Separate the variable costs from the provider's stated charge

Read the separation the offer actually makes

Keep the proposal's labels for pass-through costs and provider charges, but do not let those labels stand in for definitions. A component called network cost needs a written explanation of the charges included and the record that will substantiate them. A component called markup needs its own calculation basis. If those definitions are absent, the headline number is not enough to evaluate the formula.

Distinguish the party whose cost is described from the party that collects it. The name on a bill alone does not explain whose charge a component represents. Copy both roles where the offer states them, and leave either role unresolved where it does not. This is a map of the received offer, not a list of fees every merchant must pay.

Stripe's general terms allow written fee agreements to differ from public pricing, and regional terms depend on the account country. For a Stripe offer, read the applicable agreement and written pricing together. For another provider, use that provider's documents; Stripe's agreement does not fill missing terms in them.

Make each calculation reproducible without inventing inputs

For each stated percentage, identify the amount it is applied to. For each fixed charge, identify the event or period that triggers it. Record the currency and any included or excluded activity the document names. If a component has several parts, preserve those parts separately rather than compressing them into one apparent rate.

Classify an input as specified in the offer, dependent on actual activity, or unresolved. A variable input can be clearly defined even though its future value is unknown. Conversely, a precise-looking number can still be unusable if the offer does not define its base. Request the missing definition; do not substitute your store's order count or sales total without confirmation that it is the agreed measure.

To compare two proposals, align the entity, payment method, country, currency and included services first. Then compare which components each proposal defines and how each can be verified. A smaller markup does not resolve a broader or undefined pass-through component. Keep any separate charges named elsewhere in the offer visible rather than assuming they are included.

Choose the evidence that will substantiate the charge

Stripe's Fees report illustrates why the future reporting record matters: it covers most balance-paid fees, including fees from Stripe, networks and partners. An itemized transaction can have multiple fee rows. The incurred_by reference connects relevant rows to the object that incurred them; fee_description and the product or feature fields describe the fee. A report label still needs a mapping to the term in the proposal.

The report excludes Terminal devices, Capital, Atlas and after-use invoiced fees. Data can take up to 96 hours after the balance effect to appear. Identify the invoice or other record for excluded costs and do not interpret a recent missing row as a waived fee. When comparing a report total with balance activity, match the date basis and range; fee-incurred dates and balance-transaction dates answer different questions.

For another provider, request the actual report name, available fields and timing. Ask whether the output identifies each component separately and how several rows can be tied to one transaction. Do not promise Stripe's fields will exist elsewhere. Where the available report combines components, record that limit and request the provider's explanation of how the written formula can be checked.

Decide whether the offer is sufficiently defined

The proposal is ready for an informed comparison when you can trace every named component from its written basis to a documented future record, while identifying the inputs that will remain variable. A defined variable cost remains variable. An undefined cost remains an open term. Neither condition supplies a future total or a savings forecast.

Return a focused question for each unresolved component: which charge is included, what base is used, and where will it appear? If you request a Prism consultation, summarize those gaps and the research-only business the proposal describes. Confirm any proposal or statement review, responsibilities, fees and terms before work. The provider retains authority over eligibility and its account terms.

Variable-cost proposal map

Use this sheet for each actual offer. In the final column, record the document or report reference and your finding for every named component. Mark an unstated term unresolved. A fully defined formula can still have unknown future inputs; do not turn this map into a forecast.

Worksheet entries are not submitted by Prism’s worksheet and are not saved by the site. Use record types, availability, anonymized observations, or match/mismatch results. Do not enter government identifiers, customer names or addresses, customer messages, receipt-access links, card or bank details, passwords, or keys. Send sensitive documents only through the provider’s verified secure channel.

These are temporary notes. Leaving or reloading this page may clear them. Worksheet entries are not sent automatically. If you copy notes into the consultation message and submit the form, Prism receives them as part of your request.