Credit card processing and merchant services in Georgia
Georgia has no law capping retail card surcharges; its convenience fee statute covers only certain loans and financing. The harder part is sales tax, which changes by county and by quarter.
Card surcharges
Surcharging allowedNo Georgia law caps retail card surcharges; Visa's 3% and Mastercard's 4% network caps apply.
Sales tax
4% state rate, plus local
Last checked
October 6, 2026
Some payment guides say Georgia limits credit card surcharges to your cost. That's a misreading of the law they cite. O.C.G.A. 13-1-15 governs convenience fees for paying electronically, and its own text says it applies only to certain loans, retail installment and home solicitation sales contracts, motor vehicle sales financing contracts, and insurance premium finance agreements. A 2025 amendment, HB 241, effective July 1, 2025, lets those lenders and merchants charge their average cost or up to $5, whichever is greater, as long as they offer a way to pay with no fee.
For an ordinary shop, salon or restaurant, the limits come from Visa and Mastercard instead. Visa allows up to 3% or your merchant discount rate, whichever is lower, and wants 30 days' notice to your acquirer. Mastercard's cap is 4% or your average effective rate. Neither lets you surcharge debit or prepaid cards, and both expect the fee to be disclosed at the door, at checkout and on the receipt.
Sales tax takes more attention than surcharging in Georgia. The state rate is 4%, local sales taxes are layered on by county and in some places by city, and the Department of Revenue publishes a new rate chart every quarter. On the chart for early 2026, Cobb County was at 6% while the City of Atlanta was at 8.9%. Pull the current chart when a quarter starts, because local rates can change on those dates.
Our Atlanta page covers the city's rate on both sides of its county line, our Savannah page covers Chatham County, our Augusta and Columbus pages cover Richmond and Muscogee counties, and our Macon and Athens pages cover Bibb and Clarke. Anywhere in Georgia, we work on interchange-plus, so your statement shows the card networks' fees and our markup separately, and a free statement review puts a number on your effective rate.
What Georgia merchants should know
Credit card surcharges in Georgia
Georgia has no statute that caps or bans surcharges on ordinary retail card sales. O.C.G.A. 13-1-15 covers convenience fees only for the loans and financing contracts it lists (see the next rule). For everyone else, the card network rules apply:
- Visa: Georgia sellers can charge up to their merchant discount rate or 3%, whichever is lower, and need to give their acquirer 30 days' notice.
- Mastercard: Georgia merchants are capped at their average effective merchant discount rate for Mastercard credit or 4%.
- No surcharge on debit or prepaid cards.
- Disclosure at the point of entry, at the point of sale, and on the receipt.
Sources: Justia, Georgia Code Section 13-1-15, Convenience fee (the official code is published by LexisNexis); Visa, U.S. Merchant Surcharge Q and A (PDF); Mastercard, Merchant surcharge rules (US)
Convenience fees under O.C.G.A. 13-1-15
The statute lets a covered lender or merchant charge a nonrefundable convenience fee for electronic payments, but only if it also offers a way to pay without the fee, and only with advance disclosure. Since HB 241 took effect on July 1, 2025, the fee may be the actual cost, the average actual cost for that type of payment, or up to $5.00, whichever is greater.
It applies only to loans made under Chapters 1 and 3 of Title 7, retail installment and home solicitation sales contracts, motor vehicle sales financing contracts, and insurance premium finance agreements. A regular point-of-sale purchase isn't covered.
Sources: Justia, Georgia Code Section 13-1-15, Convenience fee (the official code is published by LexisNexis); Georgia General Assembly, Summary of general statutes enacted at the 2025 session (PDF)
Georgia state and local sales tax
Georgia's state sales and use tax rate is 4%. Counties, and some cities, add local sales taxes, so combined rates vary by jurisdiction. On the Department of Revenue's chart for January to March 2026, Cobb County was 6%, Fulton County outside Atlanta 7.75%, and the City of Atlanta 8.9%.
The Department publishes a general rate chart for each quarter, including one for October 1 to December 31, 2026, and lists upcoming changes before they take effect.
Sources: Georgia Department of Revenue, Sales and use tax rate chart, January 1 to March 31, 2026 (PDF); Georgia Department of Revenue, Sales tax rates: general; Georgia Department of Revenue, Sales tax: upcoming quarterly rate changes
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Common questions
Does Georgia law cap credit card surcharges?
Not for ordinary retail sales. The statute some guides cite, O.C.G.A. 13-1-15, covers convenience fees only for certain loans and financing contracts. For a regular store or restaurant, the limits are Visa's cap of 3% or your merchant discount rate and Mastercard's cap of 4% or your average effective rate, plus disclosure and no surcharges on debit.
Does the $5 convenience fee rule apply to my business?
Only if you collect payments on a contract the statute lists: certain loans, retail installment and home solicitation sales contracts, motor vehicle sales financing contracts, or insurance premium finance agreements. Since July 1, 2025, covered lenders and merchants can charge their average cost or up to $5, whichever is greater, if a fee-free way to pay is offered.
How often do Georgia sales tax rates change?
Local rates can change at the start of any calendar quarter. The Department of Revenue publishes a general rate chart for each quarter, including one effective October 1 to December 31, 2026, and a list of upcoming changes. Check it before each quarter begins, especially if you sell in several counties.
Can I add a surcharge to debit cards in Georgia?
No. Visa and Mastercard don't allow surcharges on debit or prepaid cards, and Georgia law doesn't change that. Debit usually costs less to accept anyway: Regulation II caps interchange on debit cards from large banks at 21 cents plus 0.05% of the sale, plus 1 cent, so on an $80 sale the cap is 26 cents.
Which Georgia cities do you cover?
Our Atlanta page covers the city's 8.9% rate and its county split, our Savannah page covers Chatham County's 7%, our Augusta page covers SPLOST and TSPLOST in Richmond County, and our Columbus page covers Muscogee County's 8% and its vehicle rate. Our Macon page covers Bibb County's April 2026 rate change, and our Athens page covers the June 2027 end date of Clarke County's ELOST. We work with businesses anywhere in Georgia, remotely, with a dedicated rep for every account and interchange-plus pricing with no long-term contract.
Other states we serve besides Georgia
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
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