Understand your US invoice and fee structure

This article is relevant to United States customers only. If you are not a US customer, see Canadian fees or view UK fees.

Table of contents

• Overview
• Two billing systems currently exist
• Fee overview
• Rounding rules
• Your GotPhoto invoices
• Billing system comparison
• Invoice type 1: Rolling balance billing (legacy)
• Legacy invoice sections explained
• Invoice type 2: Invoice-based billing (current)
• New invoice sections explained
• FAQ
• The takeaway

Overview

This article explains how GotPhoto calculates and bills your fees. Note that GotPhoto uses different rounding rules for order fees versus amounts deducted when a customer places an order.

Update March 2026:

We’re upgrading our invoicing system to provide more precise and transparent billing. Instead of using rolling balances, payments will now be matched directly to individual invoices. This change helps you clearly see which invoices are paid and which remain outstanding, making reconciliation much easier. The changes will be rolled out gradually to all users. In this article, you’ll find a detailed explanation of what’s changing and how it affects you.

Two billing systems currently exist

Important: GotPhoto currently supports two different billing systems while we gradually migrate all customers to the new invoice-based billing.

• Legacy (Rolling Balance Billing): balances are carried over between billing periods.
• New (Invoice-Based Billing): each invoice is handled separately and must be paid separately.

Your account will use only one billing system at a time, depending on whether your account has already been migrated.

Fee overview

There are three main types of fees GotPhoto may charge:

1. Standard fees

• Monthly subscription: Applies unless you're on an Enterprise plan. Switch to annual here.
• Service fee: Applied per order on gross revenue.
• Payment fees:
  • $0.30 per order
  • 2.9% transaction fee per order

2. Sales tax

GotPhoto acts as a Marketplace Facilitator, collecting sales tax from customer payments. These are displayed on the order page as part of the Photographer Fee Payment. Even in the case of disputed or blocked payments, the sales tax line may still appear unless canceled.

3. [Optional] Other charges, if applicable to your workflow

• Fees for basic editing or background removal
• Manual order entry: A per-order fee is applied (instead of the regular service fee that is applied on shop orders). Pricing depends on your plan or contract and may vary between €0.75 per order (Pro plan), $1.00 per order (Growth plan), and $2.00 per order (Free plan). Custom plans may qualify for a lower rate.
• Entagged subscription fee

Rounding rules

GotPhoto calculates service and payment fees using four decimal places for accuracy, but rounds visible charges to two decimal places. This may result in a negative or positive account balance.

Example:

• Service fee: 7% of $45.24 → $3.1668 → charged as $3.17
• Payment fee: 2.9% + $0.30 → $1.268 + $0.30 = $1.568 → charged as $1.57

These rounding practices also apply to manual Order Entry orders. Monthly invoice differences are normal and reconciled in your balance.

Prepay note: If you request a payout before sales tax is billed, your balance may go negative in the next cycle.

Your GotPhoto invoices

You’ll receive your GotPhoto invoices via email, and you can also access them in your GotPhoto Admin under User Name > My Account > Finances > Financial Reports > Invoices.

Invoices for the previous month are available on the first day of each month.

Important Update (March 2026): Shift from a rolling invoice balance to invoice-matching billing.

Previously, outstanding amounts were carried over to the next invoice. To improve reconciliation, we are introducing a new system where each invoice is handled individually.

This makes it easy to see which invoices are paid and which remain outstanding.

What are the changes you will notice in your account?

• If you paid all past invoices, your GotPhoto Balance will indicate that.
• If your account has unpaid invoices, we will display them under the section "Choose an unpaid invoice".
• With the new billing type, each invoice must be paid separately.
• If you have not saved a credit card yet, please do so.

Billing system comparison

Invoice type 1: Rolling balance billing (legacy)

For existing customers whose accounts have not yet been migrated to invoice-based billing. Balances are carried over between billing periods.

The sample GotPhoto invoice below highlights billed services, taxes, and any outstanding balances. Additional pages provide full transaction and fee breakdowns.

Legacy invoice sections explained

• Billed Services section
  • Payment Fees are $.30 per order + 2.9% transaction fee (Stripe). This is the payment processing fee charged by Stripe Express.
  • Service Fees are a percentage, dependent on your plan type, that is applied per order on gross revenue.
    • This is the fee that GotPhoto takes on each sale for using our platform.
    • Example: If you’re on the Pro plan, your service fee is 7%. This means a service fee equal to 7% of each order’s gross revenue is charged.
  • Monthly Fees
    • This includes your monthly subscription (Your GotPhoto Plan: Free, Growth, and Pro), if applicable. If you're on an annual plan, the annual fee is charged in the month following the activation of the annual plan.

This section can also include Editing Fees, Order Entry fees under $50, and/or Entagged subscription fees if you utilize any of these services.

• Other Liabilities section
  • Sales Tax amount is showing the total amount of Sales Tax that GotPhoto has collected and remitted from your customers as a Marketplace facilitator.
  • This is a reflection of the sales tax collected. You won't be billed this amount.
• Payment Already Settled section
  • Includes the total of payment fees, service fees, and sales tax that were collected at the time of sale, as well as any payins you proceeded during the invoice cycle (if applicable).
  • These are the fees that have already been processed and settled.
• Carried Over section
  • It is the leftover amount that you owe if you have any previous unpaid invoices.
• Clearing & Final Invoice Balance section
  • This amount will reflect either a negative balance, which is the amount that you owe GotPhoto or a positive balance. Positive balance are funds that will be credited to your Stripe account at the end of the month.
  • There can be small discrepancies due to rounding as we calculate fees to four decimal places.

Invoice type 2: Invoice-based billing (new)

For new customers and migrated existing accounts. Each invoice reflects only the charges for that specific billing period.

New invoice sections explained

• Current charges section
  • Payment processing fees are $.30 per order + 2.9% transaction fee (Stripe). This is the payment processing fee charged by Stripe Express.
  • GotPhoto order processing fees are a percentage, dependent on your plan type, applied per order to gross revenue.
    • This is the fee that GotPhoto takes on each sale for using our platform.
    • Example: If you’re on the Pro plan, your service fee is 7%. This means a service fee equal to 7% of each order’s gross revenue is charged.
  • Monthly hosting fees
    • This includes your monthly subscription (Your GotPhoto Plan: Free, Growth, and Pro), if applicable. If you're on an annual plan, the annual fee is charged in the month following the activation of the annual plan.

This section can also include Editing Fees, Order Entry fees under $50, and/or Entagged subscription fees if you utilize any of these services.

• Sales Tax section
  • Sales Tax amount is showing the total amount of Sales Tax that GotPhoto has collected and remitted from your customers as a Marketplace facilitator.
  • This is a reflection of the sales tax collected. You won't be billed this amount.
• Finalized Payments
  • Includes the total of payment fees, service fees, and sales tax that were collected at the time of sale, as well as any payins you proceeded during the invoice cycle (if applicable).
  • These are the fees that have already been processed and settled.
• Final Balance section
  • This amount will reflect either a negative balance, which is the amount that you owe GotPhoto, or a positive balance. Positive balances are funds that will be credited to your Stripe account at the end of the month.
  • There can be small discrepancies due to rounding as we calculate fees to four decimal places.

With the introduction of the new invoice-based billing, you will now find all past unpaid invoices in your GotPhoto Balance account section: User name > Finances > GotPhoto Balance. Each open invoice needs to be paid separately.

FAQ

How much does it cost to deliver a digital download to a customer?

Digital download products on GotPhoto do not incur any production costs. However, the order will still be subject to your plan’s specific order service fee.

How do I know which billing system my account is using?

A quick way to identify your billing system:

• If your dashboard shows a GotPhoto Balance next to your Stripe balance, you are using legacy (rolling balance) billing.
• If your dashboard shows only a Stripe balance, you are using invoice-based billing (see image below).

Why do I need to pay invoices separately now?

Under the new invoice-based billing system, each invoice is matched and tracked individually. This makes it easier to see which invoices are paid and which remain outstanding.

The takeaway

GotPhoto currently has two billing systems while customers are being migrated to the new invoice-based billing model. The wording and sections shown on your invoice may differ depending on which billing system your account uses. GotPhoto also uses precise rounding and accounting rules to ensure fairness, especially for high-volume photographers. Small discrepancies between billed and actual fees are normal and are automatically adjusted according to your account's billing logic.