- Updated
If you’re receiving a payment for a good or service to your personal Venmo profile, read on. If you have a business profile, please view our Business Profile Help Center.
Why am I charged a fee when my buyer tags a payment as a purchase?
The seller fee for payments tagged as purchases enables Venmo to provide the Venmo Purchase Protection Programfor eligible payments. Venmo's Purchase Protection program can help prevent you from losing money due to unauthorized transactions or claims of missing merchandise.
Learn more about buying and selling on Venmo
Learn more about fees on Venmo.
This payment wasn’t for a purchase. Can the fee be refunded?
If someone sent you a payment tagged as a purchase and you didn’t sell them anything, please have the sender contact our support team to refund the fee.
It’s important to understand the potential tax implications of receiving payments tagged as purchases, especially if the amount received meets or exceeds the reporting threshold. You can visit our Tax Center for more information.
For unexpected payments from users you don’t know personally, please contact our support team as soon as possible. Do not attempt to return payments from strangers on your own. Read more about common scams on Venmo.
I got a notification that someone sent me money for a purchase. What is this?
If the sender tags a payment as a purchase when sending money to your personal profile, we’ll notify you that they did so. This means that the sender let us know they’re paying you for an item or service, and the payment (if eligible) will be covered under Venmo’s Purchase Protection Program.
I sent someone a request but received less money than I expected when it was fulfilled
It’s likely that the sender tagged the payment as a purchase.
If someone sent you a payment tagged as a purchase and you didn't sell them anything, please have the sender contact our support teamto request a refund of the fee.
I’m refunding my buyer. Is the fee refunded as well?
For payments intentionally tagged as purchases by the sender, Venmo will not return the fee amount if you need to issue a refund. This means that you (as the seller) will need to cover the fee amount when refunding your buyer to ensure that they receive the full amount of their payment back.
You can refund a buyer by making a new payment to them. Please note that this "refund" won't be tied to the original payment you received. Instead, you'll see this as a new payment in your Venmo transaction history.
Does Venmo have any other features for sellers?
If you frequently use Venmo to sell things, we recommend exploring business profiles.Some benefits of creating a business profile include, but are not limited to:
- Increased visibility for your business in the Venmo app
- Ability to generate referrals among socially engaged Venmo users
- Options to provide potential customers with more information about your business in the app, including links to a website and social media accounts
- In-app photo gallery to feature products and services (only available for some industries)
- Ability to refund customers directly from the Venmo app
- Formal tax documentation for business profiles that meet or exceed federal and state reporting thresholds
- This information is not intended to be and should not be construed as tax advice. You should consult a tax professional regarding your reporting of these transactions.
- Ability to enable tipping on payments your business receives
- QR Kits for easy, touch-free payment options
- Ability to sign-up to accept contactless payments from compatible cards and digital wallets with Tap to Pay
- Learn more about Tap to Pay on iPhone
- Learn more about Tap to Pay on Android
