How to accept card payments as a contractor

• A payment link on the invoice. The customer opens the invoice and pays on the processor’s page. Priced as an online payment.
• A QR code on the job. You show a code for the amount; the customer scans it and pays on the processor’s page. Also priced as online. See QR code payments for contractors.
• A card reader or Tap to Pay. The customer taps or inserts the card on your device. Priced as in person, usually lower per payment.

Never write down or photograph a customer’s card number. Let the customer type it on the processor’s page.

• Stripe adds 0.5% for a manually entered card and 1.5% for an international card.
• Square’s keyed-in price is 3.5% + 15¢.
• Wave charges 3.4% + 60¢ for American Express.

Sources: Stripe pricing, Square fees, Wave pricing, Jobber pricing, read 5 October 2026

A surcharge is an extra charge added because the customer pays by credit card. Visa’s rules for US merchants:

• Surcharge credit cards only. Debit and prepaid cards cannot be surcharged.
• Cap it at your processing cost for that card or 3%, whichever is lower.
• Notify your processor at least 30 days before you start.
• Disclose it at the point of entry, at the point of sale, and on every receipt.

Sources: Visa merchant surcharging Q&A (PDF) and Visa small-business rules and fees, read 5 October 2026

A card deposit follows the same state limits as any deposit. California, for example, caps a home improvement deposit at $1,000 or 10% of the contract, whichever is less. The state-by-state rules are in how much deposit a contractor can take.

Write your refund policy on the quote. For a future service, Stripe says the dispute window starts on the service date, not the payment date.

Stripe says your first payout is typically scheduled within 7–14 days of your first live payment.

After that, in the US, Stripe settles card payments in about 2 business days; your payout schedule decides when they reach your bank.

Source: Stripe docs, payouts, read 5 October 2026

A dispute is when the cardholder asks their bank to reverse a payment.

• Card networks typically allow disputes within 120 days of the payment.
• For a service delivered later, the window starts on the service date.
• You usually have 7–21 days to respond, depending on the card network.
• Stripe charges $15 per dispute received, and another $15 if you counter it, refunded if you win.

Sources: Stripe docs, how disputes work and Stripe pricing, read 5 October 2026

Your evidence is the paper trail: the approved quote, photos of the finished work, the invoice and the receipt. What goes on each is in how to invoice as a contractor.

The IRS says: “If your customers or clients pay you directly by credit, debit or gift card, you’ll get a Form 1099-K from your payment card processor no matter how many payments you got or how much they were for.”

Payment apps and online marketplaces report when your payments exceed $20,000 in more than 200 transactions.

The IRS also says you must report all income on your tax return, whatever the amount reported.

Source: IRS, Understanding your Form 1099-K, read 5 October 2026