Add an ACH processing fee to a form
If your club accepts ACH (bank transfer) payments on a form, you can pass the 0.5% processing fee on to members who choose ACH. The fee only appears when someone selects ACH.
Before you start, your form needs a Payment Type field with ACH and Credit Card choices. See Adding Multiple Payment Types to a Form (ECRYPT only).
Add the fee to your form
Go to Content > Gravity Forms and open your form.
If your form charges for more than one item, add a Subtotal field from Pricing Fields. Skip this if the form already has one.
Add a Product field from Pricing Fields, and set the Field Label to ACH Processing Fee.
In the field settings, set Field Type to Calculation, check Disable Quantity, and check Required.
In the Formula box, enter
({subtotal} / 0.995) - {subtotal}. Use the Merge Tag menu to insert your Subtotal field in place of{subtotal}.
Open Conditional Logic, turn it on, and set it to Show this field if Payment Type is ACH.
Add a short Description so members know what they’re paying for, like “Covers the cost of processing your bank payment.”
Make sure your form has a Total field, then click Save Form.
💡 Why not just multiply by 0.5%? The fee is charged on the full amount, including the fee itself. The formula adds a few extra cents so your club receives the full price.
Test your form
Preview your form and select ACH. The fee should appear and the total should go up.
Select Credit Card. The fee should disappear.
⚠️ Fee not showing? Check that your conditional logic uses the Payment Type field and that ACH is spelled exactly as it is on your form.
To charge a fee on card payments too, see Adding a Service Fee to Forms.
Common Questions
Q: Should I charge the same fee for ACH and credit cards? No. ACH fees (0.8% + $0.20) are much lower than credit card fees (2.9% + $0.30). If you're passing fees to members, they should be different amounts.
Q: Can I make the ACH fee required? Yes, but only if you set conditional logic so it's required when ACH is selected. Otherwise, it should be optional since not everyone pays by ACH.
Q: What if someone tries to avoid the fee by selecting credit card instead? That's fine - credit card processing actually costs you more (2.9% vs 0.8%), so you may want to consider adding a credit card processing fee as well. See: Adding a Service Fee to Forms
Q: Is it legal to charge processing fees? Processing fee rules vary by state and payment type. Consult with legal counsel to ensure compliance in your jurisdiction. Some states prohibit credit card surcharges but allow ACH fees, while others have different rules.
Q: Can I use this for renewal forms too? Yes! The same process works for any form that accepts payments - registration, renewals, one-time purchases, etc.
Q: The fee isn't showing up when I select ACH. What's wrong? Check your conditional logic settings. Make sure the payment method field name exactly matches what you used in the conditional logic rule.
Tips for Success
Be transparent: Clearly explain why you're charging the fee and how it's calculated. Members appreciate honesty about processing costs.
Consider absorbing small fees: For transactions under $100, the ACH fee might only be $1-2. Some organizations absorb these small costs to simplify the member experience.
Test thoroughly: Always test your form with both payment methods before launching to members.
Monitor feedback: If members complain about the fee, consider whether the administrative benefit outweighs member satisfaction.