Processor fee
The PCI non-compliance fee on your statement
$19.95. $24.95. $39.95. The line item shows up every month and most merchants have no idea what it is. It is a processor charge, not a government fine, and you can remove it in an afternoon.
Updated April 2026
Typical monthly fee
$10 - $50
depending on processor
Annual cost
$120 - $600
paid for not filing a form
Time to fix
15 min
SAQ A merchants on hosted checkout
Fee by processor
Per-processor amounts. Square, Stripe, PayPal, and Toast handle PCI as part of their service and charge nothing. Most legacy processors charge a monthly non-compliance fee that disappears once you submit the SAQ.
| Processor | Monthly fee | How to clear it |
|---|---|---|
| Square | No PCI fee | Automatic - Square handles PCI compliance |
| Stripe | No PCI fee | Automatic - complete SAQ A via Stripe Dashboard |
| PayPal (Braintree) | No PCI fee | Automatic for hosted solutions |
| Clover / Fiserv | $30-$50/month | Complete SAQ via Clover Dashboard or call processor |
| Worldpay (FIS) | $19.95-$30/month | Complete SAQ at securetrust.com or call Worldpay |
| TSYS / Global Payments | $19.95-$39.95/month | Complete SAQ via ControlScan portal or call processor |
| Heartland | $24.95-$39.95/month | Complete SAQ via Heartland Compliance portal |
| Chase Paymentech | $14.95-$19.95/month | Complete SAQ via Chase Merchant Services portal |
| Elavon | $19.95-$29.95/month | Complete SAQ via PCI compliance portal or call Elavon |
| First Data (now Fiserv) | $19.95-$34.95/month | Complete SAQ via TrustKeeper portal |
How to remove the fee
- 1
Find the right SAQ
Match your payment flow to the correct SAQ type. Most merchants on Stripe Checkout, PayPal, or Square-style hosted checkout qualify for SAQ A (22 questions).
Use the SAQ wizard → - 2
Log in to the processor compliance portal
Every major processor offers a compliance portal: Clover Security, Heartland Compliance, Worldpay's SecureTrust, Chase Merchant Services. Your welcome email or merchant statement shows the URL.
- 3
Complete the SAQ
Honest answers. SAQ A takes 10 to 15 minutes. SAQ D can take days. If you are stuck on SAQ D, scope reduction (tokenization, hosted page) can usually drop you to SAQ A.
Reduce SAQ scope → - 4
Submit and wait one billing cycle
After submission, the fee is removed within one to two billing cycles. Some processors will backdate a single month. Ask in writing.
The compliance portal is a black hole?
Compliance support quality varies dramatically by processor. If your portal is broken or unhelpful, the PCI SSC's directory of validated solution providers includes ASV scanners and SAQ tooling that work independently of your processor.
Frequently asked
It is a monthly charge from your payment processor, typically $10 to $50, applied because you have not completed your annual PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaire. It is a processor incentive fee, not a card brand fine. Most processors remove it within one to two billing cycles after you complete your SAQ through their compliance portal.
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