Organizer guide: How to create and manage custom fees and taxes at all levels
You can add custom fees and taxes to your organization to support operational costs, service charges, or meet local tax requirements. These settings must be configured manually—Showpass does not charge or remit taxes on your behalf.
Fees and taxes can be applied at the organization, event, or ticket type level, and can either override or stack with existing configurations, depending on your setup. This article outlines how to create and manage both.
Note: Custom fees must be added before ticket sales begin at each respective level. Changes are not retroactive and will only apply to new transactions.
Organization-level custom fees
To apply a fee across all your events and products:
- Go to Organization Info from the dashboard pop-out menu.
- Select Financial Settings from the left-hand menu.
- Click Add new custom fee or tax.
In the modal:
- Type: Choose Fee or Tax.
- Name: Select the name for internal tracking.
Rate card configuration options:
- Enabled: Toggle fee on/off.
- Item Type: Apply to tickets, products, or both.
- Purchase Platform: Online, in-person, or both.
- Payment Type: Card, cash, or both.
- Fee Amount: Set a percentage or dollar value.
- Customer Pays: Enable if you want this fee to appear as an additional line item at checkout.
- Tax % (optional): For internal tracking only. Use this for reporting purposes.
Click Save to finalize. You can also Add Another rate card or delete the entry if needed.
Event-level custom fees
Event-level fees can override or stack on top of organization-level fees.
Note: These must be added before the event has any sales.
- Edit the event and go to Advanced/ Financial Settings.
- If no fees exist, click Add new custom fee or tax.
- If fees exist, click the pencil icon next to one and then select Override to replace it.
Fill in the rate card fields as described above and click Save.
Reminder: If you do not click Override, the new fee will stack on top of the organization fee.
Ticket type-level custom fees
These fees can override both event-level and organization-level fees, or be added in addition to them.
Note: Must be configured before any sales for the specific ticket type.
- Edit your event and go to the Ticket Types section.
- Click the gear icon next to the ticket type you want to update.
- Go to the Finance tab.
- Create additional custom fees or taxes as described above, or select Override to replace existing fee configurations and enter your custom values.
Testing fee calculations
To preview how your fee will be calculated before going live:
- Once your fee is saved, click Calculate Fees.
- Input a test ticket price and select:
- Item Type (ticket or product)
- Purchase Platform (online or in person)
- Payment Type (card or cash)
- Click Calculate to view the fee breakdown.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Can I edit a fee after ticket sales begin?
You can update or add new fees, but they will only apply to future purchases. Existing transactions won’t be affected.
Does Showpass automatically charge tax on my behalf?
No. Showpass does not charge, collect, or remit taxes on behalf of event organizers. If you need to collect tax on your ticket sales, you must set it up manually using the instructions provided in your financial settings.
It is the responsibility of each event organizer to determine, collect, and remit the appropriate taxes based on their local jurisdiction and business requirements.
What happens if I don’t override a fee?
The new fee will stack with existing ones. Use the override option if you want to replace a previous fee at the event or ticket level.
Why is my fee not appearing at checkout?
Ensure the correct conditions are selected (platform, payment type, item type), and confirm the fee is enabled and saved.
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