You pay it every month. Time you understood it.
Understand your processing statement in five minutes. Find the three numbers that matter first: statement period, total card sales, and total fees. Then calculate one useful starting point and know what to ask next.
We'll never ask to see your statement.
Already stuck on one specific line? You can skip ahead and ask about it. →
Marigold Counter Café — a fictional statement, in full
Every number on this page belongs to a café that doesn't exist. Real statements vary by provider and pricing model; this one exists so you can practice on it.
Every statement is different. Almost every one contains these three things.
Finding them is the whole first step.
That's it. Three numbers. On our fictional café you just found a month of business in about ninety seconds.
One division, one starting point.
Divide total fees by total card sales. That's your effective rate — the share of card sales that went to processing for this period.
A starting point — not a verdict.
This number can help you (a) watch your own month-to-month change and (b) have a sharper conversation with your provider. By itself it can't tell you whether your pricing is good or bad:
- pricing structures differ,
- card mixes differ,
- businesses differ,
- and one month may not represent yours.
A good first read ends with better questions.
You don't need conclusions on day one. You need a short list of things worth asking. Circle what you can't explain, then borrow ours.
Printing uses your browser's print dialog — choose "Save as PDF" for a file. Nothing leaves this page.
Follow the fictional example
The three numbers, plus what the rest of the page is — step by step on the fictional example. Use ← → keys or the buttons.
What this can—and can't—tell you.
- Whether your pricing fits your business.
- What your contract says.
- Whether anything should change.
One statement cannot answer those questions by itself.
It can help you find the key numbers, calculate your effective rate, and know what to ask next.
Unfamiliar doesn't mean improper. But you should be able to understand what you're paying for.
Circled a label? You can look it up, one line at a time, in the Statement Line Dictionary.
Start with anything you cannot explain. If one line has you stuck, type the label exactly as it appears and ProcessorFit can help you understand what that kind of line generally means — and what's worth asking your provider. Ask about a line ↓
Now, yours.
You've seen the method on a café that doesn't exist. Your statement is real — and the same first pass still applies.
- Find the statement period
- Find total card sales
- Find total fees
- Circle every line you cannot explain
That's a real first pass — you can stop right here with everything you came for.
What happens next is different for every merchant. Some find one line they can't explain. Most simply file the statement — and meet it again next month. Eventually, bigger processing decisions may arise.
None of those moments needs to happen today. Whenever they do, this is where ProcessorFit meets you:
Stuck on one line? Ask about it.
Type the label exactly as it appears on your statement. ProcessorFit can help explain what that kind of line generally is — and what may be worth asking your provider.
Make it monthly. Get the Statement Check-In.
One short email when statement season comes around: what to check, how this month compares with the last, and one question worth asking. Two minutes with your own statement, twelve times a year — that's the habit.
Deciding something?
If you're weighing a switch, comparing proposals, or wondering whether a change is even warranted, start by understanding what you have. Sometimes the right answer is keeping your current setup on better-understood terms. When that's what the numbers suggest, that's what you'll hear.
That deeper decision work is part of what ProcessorFit does.
Prefer a person? Call 1 (628) 946-9795.
No statement uploads. We'll never call to sell you anything. No pressure.
Education first—always.