Credit card processing and merchant services in St. Louis, MO
St. Louis charges 9.679% at its base rate, and many improvement and transportation districts add one or two points more. Check your address, then check your processing statement.
The base sales tax rate in St. Louis is 9.679%. That figure comes from the Department of Revenue's rate table for January 2026, and it's the rate outside any special district. Inside many of the city's community improvement districts and transportation development districts, the same table lists 10.679% or 11.679%, so the right number for your register depends on your exact address. The DOR publishes new tables during the year, so check the current one before you open.
The city's population was 278,144 in July 2025, down 7.7% since 2020, by the Census Bureau's estimate. Health care is the largest of the industries QuickFacts reports for the city: businesses reported $6.2 billion in 2022 health care and social assistance receipts, against $3.4 billion in retail sales and $1.5 billion in accommodation and food services sales.
If you run a practice, payments often happen away from the front desk: a balance after insurance, a call to update a card, a monthly plan. Our virtual terminal covers keyed and emailed payments, invoices, payment links and recurring billing, and the medical and dental page goes into more detail.
Card rules are Missouri's, which means the networks' rules. Missouri has no surcharge statute, so a surcharge can run to 3% on Visa or 4% on Mastercard if your costs support it, and never on debit or prepaid cards. Grocers get the reduced state rate on qualifying food: 1.225% instead of 4.225%.
Clearo prices on interchange-plus and assigns every account a dedicated rep, with no long-term contract. A free statement review is the place to start, and statewide rules are on our Missouri page.
Rules that matter in St. Louis
Improvement and transportation districts
Community improvement districts and transportation development districts can add their own sales tax inside their boundaries. In the Department of Revenue's January 2026 table, the base St. Louis rate is 9.679%, and many district rows in the city show 10.679% or 11.679%. Use the DOR's current table for your exact address.
Sources: Missouri Department of Revenue, sales/use tax rate table for January 2026 (PDF); Missouri Department of Revenue, 2026 sales/use tax rate tables
Payment services we provide
Guides worth reading next
All guidesSurcharging and cash discount
Credit card surcharge sign: what it must say and where
What a credit card surcharge sign must say, where Visa and Mastercard want it, the state wording rules in Colorado and New York, and example text you can adapt.
Surcharging and cash discount
Dual pricing: what it is and how it differs from surcharging
Dual pricing posts a card price and a cash price for every item. How it differs from surcharging and cash discounts, which rules apply, and how to display it.
Industries
Church credit card processing: giving by card and online
Church credit card processing: take gifts at services, online, and monthly, check charity interchange rates, meet IRS receipt rules, and skip surcharges.
Common questions
What is the sales tax rate in St. Louis?
9.679% at the base city rate in the Missouri Department of Revenue's January 2026 table. Many community improvement districts and transportation development districts in the city add 1 or 2 points, for 10.679% or 11.679%. The DOR publishes updated tables during the year, so check the current one for your address.
Is food taxed at a lower rate in St. Louis?
The state portion is. Under Section 144.014, RSMo, the state rate on qualifying food sales is 1.225% instead of 4.225%. Local taxes are set separately, so look up the full food rate for your address in the DOR's tables and give food its own category on your POS terminals.
Can a St. Louis medical practice take card payments by phone?
Yes. Staff can take a card over the phone in the virtual terminal, or send the patient an email invoice or payment link to pay on their own time, and recurring billing handles payment plans. If you surcharge, Missouri law doesn't restrict it, but network rules cap it and exclude debit and prepaid cards.
Can St. Louis businesses surcharge credit cards?
Yes. Missouri law doesn't restrict surcharges, so a St. Louis business follows Visa and Mastercard. That means a credit-only fee of no more than 3% on Visa or 4% on Mastercard, never above your cost, disclosed before the sale and listed on the receipt. Visa also expects a St. Louis business to give its acquirer 30 days' written notice.
More Missouri cities besides St. Louis
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.
Let's talk about your payments
Tell us about your business and how you take payments now, and a Clearo rep will reach out within one business day.