How Qashier Calculates Your PayNow Payouts
Understanding Your Payout Amount
The amount that hits your bank account comes down to two things: the MDR fee on each sale, and the tax on your payout. Here's how both work.
The MDR (Merchant Discount Rate) Fee
The MDR is the processing fee charged on each transaction when a customer pays you. For example, on a $10 sale with a 0.40% MDR rate, the fee is $0.04.
How MDR is calculated
The key principle: MDR is calculated per transaction, not on your daily total. Two separate $5 sale means two separate MDR fees, not one combined fee on $10. This matters because of how we handle rounding.
MDR fees are rounded up to the nearest cent for each transaction
When the math produces a fraction of a cent, we round UP to the next whole cent.
For example on a $0.50 sale at 0.4% MDR, the raw fee is $0.002 — too small to charge as a full cent. Since a fraction of a cent cannot be charged, we round the fee up to $0.01.
Worked examples at 0.4% MDR
Example A — Sale of $3.00
Calculation: $3.00 × 0.004 = $0.012
$0.012 is more than 1 cent but less than 2 cents
Round up to the next whole cent
MDR fee: $0.02
Example B — Sale of $1.00
Calculation: $1.00 × 0.004 = $0.004
$0.004 is less than 1 cent
Round up to the next whole cent
MDR fee: $0.01
Example C — Sale of $5.00
Calculation: $5.00 × 0.004 = $0.02
This is already exactly 2 cents—no fraction
No rounding needed
MDR fee: $0.02
Rounding only applies when there's a fraction of a cent. If your calculation lands on a whole cent already, the fee stays as it is.
Tax on Your Payout
Tax calculation works differently from MDR. We collect the exact tax amount from each sale (including fractions of a cent), then round the total at the very end.
Three-step process
Keep exact amounts: For each sale in the payout period, we preserve the full tax amount—fractions of a cent included.
Add them all up: We sum all those exact amounts together.
Round once at the end: We round that total up to the next cent—once, at the very end.
Worked example
Step 1 — Collect exact tax amounts from five sales:
Sale 1: $0.236
Sale 2: $0.347
Sale 3: $0.451
Sale 4: $0.658
Sale 5: $0.129
Step 2 — Add them all exactly:
$0.236 + $0.347 + $0.451 + $0.658 + $0.129 = $1.821
Step 3 — Round up to the next cent:
Total tax deducted: $1.83
Common Questions
Q: Why are MDR and tax calculated differently?
Each individual transaction is processed and cleared in real time (i.e. at the point the transaction occurs), and thus MDR fees are calculated and rounded at the transaction level. On the other hand, taxes are paid on each settlement batch and thus the rounding occurs at the very end.
Q: Why doesn't my payout match my sales total exactly?
Your bank deposit equals your total sales minus MDR fees and taxes. Use the calculation methods described above to verify the exact amount. If something doesn't match, check your payout report or reach out to our support team with the transaction details.
Q: Where can I see my MDR and tax breakdown?
Your payout report shows the detailed breakdown of all transactions, MDR fees, and taxes for each payout period. You can access this in your Qashier dashboard under the Payout Report section.