---
title: "Shopify Payments in Australia: fees and setup"
description: "Shopify Payments in Australia: card rates, who can activate it, the BECS bank account rule, the documents you'll need, payout timing and the gateway surcharge."
date: 2026-08-29
lastUpdated: 2026-09-10
author: "Chloe Marsden"
url: https://aussiestoreguides.com/shopify-payments-australia/
site: "Aussie Store Guides (aussiestoreguides.com)"
language: en
---

# Shopify Payments in Australia: fees and setup

![Three blank white cards standing in a row against a kraft paper envelope on a cream table, with a ball of twine and a pale yellow paper strip beside them](https://aussiestoreguides.com/images/shopify-payments-australia-cover-1200.webp)

> **The short answer:** Shopify Payments is available in Australia, and the requirements are documented in detail. Your bank account must be with an Australian bank in AUD and eligible for Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS) transfers — savings, wire-only and flex-currency accounts are excluded. Sole traders, individuals, companies, partnerships, public companies and non-profits are all listed as eligible business types, and your business documents must show the legal entity name, ABN and address. Online card rates start at 1.75 % + 30c on Basic, in-person at 1.95 %, and using another gateway adds 2 % on Basic. Payouts have no minimum amount, and the minimum settlement time is 2 business days, with banks needing another 24 to 72 hours.

Most articles about Shopify Payments describe a switch in the admin. The part that decides whether it works for you is a page of banking requirements, and it's worth reading before you build anything.

Shopify plans, pricing and features change; always verify the current details on shopify.com before deciding.

This guide sets out what Shopify's own documentation states for Australia, with the date each page was read, and marks clearly where the documentation stops.

## Table of contents

- [Is Shopify Payments available here?](#availability)
- [What each sale costs](#fees)
- [Which businesses can activate it](#business-types)
- [The bank account rule that stops applications](#bank-account)
- [The documents you'll be asked for](#documents)
- [When the money lands](#payouts)
- [Payout currencies, and selling to New Zealand](#payout-currencies)
- [What your blended rate actually is](#blended-rate)
- [What a third-party gateway costs instead](#gateways)
- [Selling in person: the rates flip](#in-person)
- [What happens on refunds and chargebacks](#refunds)
- [Buy now, pay later: what we can and can't confirm](#bnpl)
- [A setup order that avoids rework](#setup-order)
- [Frequently asked questions](#faq)
- [Sources](#sources)

## Is Shopify Payments available here?
Yes. Australia has its own set of Help Centre pages for Shopify Payments: supported country, requirements and payouts. Those pages are the source for everything below, read on 26 August 2026.

Heads up: this guide uses Shopify affiliate links. Sign up through one and we are paid a commission, and you pay exactly the same as you would otherwise.

Available and activated are different things. Activation runs verification of you and your business, and the bank account rules below are where most applications either sail through or stall for a fortnight.

## What each sale costs
These rates come from [Shopify's Australian pricing page](https://shopify.pxf.io/WOzLvA?subId1=aussiestoreguides.com&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shopify.com%2Fau%2Fpricing), checked on 26 August 2026.

| Payment method | Basic | Grow | Advanced |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Standard cards, online | 1.75 % + 30c | 1.6 % + 30c | 1.4 % + 30c |
| American Express, online | 2.9 % + 30c | 2.8 % + 30c | 2.7 % + 30c |
| International cards, online | 3.5 % + 30c | 3.4 % + 30c | 3.3 % + 30c |
| Cards in person | 1.95 % | 1.85 % | 1.75 % |

Three things worth noticing before you budget.

**American Express costs about a point more** than a standard card on Basic. If a decent share of your customers pay with Amex, your blended rate isn't the headline number.

**International cards cost double.** At 3.5 % + 30c on Basic, selling to New Zealand or Singapore is fine — it just needs pricing with open eyes.

**The 30c is the small-basket tax.** On a $15 order it's 2 % of the sale by itself, before the percentage. Low average order values are expensive to process, and no plan upgrade fixes that.

## Which businesses can activate it
The Australian requirements page lists the eligible structures, and the list is broader than most sellers expect.

- Individual
- Sole trader
- Corporation
- Partnership
- Public company
- Non-profit

So you don't need a company to take card payments here. The same page notes that certain business types and services aren't permitted at all, and points to the prohibited-businesses section of the Australian Shopify Payments Terms of Service. If your product category is unusual, read that before you build a store around it.

## The bank account rule that stops applications
This is the section that decides most Australian applications, and it's stricter than "any bank account".

The requirements page states the account **must be with a bank in Australia in AUD currency**. It also states the account **must be eligible for Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS) transfers**.

The exclusions matter just as much. The same page rules out savings accounts, accounts that only accept wire transfers, flex-currency accounts, and money-transfer services that behave like a bank without being one.

That last exclusion is the one that catches people. A fintech account that issues you a BSB and account number is not automatically acceptable — the test is whether it's an Australian bank account in AUD that can receive BECS transfers.

Check this before you choose a theme. Swapping a theme is an afternoon; opening a compliant business account can be a fortnight.

## The documents you'll be asked for
Verification runs in three parts, and the Australian page is unusually specific about each.

**Identity.** A passport, driver's licence, government-issued photo card, proof-of-age card, ImmiCard, Tasmanian Government Personal Information card, New South Wales driving instructor licence, or an Australian Defence Force (ADF) ID card. Documents must be valid and unexpired, and show front and back — passports excepted.

**Address.** A utility bill or bank statement no more than six months old. Medicare or Centrelink documents and Tax Office letters are accepted up to twelve months old, as are council rates notices, a driver's licence or a government photo card.

**The business.** Documentation that "clearly display[s] the legal entity name, ABN, and address" — an ABN confirmation certificate, a Business Register extract, an ASIC registration record or a certificate of name change. Non-profits use charity or association extracts.

Gather these before you start rather than during. An application paused for a rates notice is an application that isn't moving money.

**Start the payments setup on day one:** [Get started](https://shopify.pxf.io/WOzLvA?subId1=aussiestoreguides.com&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shopify.com%2Fau) — Open a trial and begin activation in Settings and Payments before you build anything. The banking checks decide your launch date far more than your theme does. *(affiliate link)*

## When the money lands
Settlement here is quicker than in several European markets, and the documentation is precise about it.

The Australian payouts page states that **the minimum settlement time is 2 business days**, and notes that banks then require 24 to 72 hours to process and deposit the funds. It also states **there is no minimum payout amount for Shopify Payments in Australia**, and that all payouts are processed according to your payout schedule regardless of amount.

Two practical consequences follow.

**Plan for the bank leg, not just the settlement.** Two business days plus bank processing is the realistic window, not two days flat.

**Your first payouts aren't your steady state.** Initial settlement periods can be longer and shorten as a store reliably fulfils orders, so don't build a cash-flow model on week one.

The bookkeeping consequence is the one nobody warns you about: reconcile on payouts, not on orders. A payout groups several orders and nets fees and refunds against them, so it will never match a single order total.

## Payout currencies, and selling to New Zealand
Stores here are paid in Australian dollars on every plan, and that carries no multi-currency payout fee.

The documentation states that **AUD payouts to Australian bank accounts incur no multi-currency payout fee**, while NZD and USD payouts to Australian accounts are subject to one. It also states that where orders are in your domestic currency and paid out to a domestic bank, no extra fees apply, and that non-domestic currency accounts incur a currency exchange fee.

Separately, Shopify's currency documentation describes a conversion fee built into the price the customer sees, stated as either 1.5 % or 2 % depending on where the store is based. For Australian stores it is described as a **1.5 % currency exchange fee** included in the conversion rate applied to each charge, with third-party transaction fees exempt.

If a meaningful share of your sales are trans-Tasman, price that in rather than discovering it in a quarterly report.

## What your blended rate actually is
The headline rate describes one kind of sale. Your real cost per dollar is a weighted average, and it is nearly always higher.

Take a store on Basic doing A$10,000 a month across 125 orders. Suppose 70 % is standard cards, 15 % American Express and 15 % international cards.

The standard share costs 1.75 % of A$7,000, so A$122.50. The Amex share costs 2.9 % of A$1,500, so A$43.50. The international share costs 3.5 % of A$1,500, so A$52.50. The fixed component adds 125 × 30c, another A$37.50.

That totals about A$256 on A$10,000, or roughly **2.6 %** — nearly a full point above the rate on the pricing page.

Two lessons come out of that arithmetic. First, card mix moves your costs more than plan choice does at this volume. Second, if you are comparing an outside acquirer, compare it against your blended rate rather than against 1.75 %.

Work yours out from a month of real orders rather than from an example. The card-type split is visible in your payouts and transactions, and it is usually the number nobody has looked at. Use our [Australian Shopify fee calculator](https://aussiestoreguides.com/tools/shopify-fee-calculator/) to check what you keep.

## What a third-party gateway costs instead
Using another provider is not free, and the pricing page states the cost plainly.

Take payments through a gateway other than Shopify Payments and Shopify adds a surcharge on top of that provider's own fees: **2 % on Basic, 1 % on Grow, 0.6 % on Advanced** and 0.2 % on Plus, checked on 26 August 2026.

On Basic that surcharge alone is larger than the entire 1.75 % Shopify Payments card rate. An outside provider has to be dramatically cheaper, or solve something nothing else solves, before the arithmetic works.

The Help Centre lists the exemptions. Orders processed through Shopify Payments, Shop Pay, Shop Pay Installments and Paypal Express carry no third-party transaction fee. Manual methods such as cash, cash on delivery and bank transfer carry none either.

That last exemption is worth real money if you invoice business customers. An order settled by bank transfer costs you nothing in transaction fees.

## Selling in person: the rates flip
Markets, pop-ups and a shopfront change the arithmetic.

In-person rates are **1.95 % on Basic, 1.85 % on Grow and 1.75 % on Advanced**, with no 30c per transaction. The percentage is higher than online; the fixed component disappears.

Which is cheaper depends entirely on your average order value. On a $20 sale the missing 30c outweighs the higher percentage. On a $200 sale it does not.

Selling in person also has its own subscription: Shopify POS Pro is A$129 a month per location, per the Australian pricing comparison table checked on 26 August 2026. For one market stall a fortnight, that's a serious line.

## What happens on refunds and chargebacks
Two documented details are worth knowing before your first dispute.

The currency documentation states that conversion fees and credit card fees are **not returned to you when you issue a refund**. The sale reverses; the cost of having taken it does not.

The same documentation states you are **not charged additional conversion fees when you issue a refund or receive a chargeback**. On a chargeback, conversions apply at the rate in force when funds transfer rather than at the time of the order.

Across a year with a high return rate, that's real money. It belongs in your margin calculation rather than in a surprise at tax time.

This is an independent educational site. It is not operated by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Shopify Inc.

## Buy now, pay later: what we can and can't confirm
Shoppers here expect instalment options, and this is where most articles start guessing.

**What's verified.** Shopify Payments is available in Australia, the card rates above are published, and Shop Pay Installments is named in the Help Centre's list of order types exempt from third-party transaction fees.

**What isn't verified here.** Which specific instalment products are available to an Australian merchant, and what activating them requires. Shopify's local-payment-methods documentation names no Australian method, so this guide won't tell you whether a particular provider appears in your checkout.

The reliable move is unglamorous: open **Settings › Payments** in your own trial and read what Shopify offers your account. A payment badge on a product page that the checkout can't honour is worse than not offering it.

## A setup order that avoids rework
Six steps, in the order that stops you doing work twice.

1. **Confirm your bank account qualifies.** Australian bank, AUD, BECS-eligible, and not a savings or flex-currency account.
2. **Gather the three document sets.** Identity front and back, address within the allowed window, and business documents showing the legal entity name, ABN and address.
3. **Start activation in Settings › Payments** on a trial, before the store is built.
4. **Check which methods your account is actually offered**, rather than assuming from an article.
5. **Model your blended rate**, not the headline one — Amex and international cards move it more than most sellers expect.
6. **Place a real test order and refund it.** It's the only way to see settlement timing and refund behaviour with your own eyes.

**Run one real order through your own checkout:** [Get started](https://shopify.pxf.io/WOzLvA?subId1=aussiestoreguides.com&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shopify.com%2Fau) — Buy from your own store at full price, then refund it. Payout timing, fees and the refund path all become facts instead of expectations. *(affiliate link)*

## Frequently asked questions
### Can I use any Australian bank account with Shopify Payments?

No. The Australian requirements page states the account must be with a bank in Australia in AUD currency. It must also be eligible for Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS) transfers, checked on 26 August 2026. Savings accounts, wire-only accounts, flex-currency accounts and money-transfer services are excluded, so a fintech account that issues a BSB is not automatically acceptable.

### Do I need an ABN for Shopify Payments?

Your business verification documents have to show the legal entity name, ABN and address, per the Australian requirements page. Accepted documents include an ABN confirmation certificate, a Business Register extract or an ASIC registration record. Whether and when your business needs an ABN is a question for the ATO and your registered tax agent rather than for Shopify.

### How long do Shopify payouts take in Australia?

The Australian payouts page states the minimum settlement time is 2 business days, and that banks then need 24 to 72 hours to process and deposit funds, checked on 26 August 2026. There is no minimum payout amount, and all payouts are processed according to your payout schedule. Initial settlement periods can be longer and shorten as you reliably fulfil orders.

### What does Shopify Payments cost per sale in Australia?

Online, it's 1.75 % + 30c on Basic, 1.6 % + 30c on Grow and 1.4 % + 30c on Advanced for standard cards, checked on 26 August 2026. American Express is 2.9 % + 30c on Basic and international cards 3.5 % + 30c. In person it's 1.95 % on Basic with no fixed component.

### Can I be paid out in New Zealand dollars?

Australian stores are paid in AUD without a multi-currency payout fee, and Shopify's documentation states that NZD and USD payouts to Australian accounts are subject to that fee. Selling in another currency also brings a conversion fee into the displayed price, described as 1.5 % for Australian stores. Trans-Tasman selling therefore costs a little more than the headline rate suggests.

### Is a sole trader eligible for Shopify Payments?

Yes. Individual and sole trader are both listed among the eligible business types on the Australian requirements page, alongside corporations, partnerships, public companies and non-profits. You'll still be asked for identity, address and business documentation, and certain business categories are prohibited under the Australian Shopify Payments Terms of Service.

## Sources
1. Shopify Help Center, "Bank account and personal information requirements" (Australia). https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries/australia/requirements — retrieved 26 August 2026.
2. Shopify Help Center, "Payouts and settlement times with Shopify Payments in Australia". https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries/australia/payouts — retrieved 26 August 2026.
3. Shopify, "Shopify Pricing" (Australia). https://www.shopify.com/au/pricing — retrieved 26 August 2026.
4. Shopify Help Center, "Shopify Payments" (fees). https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/fees — retrieved 26 August 2026.
5. Shopify Help Center, "Supported countries for Shopify Payments". https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/supported-countries — retrieved 26 August 2026.
6. Shopify Help Center, "Local payment methods". https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/payments/shopify-payments/local-payment-methods — retrieved 26 August 2026.
7. Shopify Help Center, "Currency conversions and exchange rates". https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/international/pricing/exchange-rates — retrieved 26 August 2026.
8. Shopify, "Shopify Payments Terms of Service" (Australia). https://www.shopify.com/legal/terms-payments/au — retrieved 26 August 2026.