Credit card processing and merchant services in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has no surcharge law, but it does protect your right to offer a cash discount. Sales tax starts at 5%, and Milwaukee adds both a county and a city tax.
Card surcharges
Surcharging allowedNo Wisconsin statute limits credit card surcharges, and state law bars card issuers from blocking cash discounts; network caps apply.
Sales tax
5% state rate, plus county
Last checked
October 6, 2026
Wisconsin comes at card fees from the other direction. It has no statute on credit card surcharges (NCSL's table shows none), but it does have Wis. Stat. 422.422, which says no credit card issuer may, by contract or otherwise, stop a merchant from offering a discount to customers who pay by cash, check or similar means. If you'd rather reward cash than penalize cards, state law protects that choice.
A cash discount and a surcharge can produce the same price gap, but they aren't treated the same. A surcharge is governed by the card networks: Visa caps it at 3% and Mastercard at 4%, it can't exceed your processing cost, it can't touch debit or prepaid cards, and you must post it before the sale and print it on the receipt. Our guide to dual pricing vs. surcharging explains how the two differ in practice.
Sales tax starts at 5%. The Department of Revenue says seventy counties have adopted a 0.5% county tax, Milwaukee County's rate went from 0.5% to 0.9% on January 1, 2024, and the City of Milwaukee is the only municipality with its own sales tax, 2% since the same date. Inside the City of Milwaukee, that adds up to 7.9%. A business with stores both in and outside Milwaukee needs a different rate at each.
Wisconsin accounts at Clearo run on interchange-plus with a dedicated rep, and you can leave anytime without a cancellation fee. A free statement review shows whether your current rate is worth fixing before you change your pricing at all.
What Wisconsin merchants should know
Credit card surcharges in Wisconsin
We found no Wisconsin statute that bans or caps credit card surcharges, and NCSL's table of state surcharge laws lists none. For Wisconsin merchants, Visa limits a surcharge to the lower of the merchant discount rate or 3% and requires 30 days' written notice to the acquirer, while Mastercard's limit is the lower of the average effective rate or 4%.
Neither Visa nor Mastercard lets a Wisconsin merchant surcharge debit or prepaid cards, and Visa's rules call for notice at the point of entry and the point of sale and the surcharge amount on every receipt.
Sources: NCSL, Credit or debit card surcharges statutes (table updated October 13, 2016); Visa, U.S. Merchant Surcharge Q and A; Mastercard, Credit card surcharge rules and fees for merchants
Cash discounts under Wis. Stat. 422.422
Wis. Stat. 422.422 provides that no credit card issuer may, by contract or otherwise, prohibit a merchant from offering a discount to a customer to induce the customer to pay by cash, check or similar means rather than by credit card.
Source: NCSL, Credit or debit card surcharges statutes (table updated October 13, 2016)
Wisconsin state, county and Milwaukee sales taxes
Wisconsin's sales tax is 5%. The Department of Revenue says seventy counties have adopted a 0.5% county tax. Milwaukee County's rate rose from 0.5% to 0.9% on January 1, 2024, and the City of Milwaukee, the only municipality with a city sales tax, has charged 2% since the same date.
Cities we cover in Wisconsin
Payment services we provide
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Common questions
Can Wisconsin businesses surcharge credit cards?
Yes. Wisconsin law protects cash discounts and, as far as we can find, says nothing about surcharges, so a surcharge follows the card networks: up to 3% on Visa and 4% on Mastercard, capped at your cost, credit cards only, with 30 days' written notice to your acquirer for Visa.
Can a Wisconsin business offer a cash discount?
Yes. Wis. Stat. 422.422 bars credit card issuers from stopping a merchant, by contract or otherwise, from offering a discount to customers who pay by cash, check or similar means. Our guide to dual pricing vs. surcharging compares the two approaches.
What is the sales tax rate in Milwaukee?
Inside the City of Milwaukee, 7.9%: the 5% state rate, Milwaukee County's 0.9% and the city's 2%, both local rates in effect since January 1, 2024. Elsewhere in Milwaukee County, it's the state rate plus the 0.9% county tax.
Do all Wisconsin counties charge a county sales tax?
Most do. The Department of Revenue says seventy counties have adopted a 0.5% county tax, and Milwaukee County's rate is 0.9%. Check your county before you program your POS terminals, and set a separate rate for each location in a different county.
Other states we serve besides Wisconsin
- Alabama
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- South Carolina
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- Washington, DC
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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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