Separate pass-through from markup
The fee audit looks for which charges appear tied to card networks or issuers and which charges look like service fees, reporting fees, gateway fees, or markup.
Fee audit
Find which processing fees deserve a closer look.
A merchant processing fee audit separates required network and issuer costs from processor fees, recurring charges, and operational patterns that may create avoidable cost.
Spot recurring fee drag
Monthly account fees, PCI fees, non-compliance charges, batch fees, gateway fees, and reporting fees can matter even when percentage pricing looks acceptable.
Prepare processor questions
The output is meant to support a pricing review: which items are required, which are optional, which are duplicated, and which can be reduced or removed.
What gets reviewed
Fields that turn a statement into a useful review.
StatementIQ looks for statement evidence first, then separates confirmed values from directional clues. That helps keep the report useful without overstating what one document can prove.
- Processor service charges and visible markup
- Gateway, account, PCI, reporting, batch, and compliance fees
- Interchange and card-network assessment categories
- Pass-through share compared with processor-controlled fee load
- Downgrade or data-quality clues
- Recurring non-volume fee trends across months
- Fee names that need processor explanation
- Negotiation request language
Not every fee is negotiable
Some processing costs are card-network or issuer pass-through costs. Others are processor-controlled charges, service fees, recurring monthly fees, or operational penalties. A useful audit avoids pretending every line item can be removed.
The goal is to identify where the merchant has leverage and where the processor should provide a better explanation.
Where merchants often find issues
Common review targets include duplicate monthly fees, unclear reporting or platform fees, PCI or compliance charges, avoidable downgrade patterns, and service charges that are high relative to the merchant's size and transaction mix.
StatementIQ turns those findings into ranked recommendations rather than leaving the merchant with a raw fee list.
Evidence trail
Useful analysis needs more than a summary.
The value of the review is that StatementIQ keeps the merchant statement, extracted fields, review status, peer references, and processor questions connected. That makes the output easier to verify, repeat across months, and use in a real pricing conversation.
Reading path
Useful next questions
Payment cost questions usually connect to neighboring topics. These guides help you follow the path from statement evidence to processor questions.
Merchant statement audit
A merchant statement audit helps business owners understand processor markup, fixed fees, effective rate, pass-through costs, and payment savings opportunities.
Credit card statement analysisLearn how merchant statements reveal effective rate, fee composition, transaction quality, and pricing behavior, helping identify where processor costs may be above market or operationally avoidable.
Payment processing cost reductionExplore the operational and pricing drivers behind higher processing costs, including downgrade patterns, recurring service fees, processor markup, transaction routing, and payment acceptance practices that may be impacting margin.
Common questions
What is a merchant processing fee audit?
It is a review of processing statement line items to understand which fees are required, which are processor-controlled, and which should be questioned.
Can fixed fees be worth auditing?
Yes. Fixed monthly, gateway, PCI, reporting, and compliance fees can create meaningful recurring cost, especially for smaller or mid-size merchants.
Will the audit tell me exactly what to ask?
The report includes processor request language where the statement evidence supports a specific question or review item.
Ready to review a statement?
Upload one recent monthly statement to see whether StatementIQ can produce a preliminary savings signal.