statement

• Current Outstanding Balance: The amount currently owed for service and other applicable fees. This is billed monthly.
• Date: The date of the statement entry.
• Type: The type of action taking place for your Billing sub-account (for example, Payment).
• Item: The specific item or action taking place (for example, Credit Card Payment).
• Item Description: Any additional description of the item (for example, Payment Received).
• Amount: The amount being transferred, billed, or refunded. If this amount appears in parentheses, funds are being transferred to your merchant bank account.
• Account Balance: The current dollar amount in your Billing sub-account. A positive balance indicates funds owed to the payment gateway. A negative balance (displayed in parentheses) indicates funds owed to you.

Tips for Reading Your Billing Statement

• Amounts in parentheses, for example "(272.02)", indicate that funds are being transferred to your merchant bank account. The Account Balance is decreased by the same amount.
• Amounts not enclosed in parentheses indicate charges or return payments to your Billing sub-account. The Account Balance is then increased by the same amount.

Common Questions

• How can I access older billing statements?
  • You can download monthly billing statements in PDF format for up to 24 months by clicking Download on the Billing Details page.
• What is the difference between Print and Download?
  • Print displays a printer-friendly version of the current Billing Details view and can be saved as a PDF. The printed view contains a rolling six months of billing activity. Download provides one or more monthly billing statements in PDF format and allows access to statements from the previous 24 months.
• Are there separate fees for the Gateway and Merchant Account?
  • Yes. Gateway fees cover the cost of processing transactions through the payment gateway, while merchant account fees cover the cost of maintaining the merchant account and are charged by your Merchant Service Provider (MSP).
• How can I get my Merchant Account statement?
  • Please contact your Merchant Service Provider (MSP) to obtain your Merchant Account statement.
• Can fees be lowered or negotiated?
  • Please contact your Reseller/Partner or Authorize.net sales for questions on lowering or negotiating fees.
• How often are billing statements generated?
  • Authorize.net bills on the first of each month. Entries on the billing statement are added at that time and as any new billing event happens.
• How can I see the percentage I'm charged?
  • The percentage charged depends on the payment method and your Merchant Service Provider (MSP). For credit cards, contact your MSP. For eCheck, Authorize.net is your provider, and you will see eCheck and other account-related fees in your Authorize.net account.

Glossary

• ACH: Automated Clearing House
• MSP: Merchant Service Provider
• PDF: Portable Document Format
• UK: United Kingdom
• FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Additional Resources

• What is and who is a merchant service provider (MSP)?
• Merchant Support Cases FAQ
• What is and who is my reseller?