Payment app fees for house cleaners: Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, Square
What each one takes from a $150 clean, and the rules that come with it.
SnapPaid takes 0%, but the app your client pays in may charge you. Zelle typically charges no fee. A Venmo business profile charges 1.9% + $0.10 per payment. Square's free invoice plan charges 3.3% + 30 cents per card payment. And Venmo's user agreement says personal accounts may not be used for business.
How much do payment apps charge? Which has the lowest fees?
| How the client pays you | Fee to you | On a $150 clean |
|---|---|---|
| Zelle | Typically none; your bank may differ | $0.00 |
| Venmo business profile | 1.9% + $0.10 | $2.95 |
| Venmo personal, marked Goods and Services | 2.99% | $4.49 |
| PayPal invoice, paid by card | 2.99% + $0.49 | $4.98 |
| Square Invoices free plan, paid by card | 3.3% + 30 cents | $5.25 |
| PayPal invoice, paid with PayPal or Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 | $5.73 |
| Cash App for Business | Charges a fee on payments received; see Cash App's fee page for the current rate | See Cash App |
| SnapPaid | 0% of every payment; $9.99 a month after 3 free invoices | $0.00 |
The lowest is Zelle, which typically costs nothing. Next is a Venmo business profile.
Do Venmo or Cash App charge me fees? How do I avoid them?
Business accounts on both charge a fee on each payment you receive. Personal accounts don't charge for a normal payment, but they are not meant for business. The way to avoid the fee without breaking a rule is Zelle, which typically charges nothing, or a bank transfer.
Can I use personal Venmo for cleaning? Can they lock my account?
Venmo's user agreement says personal accounts "may not be used to conduct business, commercial or merchant transactions." It also says Venmo may restrict an account whose selling activity reaches certain thresholds. So yes, an account used for business can be limited.
The fix is a Venmo business profile, which charges 1.9% + $0.10 per payment. That fee is Venmo's, not SnapPaid's. Venmo user agreement
Move cleaning payments off the personal account. Put Zelle first on your bill, since it typically costs nothing, and keep a Venmo business profile for clients who only use Venmo.
SnapPaid shows every method you add as an option on the bill, so clients who have Zelle can use it.
It does not make a personal Venmo account acceptable for business, and it cannot waive any app's fee.
Clients tick "Goods and Services" on your personal Venmo by mistake.
That marks the payment as a purchase, and Venmo charges you 2.99%. On a business profile, payments are business payments at 1.9% + $0.10.
Why is Square charging me over 3% plus 30 cents?
That is the rate on its free invoice plan when a client pays by card: 3.3% + 30 cents. Square processes the card, so it takes a fee on every payment. If a client pays the invoice by bank transfer instead, Square charges 1%, with a $1 minimum and a $10 cap.
Square fees on a $150 to $180 clean.
$5.25 on a $150 clean and $6.24 on a $180 clean, every time a client pays by card. At 20 cleans of $150 a month, that is $105.
Do I pay processing fees through an invoice app?
Only if the app processes the payment. Square and PayPal process cards, so they charge per payment. SnapPaid does not process payments: your client pays you in her own app, so SnapPaid has no processing fee. The app she pays in may still charge you.
Can I pass card fees on to the client?
Rules on card surcharges vary by state and by card network, so check your state's rules before adding one. This is not legal advice. SnapPaid takes no cards, so there is no SnapPaid fee to pass on.
Should I take cards, or only Zelle and Venmo?
Cards cost you a fee on every clean, but some clients want them. One middle path is Zelle and one payment app as the default, and cards only for clients who ask.
Decide whether to absorb the fee or offer the card option only to those clients, through a card service.
SnapPaid shows Venmo, Cash App, PayPal and Zelle on the bill. Some clients fund those apps with their own card.
SnapPaid does not process card payments. Her payment app may charge her for using a credit card.
Where SnapPaid fits
Payment apps move money but send no bill, no reminder and keep no record. Business software does all of it, for a crew, at a crew's price. SnapPaid covers the four steps one cleaner needs.
- 1Finish and snapSealed with the time, and the place when location is on.
- 2Text one linkFrom your own number. Nothing for her to download.
- 3She pays in her appVenmo, Cash App, PayPal or Zelle, straight to you.
- 4The record staysPaid or open, per client, with the photo.
SnapPaid takes 0% of what she pays you. Your payment app may charge its own fees, for example on a Venmo business profile. Fees, explained.