Get the 2.2% nonprofit rate

If your church is a registered 501(c)(3), Stripe will discount your processing fees from 2.9% + $0.30 to 2.2% + $0.30 on cards, and from 0.8% to 0.5% (capped at $5) on bank transfers. Scout never takes a cut, so every dollar of that discount goes straight to your church.

For a church taking $200K/year online, the discount is roughly $1,400/year. For $500K, it's about $3,500. It's worth the 15 minutes it takes to apply.

Who qualifies

Your church needs an active 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS. If you're a recognized denomination's local church, you may be covered under a group ruling — check with your denomination's headquarters if you're unsure.

If you don't have your determination letter yet, you can still take gifts at the standard 2.9% rate while you apply with the IRS.

Apply for the rate

1. 1

   Finish connecting Stripe

   First, make sure you've completed the Stripe Connect onboarding through Scout (Giving → Setup). Stripe needs your account in good standing before they'll process the discount.

2. 2

   Open Stripe's nonprofit fee discount page

   Go to Stripe's nonprofit fee discount article. It walks through the current submission form and tells you exactly what they need.

   Stripe occasionally updates the form — that page is the most current source of truth.

3. 3

   Have these documents ready

   You'll be asked to provide:

   • Your EIN (the federal tax ID for your church)
   • A copy of your 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS (a PDF scan is fine)
   • Your Stripe account ID — find this in your Stripe Dashboard under Settings → Account details, or in the Connected card on Scout's Giving → Setup page (it starts with acct_…)
4. 4

   Submit and wait

   Stripe usually reviews nonprofit applications within 1–2 business days. They'll email the address on file when the rate is applied.

   You don't need to do anything in Scout — once Stripe applies the rate, all future gifts process at the lower fee automatically. Existing recurring gifts switch to the new rate at their next charge.

How to confirm the rate is active

A week or so after applying, send yourself a $10 test gift through your church's giving page. Open the donation in Giving → Donations, click into it, and check the Stripe fee:

• 2.2% + $0.30 on a $10 card gift = $0.52 in fees
• 2.9% + $0.30 on a $10 card gift = $0.59 in fees

If the fee still looks like the higher rate after a week, reply to your application thread with Stripe — they're usually quick to fix it.

What about ACH (bank transfers)?

ACH gifts also qualify for the nonprofit discount: 0.5% capped at $5 instead of 0.8%. The same application covers both — you don't need to do anything separate for ACH.

For larger gifts (above ~$1,000), encouraging givers to use ACH is one of the highest-leverage things you can do. A $5,000 gift via card costs $145 in fees; the same gift via ACH at the nonprofit rate costs $5.

Can Scout help if Stripe rejects my application?

Yes. If Stripe pushes back on your application — usually because of a name mismatch between your IRS letter and your Stripe account, or because they need additional documentation — email us and we'll help you sort it out. Most rejections are easy fixes.