What are Dues & Assessments?
Dues & Assessments are processing fees merchants pay to the Card Associations to finance their roles in the following: • Operating the network • Setting rules • Setting pricing • R&D (develop new technology, combat fraud) • Marketing/Branding They are a set percentage of the sale and are generally collected on a daily or monthly basis. With Monthly Assessments, merchants pay on or around the first of the month via an ACH transaction for the previous month’s assessment fees. With Daily Assessments, fees are debited from each batch. Additionally, on the last day of the month, the merchant is assessed additional fees which may include charges for reporting, authorizations, international or cross border transactions, etc.
