Business Payment Processing Audit
Business Payment Processing Audit and Merchant Processing Fee Review
A business payment processing audit compares what you pay to accept cards with your actual transaction activity. Prepare a recent processing statement, equipment agreement, and any separate software invoices. Review processing rates, transaction charges, recurring fees, and equipment costs together; comparing the same billing period helps avoid mistaking one advertised rate for the full cost.
Soltis Merchant Services provides merchant processing audits designed to break those costs down into a straightforward analysis. We review actual processing activity, calculate the effective processing rate, examine applicable fees, and identify potential opportunities to reduce processing expenses.
For established businesses already accepting cards, a merchant processing audit can provide a clear picture of whether the current processing arrangement remains competitive.
Call (440) 570-9355 or Contact Us or Get Started Today!
Merchant Processing Audit
A merchant processing audit examines a business's existing payment-processing costs using actual merchant statements.
Rather than focusing on one advertised rate, the audit considers the complete processing relationship.
This can include:
• Monthly Processing Volume
• Total Processing Costs
• Processing Rates
• Transaction Fees
• Monthly Charges
• Equipment Costs
• Software Costs
• Other Applicable Fees
• Effective Processing Rate
This gives business owners a clearer understanding of how much payment processing actually costs each month.
Merchant Services Audit
A merchant services audit can evaluate more than processing rates.
Businesses should also consider their equipment, POS technology, funding schedule, support, contract terms, and other components of the merchant-services relationship.
A provider with a competitive advertised rate may not necessarily provide the best overall arrangement once all expenses and requirements are considered.
What Is an Effective Processing Rate?
Calculate an effective processing rate by dividing the fees included in your review by the processed card volume for the same period, then multiplying by 100.
For example, $1,500 in included fees divided by $50,000 in processed volume is 3%. This is an illustration, not a target rate or a promise of savings.
Use the same fee scope when comparing periods or proposals. Record separately billed equipment or software costs and unusual charges so a difference in the calculation is not mistaken for a change in processing pricing. Transaction size, payment-channel mix, and other account details can affect the comparison.
What We Review During a Merchant Processing Audit
A credit card processing audit should leave you with a comparison you can check against the original documents. Ask for the following items rather than only a quoted savings percentage:
Current cost: Identify the statement period, processed card volume, transaction count, and average ticket. List processing charges, recurring account fees, and any separate equipment or software invoices used in the review.
Fee reconciliation: Match each included charge to its source document. Identify unusual or one-time items separately, and state what is included in the total so a merchant processing fee audit can be repeated on the same basis.
Comparison assumptions: Price an alternative using the same volume, transaction count, and payment-channel mix. Mark any missing information instead of treating an unconfirmed fee as zero.
Decision: Explain what would change in equipment, software, terms, funding, or support alongside the cost difference. Keeping the current setup can be the better choice when a proposed saving does not cover the change or the required workflow.
Why Processing Statements Can Be Confusing
Merchant-processing statements can contain numerous rates, categories, fees, and transaction details.
That can make it difficult for a business owner to answer a simple question:
How much am I actually paying to process credit cards?
A merchant processing audit organizes those costs into a clearer picture so the business can make a more informed comparison.
Processing Rates vs. Actual Processing Costs
An advertised processing rate doesn't necessarily represent the merchant's complete cost.
Businesses may also encounter applicable transaction charges, monthly fees, software expenses, equipment costs, and other charges.
That's why an audit based on actual statements can provide more useful information than comparing advertised percentages alone.
Processing Audit for Established Businesses
Established businesses are particularly good candidates for payment-processing audits because they have historical transaction data available.
Rather than estimating what processing might cost, an established merchant can use its existing statements to make comparisons based on real numbers.
This can create a much more accurate assessment.
Processing Audit for High-Volume Businesses
Processing costs become increasingly important as monthly card volume grows.
Even relatively small differences in effective processing expenses can represent meaningful annual costs for businesses processing substantial card volume.
High-volume merchants should periodically review their processing arrangements to make sure the pricing still makes sense for their business.
Processing Audit for Restaurants
Restaurants frequently process a large percentage of their revenue through cards.
A merchant processing audit can help restaurant owners understand their current rates, transaction charges, monthly expenses, and effective processing rate.
The restaurant can then determine whether its existing processing arrangement remains competitive.
Processing Audit for Retail Businesses
Retail businesses may process hundreds or thousands of card transactions every month.
An audit can help retailers understand how both percentage-based rates and per-transaction charges contribute to their overall processing expenses.
Businesses with substantial transaction volume may particularly benefit from reviewing these costs.
Processing Audit for Contractors
Contractors and home-service businesses can have higher average transaction amounts than traditional retail businesses.
A merchant processing audit can help these businesses determine what accepting card payments currently costs and whether another available pricing structure may better fit their transaction profile.
Processing Audit for Medical and Professional Offices
Medical practices and professional-service businesses may accept payments through several channels.
Reviewing actual merchant statements can provide a clearer picture of the overall processing expense associated with these transactions.
The business can then evaluate alternatives based on real historical payment activity.
Are You Overpaying for Credit Card Processing?
The only reliable way to determine whether a business may be overpaying is to examine its actual processing costs.
Two businesses processing the same monthly volume can have different expenses because of transaction size, card mix, pricing structure, equipment, and other factors.
A statement-based audit provides the information needed to make a more meaningful comparison.
Merchant Processing Savings Analysis
Compare the proposed charges with your current costs using the same transaction activity. Separate ongoing monthly costs from upfront equipment, setup, cancellation, or migration costs so the decision is not based on the advertised processing rate alone.
Ask which figures come from your statements, which come from a written proposal, and which remain estimates. Confirm the equipment, software, and support required to keep your business operating before deciding to switch.
Soltis Merchant Services can help review the comparison. A lower quoted rate does not guarantee a lower total cost, and not every merchant will benefit from changing providers.
How Often Should You Audit Merchant Processing?
Businesses should periodically review processing costs, particularly when:
• Processing Volume Has Increased
• Fees Have Changed
• The Business Has Added Locations
• Equipment Requirements Have Changed
• The Existing Agreement Is Several Years Old
• The Business Is Considering Another Provider
Regular reviews help prevent processing expenses from becoming something the business simply stops examining.
Free Merchant Processing Audit
Soltis Merchant Services offers businesses the opportunity to have their current processing costs reviewed.
Provide a recent merchant-processing statement and we'll examine the numbers and provide a straightforward breakdown of the current payment-processing expenses.
This gives the business useful information regardless of whether it ultimately decides to change providers.
Get a Merchant Processing Audit
Soltis Merchant Services provides merchant processing audits for businesses that want to better understand their credit card processing expenses.
Whether you're looking for a merchant processing audit, credit card processing audit, merchant processing fee audit, merchant services audit, or processing savings analysis, we'll help you understand the numbers.
Send us a recent processing statement to get started.
Call (440) 570-9355 or Contact Us or Get Started Today!