Credit card processing and merchant services in Virginia
Virginia doesn't cap card surcharges, but since July 2025 its law says advertised prices must include mandatory fees. That matters most if you're card-only. Sales tax runs from 5.3% to 7% by region.
Card surcharges
Surcharging allowedNo Virginia surcharge cap, but since July 1, 2025 displayed prices must include any mandatory fee or surcharge.
Sales tax
5.3% general; 6% to 7% in some areas
Last checked
October 6, 2026
Virginia added a pricing rule in 2025 that every business charging fees should read. Section 59.1-608 of the Code of Virginia says a supplier may not advertise or display a price in a consumer transaction without clearly and conspicuously showing the total price, including all mandatory fees or surcharges. It took effect July 1, 2025. Our reading, which you should check with your attorney: a fee customers can avoid, such as a credit card surcharge they skip by paying with debit or cash, isn't mandatory, but a fee everyone pays is.
That matters most for card-only businesses. If you don't take cash and add a fee to every card payment, customers can't avoid it, so it belongs in the price you post. If you take cash and debit without a fee, a disclosed credit card surcharge works much as it does elsewhere: we haven't found a Virginia statute that caps it, and the 2016 NCSL table lists none, so Visa's 3% and Mastercard's 4% limits apply.
Sales tax depends on where you are. Virginia Tax lists the general rate as 5.3%, made up of 4.3% state tax and 1% local tax. Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and Central Virginia carry an extra regional tax that brings them to 6%, the Historic Triangle reaches 7%, and eight localities, Danville among them, add 1% of their own for 6.3%. Check the current list for each location before you set your rates.
Clearo prices on interchange-plus, so you know what each card costs before you decide whether a fee is worth building into your prices. Our surcharging program covers disclosure and setup, and a free statement review is a good first step.
What Virginia merchants should know
Total price rule for mandatory fees
Since July 1, 2025, Section 59.1-608 of the Code of Virginia has said that no supplier may, in connection with a consumer transaction, advertise or display a price for goods or services without clearly and conspicuously displaying the total price, including all mandatory fees or surcharges.
A fee every customer has to pay to buy the item is mandatory. A credit card surcharge that customers can avoid by paying another way arguably isn't, but get legal advice on your setup, especially if you don't accept cash.
Source: Code of Virginia, Section 59.1-608: Mandatory fees or surcharges; disclosure required
Credit card surcharges in Virginia
We haven't found a Virginia statute that bans or caps credit card surcharges, and the 2016 NCSL table lists none. The card network rules apply:
- Visa: Virginia businesses are limited to their merchant discount rate or 3%, whichever is lower, and their acquirer needs notice 30 days before they begin.
- Mastercard: a Virginia merchant's surcharge tops out at its average effective merchant discount rate for Mastercard credit or 4%.
- No surcharge on debit or prepaid cards.
- Virginia customers get notice of the surcharge at the point of entry, at the point of sale and on the receipt.
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures, Credit or debit card surcharges statutes (2016 table); Visa, U.S. Merchant Surcharge Q and A (PDF); Mastercard, Merchant surcharge rules (US)
Virginia sales tax rates by region
Virginia Tax lists a general sales tax rate of 5.3%: 4.3% state tax and 1% local tax. Regional taxes raise the rate to 6% in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and Central Virginia and to 7% in the Historic Triangle. Eight localities, including Danville and Halifax, Henry and Pittsylvania counties, add another 1%, for 6.3%.
Rates and lists change, so confirm the current figure for each of your locations with Virginia Tax before you set up your POS.
Payment services we provide
Guides worth reading next
All guidesFees and pricing
How to calculate credit card processing fees, with examples
How to calculate credit card processing fees: formulas for one sale, flat rate, interchange-plus and your effective rate, each with a worked example.
Security and compliance
Payment tokenization: how it works for merchants
Payment tokenization for merchants: network tokens vs processor tokens, Apple Pay and Google Pay device tokens, card-on-file billing, and smaller PCI scope.
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.
Common questions
Does Virginia allow credit card surcharges?
Yes. We haven't found a Virginia statute that caps or bans them, so the card network rules apply: up to 3% or your cost on Visa credit and up to 4% or your cost on Mastercard credit, nothing on debit or prepaid cards, and disclosure at the entrance, at checkout and on the receipt. Virginia's total-price rule may also apply.
Does Virginia's total-price law apply to my card fee?
It applies to mandatory fees, the ones a customer must pay to buy what you sell. If your surcharge can be avoided by paying with debit or cash, it's arguably not mandatory. If every customer pays it, for example because you're card-only, it should be in the price you advertise. Ask your attorney to review your setup.
What sales tax rate do I charge in Virginia?
Virginia Tax lists 5.3% as the general rate, 6% in the Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and Central Virginia regions, 7% in the Historic Triangle, and 6.3% in eight localities, such as Danville, that add their own 1%. Confirm your locality's rate with Virginia Tax before you set up terminals or online checkout.
Can a Virginia business refuse cash?
We haven't found a statewide Virginia law that requires businesses to accept cash, but check your city or county. If you go card-only and add a card fee, every customer pays it, which brings Virginia's total-price rule into play: the fee should be in your posted prices.
How can Clearo help a Virginia business with card fees?
We price on interchange-plus, so you see the real cost of each card type. If you decide to surcharge, our surcharging program covers compliance, disclosure and setup. If you'd rather not, a free statement review shows whether lower processing costs would make a fee unnecessary.
Other states we serve besides Virginia
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- 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
- 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.
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.