Compliant Medical Surcharge Simplified -A Simple Guide for Healthcare Providers

If you run a medical practice, you’ve probably noticed how credit card processing fees are eating into your revenue. The good news? There’s a legal way to pass those fees to patients while staying compliant with state and federal laws: compliant medical surcharge.

But before you start adding extra fees to every transaction, you need to understand how to do it legally and ethically—especially in the medical field. Let’s break it down in the simplest terms.

What Is a Surcharge?

A surcharge is a small fee added to a patient’s bill when they choose to pay with a credit card. This fee helps offset the processing costs that your practice would normally have to absorb.

For example:

• A patient's bill is $100.
• They choose to pay with a credit card and the payment processor charges your practice a 3% fee.
• The 3% surcharge is applied to the patient's bill, making the total $103.

The extra $3 helps cover the cost your payment processor charges you for accepting that credit card payment.

Is It Legal for Medical Practices to Surcharge?

Yes! But there are strict rules you need to follow:

• Surcharges are only allowed on credit cards – You CANNOT add a surcharge to debit or prepaid card transactions.
• Patients must be informed in advance – You need clear signage at the point of sale and on your website.
• The surcharge cannot exceed 3% or the actual processing cost – You cannot profit from surcharges.
• State laws apply – Some states have restrictions, so you must check local regulations.

Good news: In North Carolina, surcharging is legal as long as it follows Visa, Mastercard, and state rules.

Best Practices for Medical Surcharging

• Be transparent – Clearly explain surcharges to patients to avoid confusion or complaints. Make sure customers know that they can pay by another method to avoid this charge altogether (debit, cash, or check).
• Train your staff – Make sure they understand how to explain surcharges properly.
• Use compliant payment processing – Not all processors support surcharging the right way. Merchant Match ensures full compliance.
• Offer alternative payment methods – Some patients may prefer to pay with debit cards, cash, or checks to avoid the fee.

How Merchant Match Helps Raleigh-Based Medical Practices

At Merchant Match, we’re a Raleigh-based business that works with local medical practices to reduce their credit card processing costs through compliant surcharging.

Here’s how we make it easy for you:

1. We come to your office – We’ll review your current payment processing system in person.
2. We analyze your costs – If we know we can save your practice money through surcharging, we’ll let you know upfront.
3. We do all the heavy lifting – From setup to compliance, we handle the entire process for you.
4. You just focus on your patients – We take care of the rest

And guess what? There are no hidden fees. We started Merchant Match with a desire to bring transparency to business owners. You work hard to take care of your patients. Unnecessary fees shouldn't be eating into your profits.

💡 Want to see if your practice can benefit from compliant medical surcharging? We’re happy to walk you through it—risk-free.

📧 Email us at info@merchantmatch.net to set up your first call, or click here to learn more!

‍