Last reviewed: October 15, 2026
A monthly or annual fee that some processors charge for services supporting a merchant's PCI DSS compliance process, such as a compliance portal or assessment tools. It is separate from a PCI noncompliance fee that a processor may assess under its applicable program and agreement. Paying a program fee or completing a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) does not by itself establish compliance or guarantee that a noncompliance fee will be avoided or removed.
See common payment processing fees — including PCI and gateway fees
Sources checked
Verification note
PCI SSC sources describe validation and reporting, not individual processor fees. Confirm fee assessment and removal conditions in your processor's applicable program and agreement. These sources were checked on October 15, 2026; no current processor pricing or fee-removal policy was independently verified.
Confirm your validation and reporting requirements with the entity accepting your compliance documentation, such as your acquirer or payment brand. Depending on your environment and applicable program, validation may require an SAQ, an Attestation of Compliance, passing vulnerability scans, and submission of the required documentation. PCI SSC guidance describes validation requirements, not individual processor fee schedules. Check your processing statement and agreement fee schedule, ask your processor what the charge covers, and request written validation requirements and fee-removal conditions before assuming a charge can be avoided or disputed.
No. A separate PCI program fee is processor-specific, not a universal fee imposed by PCI SSC. Ask whether support is included or separately charged, what the charge covers, and what your agreement says about any noncompliance fee. Fee assessment or removal depends on the processor's applicable program and agreement, not simply on completing an SAQ.
An SAQ is a PCI DSS self-assessment and reporting tool for eligible environments. Confirm whether an SAQ applies and which version to use with your acquirer or payment brand. Applicable validation may also require an Attestation of Compliance, passing vulnerability scans, and submission of documentation. Completing the questionnaire alone is not a guarantee of security, compliance, or removal of processor fees.
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