Credit card processing and merchant services in Springfield, MA
Springfield is one of six Massachusetts cities where a hotel stay carries a 2.75% convention center financing fee. Like every Massachusetts business, yours can't add a credit card surcharge.
A hotel bill in Springfield carries a charge that only six Massachusetts cities add: a 2.75% convention center financing fee. The Department of Revenue lists Springfield with Boston, Cambridge, Chicopee, West Springfield and Worcester. It sits on top of the 5.7% state room occupancy excise and any local option excise, which Massachusetts lets cities and towns set at up to 6%.
So a Springfield hotel, motel or short-term rental can have three tax lines on one folio. They're paid together on a monthly return to the Department of Revenue, due by the 30th day after the month ends. Set those lines up in your booking system before a guest's card is charged. Our guide to hotel card processing covers deposits and check-in holds.
A card fee can't be one of those lines. Massachusetts bars any seller from adding a surcharge when a customer pays by credit card, and that applies to a folio as much as a shop receipt. You can offer a lower price for cash or check instead, which card issuers aren't allowed to block. If you take bookings online, the Attorney General's junk fee rules add one more requirement: show the total price, mandatory fees included, before you ask for a guest's personal information.
Springfield had an estimated 154,702 residents on July 1, 2025, about 0.8% fewer than the Census Bureau's April 2020 base. With a surcharge off the table, the way to cut card costs is to pay less for processing. We price on interchange-plus, so you can see what each card actually costs, and we serve Springfield businesses remotely. Start with a free statement review. The Massachusetts page has the statutes, and our Worcester page explains cash discounts in more detail.
Rules that matter in Springfield, MA
Convention center financing fee on room occupancy
Operators of hotels, motels and other lodging in Springfield charge a 2.75% convention center financing fee on room occupancy, in addition to the 5.7% state room occupancy excise and any local option excise. The Department of Revenue lists six cities with the fee: Boston, Cambridge, Chicopee, Springfield, West Springfield and Worcester. TIR 19-3 explains how it applies to operators after the 2019 short-term rental law.
The state excise, any local option excise and the fee are paid with one monthly return, due on or before the 30th day after the month it covers.
Sources: Mass.gov, Room occupancy excise tax; Massachusetts Department of Revenue, TIR 19-3: Changes to the room occupancy excise in An Act Regulating and Insuring Short-Term Rentals; Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Form RO-2 instructions: Room occupancy tax return
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Common questions
What taxes go on a hotel bill in Springfield, Massachusetts?
Up to three, on top of the room rate: the 5.7% state room occupancy excise, any local option excise the city has adopted (Massachusetts allows up to 6% outside Boston), and the 2.75% convention center financing fee that applies in Springfield and five other cities. Show each as its own line so the monthly return is easy to check against your bookings.
Do Springfield short-term rental hosts charge the convention center fee?
Generally, yes. The Department of Revenue's TIR 19-3, which covers the 2019 short-term rental law, says a convention center financing fee applies to transfers of occupancy by an operator in certain cities, and it lists Springfield at 2.75%. Confirm with the Department how your rental is treated before you build the fee into your booking totals.
Can a Springfield hotel or shop add a credit card fee?
No. Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140D, Sec. 28A, a seller can't charge more because the customer uses a credit card, and a hotel folio is no exception. The legal route runs the other way: post a price that covers your card costs, then take something off for cash or check. Our guide to cash discount programs shows how to post it.
When is the room occupancy return due in Massachusetts?
Monthly, on or before the 30th day after the month the return covers. The Department of Revenue's instructions say the state excise and any local option excise, including the convention center financing fee, are paid with that return. Pull the month's card deposits before you file, so the room revenue you report lines up with what guests paid.
Can a Springfield hotel advertise a nightly rate without its mandatory fees?
No. The Attorney General's rules at 940 CMR 38.00, enforced since September 2, 2025, say any price you show a guest has to be the total, with every mandatory fee in it, and it has to appear before you ask for personal information. A $159 rate with a required $25 resort fee added at checkout fails that test.
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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