A payment gateway in Saudi Arabia is a company licensed or permitted by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) that lets your business take card and wallet payments online, then settles the money to your Saudi bank account after deducting its fee. Stripe is not an option: Saudi Arabia does not appear on Stripe's list of supported countries as of September 2026, so a Saudi-registered business or freelancer uses a local provider such as Moyasar, Tap Payments, HyperPay or PayTabs, usually with mada, Apple Pay and STC Pay switched on, and sometimes Tabby or Tamara for instalments. This guide covers what each provider publishes about fees and onboarding, why mada matters, how payouts work, how 15% VAT applies to gateway fees, and the journal entries for a sale, a fee, a payout and a refund. Tax points here are general information, not advice for your specific case.
Can a Saudi business use Stripe?
No, not with a Saudi-registered entity. Stripe's global availability page lists the United Arab Emirates but not Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia is not on its preview list either. A separate company that genuinely operates in a supported country can open Stripe, but it then invoices, banks and pays tax there. It is not a workaround for a Saudi CR or freelance document. If your business is in the UAE, read how to account for Stripe payments in the UAE instead.
Which payment methods do Saudi customers expect?
| Method | What it is | How you accept it |
|---|---|---|
| mada | The national debit card scheme, run by Saudi Payments under SAMA. Most Saudi bank accounts come with a mada card | Through any local gateway or a bank POS terminal |
| Visa / Mastercard / Amex | International credit and debit cards | Through the gateway; usually priced higher than mada |
| Apple Pay | A wallet that holds the customer's mada or credit card. It is not a separate payment scheme | Enabled inside your gateway account; the fee follows the underlying card |
| STC Pay | A mobile wallet from stc Group. SAMA has approved its transformation into STC Bank; gateways still list it as a checkout method | Enabled inside your gateway account |
| Tabby / Tamara | Buy now, pay later (BNPL). The customer pays in instalments; you are paid by the provider | Direct merchant agreement, or through a gateway that resells it |
| Bank transfer (IBAN) | Still the default for B2B invoices | No gateway needed |
Why does mada matter?
Two reasons: reach and cost.
Reach. SAMA reported on 12 April 2026 that electronic payments were 85% of all retail payments in the Kingdom in 2025, up from 79% in 2024, across 14.6 billion transactions. SAMA attributes the growth mainly to mada volumes at points of sale and in e-commerce. SAMA's statement does not give mada's share of card payments, so we do not quote one.
Cost. mada is priced lower than international cards. Tap Payments announced that from 1 September 2023 its fee for mada transactions, including mada inside Apple Pay, is 1% capped at SAR 200 per transaction. PayTabs publishes 1% for mada against 2.25% + SAR 1 for credit cards on its Saudi Paymes plan. Treat these as provider prices, not a legal cap, and check your own agreement.
Threshold: at 1% capped at SAR 200, the cap starts to help on a sale above SAR 20,000. On a SAR 50,000 mada payment the fee at that published rate is SAR 200, not SAR 500. Large-ticket sellers (furniture, training, B2B deposits) should ask every provider whether a mada cap applies.
What do the main Saudi gateways charge?
Only published pricing appears below, checked on the providers' own pages in September 2026. Pricing moves, volume discounts are common, and several providers publish nothing, so check the provider's page and get the rate in writing before you sign. Third-party comparison sites quote conflicting figures for the same provider, so we have left those out.
| Provider | What it is | Published pricing | Methods it lists | Settlement it publishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moyasar | Saudi gateway, Saudi Arabia only | Quote-based. Its FAQ says the sales team provides pricing | mada, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, STC Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay | Twice a week, Monday and Thursday, unless your agreement says otherwise |
| Tap Payments | GCC gateway; states it is licensed by SAMA | mada: 1% capped at SAR 200 (announced 2023). Other card rates: quote-based | mada, cards, Apple Pay, STC Pay, Tabby, Tamara | Not published |
| HyperPay | MENA gateway; states it holds a SAMA licence | Quote-based. Its site says pricing depends on the country of registration | mada (including pre-authorisation) and cards | Not published |
| PayTabs | MENA gateway | Paymes plan for Saudi Arabia: SAR 49 per month, mada 1%, credit cards 2.25% + SAR 1. Gateway plans beyond that: sign up or talk to sales | mada, STC Pay, Apple Pay, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Samsung Pay | Not published |
| Tabby | BNPL | Quote-based. A variable commission plus a fixed fee per order, set in your contract; Tabby says both already include gateway charges | Pay in instalments | Per your agreement, or your gateway's cycle if taken through one |
| Tamara | BNPL | Quote-based commission | Pay in instalments | Per your agreement |
Three things the table cannot show, so ask each provider: the chargeback fee, whether the fee is returned when you refund, and whether quoted rates include 15% VAT.
BNPL commissions are higher than card fees. Regional press reporting (Wamda, 2023) put them at roughly 2–9% of the order depending on the industry; your contract sets the rate. In return the provider pays you the order value less commission and carries the risk of a missed instalment.
What do you need to open a gateway account?
| Provider | What it asks for (per its own help pages) |
|---|---|
| Moyasar | A valid Saudi commercial registration (CR) or freelance licence, and a Saudi bank account linked to it. Activation typically takes 2–5 business days after documents are submitted |
| Tap Payments | Commercial licence or CR, memorandum of association where relevant, national ID of signatories and owners with 20% or more, an IBAN certificate in the same legal name, and a live website or social page showing products, prices, terms, refund and privacy policies. Tap markets to Saudi freelancers, but its document list does not mention the freelance document, so ask |
| PayTabs | Saudi ID of the owners, trade licence matching the website's activity, memorandum of association for multi-owner firms, a bank certificate showing account name and IBAN, and a tax document if you have one. PayTabs also says it accepts a Saudi freelancer certificate with ID and IBAN proof |
| HyperPay | Depends on the acquiring bank and your country of registration; contact its sales team |
The common thread: a legal basis (a CR, or the HRSD Freelance Work Document covered in our guide to freelancer invoicing in Saudi Arabia), a Saudi IBAN in exactly the same name, and a live site or page with a refund policy. A mismatch between the name on the IBAN certificate and the name on the CR is the usual reason an application stalls.
How does 15% VAT apply to gateway fees?
There are two separate VAT questions.
VAT on your sale. If you are VAT-registered, 15% VAT is due on the full price the customer pays, not on the amount the gateway settles. The gateway fee is a cost you pay the gateway. It does not reduce the value of your sale.
VAT on the gateway's fee. Under the Saudi VAT Implementing Regulations, financial services are exempt when the supplier earns an implicit margin, but taxable at 15% when charged as an explicit fee or commission. A per-transaction gateway fee is an explicit fee, so Saudi gateways generally add 15% VAT on top and issue you a tax invoice. Moyasar's documentation, for example, says each settlement email includes a CSV, a PDF and an invoice. If you are VAT-registered and make taxable sales, that VAT is normally recoverable input tax, provided you hold the gateway's tax invoice. If you are not registered, the VAT is part of your cost. Confirm the treatment of your own agreement with a tax adviser.
Deadline: the way a customer pays does not change your invoicing duties. A VAT-registered seller must issue a tax invoice no later than the 15th day of the month after the supply. Under Fatoora Phase 2, standard B2B invoices are cleared by ZATCA before sending and simplified B2C invoices are reported within 24 hours. Wave 25 brings businesses with VAT-subject revenue above SAR 187,500 into Phase 2 by 1 February 2027.
A gateway receipt or payment confirmation is not a tax invoice. The e-invoice still comes from your invoicing system. See ZATCA Wave 25 for small businesses and the ZATCA e-invoicing guide.
How do you record a gateway sale in the books?
Treat each gateway as a bank account you do not control. Create one balance-sheet account per provider, for example Moyasar clearing or Tap clearing. Sales go in at the gross amount, fees and refunds come out, and each settlement moves the remainder to the bank.
The example uses an illustrative fee of 2% + SAR 1 plus 15% VAT on the fee. It is not any provider's price. The seller is VAT-registered and sells a service for SAR 1,000 plus 15% VAT, so the customer pays SAR 1,150.
1. The sale, at the gross amount
| Account | Debit (SAR) | Credit (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts receivable | 1,150.00 | |
| Sales revenue | 1,000.00 | |
| VAT payable (15%) | 150.00 |
2. The customer pays through the gateway
| Account | Debit (SAR) | Credit (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway clearing | 1,150.00 | |
| Accounts receivable | 1,150.00 |
3. The fee and the VAT on the fee
Fee: 2% × 1,150.00 = 23.00, plus SAR 1.00 = SAR 24.00. VAT on the fee: 15% × 24.00 = SAR 3.60. Total deducted: SAR 27.60.
| Account | Debit (SAR) | Credit (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Payment processing fees (expense) | 24.00 | |
| Input VAT recoverable | 3.60 | |
| Gateway clearing | 27.60 |
4. The payout
| Account | Debit (SAR) | Credit (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Bank | 1,122.40 | |
| Gateway clearing | 1,122.40 |
Check: 1,150.00 − 27.60 − 1,122.40 = 0.00, so the clearing account is back to zero. Revenue is SAR 1,000, output VAT is SAR 150, the fee expense is SAR 24.00, recoverable input VAT is SAR 3.60, and the bank received SAR 1,122.40. A seller who is not VAT-registered charges no VAT on the sale and records the whole SAR 27.60 as expense.
A settlement with several sales and a refund
Illustrative rates again: mada at 1%, credit cards at 2% + SAR 1, 15% VAT on each fee. All prices include 15% VAT.
| Sale | Gross (SAR) | Card | Fee (SAR) | VAT on fee (SAR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INV-201 | 2,300.00 | mada | 23.00 | 3.45 |
| INV-202 | 1,150.00 | Credit card | 24.00 | 3.60 |
| INV-203 | 460.00 | mada | 4.60 | 0.69 |
| Total | 3,910.00 | 51.60 | 7.74 |
INV-203 is refunded in full before settlement, and in this example the gateway keeps the original fee. The settlement is 3,910.00 − 51.60 − 7.74 − 460.00 = SAR 3,390.66.
| Ledger line | SAR |
|---|---|
| Sales revenue (2,000 + 1,000 + 400 − 400 credit note) | 3,000.00 |
| Output VAT (300 + 150 + 60 − 60) | 450.00 |
| Payment processing fees | 51.60 |
| Input VAT on fees | 7.74 |
| Bank | 3,390.66 |
Check: revenue plus output VAT is SAR 3,450.00, which is the SAR 3,910.00 charged less the SAR 460.00 refunded. Less SAR 59.34 of fees and VAT on fees, that leaves SAR 3,390.66, which matches the bank.
How do refunds and chargebacks work?
Refunds. Issue a credit note for the sale (for a VAT-registered seller, a tax credit note under the same e-invoicing rules as the invoice), which reduces revenue and output VAT. Then record the money leaving the clearing account. Whether the original fee is returned depends on your agreement, so check it, and leave the fee in expenses if it is kept. Customers see the money at different speeds: Moyasar's FAQ gives 24 hours to 3 business days for mada and 7 to 14 business days for credit cards.
Chargebacks. A chargeback is a refund forced by the card issuer after a customer disputes a payment. The gateway deducts the disputed amount, usually with a dispute fee, from your next settlement. Expense the fee. Hold the disputed amount in a "Disputed payments" receivable until the case closes. If you lose, treat it as a refund. Most Saudi providers do not publish their dispute fee, so ask before you sign. Keep delivery proof, the customer's acceptance and your refund policy.
How do you reconcile payouts to the bank?
- Download the settlement report for each payout. It lists each payment, fee and refund in the batch.
- Confirm every payment in the report is in your books at gross and applied to an invoice.
- Post the fees and VAT on fees from the gateway's tax invoice, not from a percentage you calculated yourself.
- Tick each settlement to one bank credit, to the halala.
- Check the clearing balance. At month end it should equal the payments the gateway holds but has not yet settled. Anything else is usually an unrecorded refund, chargeback or monthly fee.
- Keep one clearing account per provider. Tabby or Tamara taken directly settles separately from your card gateway and needs its own account.
From the platform: Staks has no integration with Moyasar, Tap, HyperPay, PayTabs, Tabby, Tamara or any other Saudi gateway, and its Stripe integration only works for businesses Stripe supports, such as those registered in the UAE. It is not available to Saudi-registered businesses. What Staks does for a Saudi business: you issue invoices in SAR with 15% VAT shown per line, record full or partial payments against each invoice by hand, and add your own payment methods (one named after your gateway, for example). You log the gateway fee as an expense with its input VAT tracked. Invoicing and expenses are on Starter ($19 per month). The double-entry ledger is on Growth ($49 per month): there, each payment method has a "Deposits to" account, so payments recorded with your gateway method post to a gateway clearing account in the journal, and you can record the payout with a manual journal entry. Staks is not ZATCA-accredited and does not clear invoices through Fatoora.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stripe available in Saudi Arabia?
No. As of September 2026 Saudi Arabia is not on Stripe's list of supported countries, so a Saudi-registered business cannot open a Stripe account. Saudi businesses use local providers such as Moyasar, Tap Payments, HyperPay and PayTabs.
Can a freelancer open a payment gateway account without a commercial registration?
Often, yes. Moyasar says it accepts a valid Saudi CR or a freelance licence with a Saudi bank account linked to it, and PayTabs says it accepts a Saudi freelancer certificate with ID and IBAN proof. Other providers decide case by case, so ask before you apply.
Is VAT charged on payment gateway fees in Saudi Arabia?
Generally yes. Explicit fees and commissions for financial services are taxable at 15%, so a Saudi gateway normally adds 15% VAT to its fee and issues a tax invoice. A VAT-registered business making taxable sales can normally recover it as input tax. A business that is not registered cannot.
How fast do Saudi gateways pay out?
It depends on the provider and your agreement. Moyasar's documentation says it settles twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, by default. Tap, HyperPay and PayTabs do not publish a standard schedule, so get the settlement cycle in writing.
Related reading
- How to invoice as a freelancer in Saudi Arabia
- ZATCA Wave 25 for small businesses
- Payment terms in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- How to account for Stripe payments, fees and payouts in the UAE
Pick a gateway that carries mada, get the fees and settlement cycle in writing, and record every sale at gross with the fee as its own expense. Start a 14-day free trial of Staks to issue SAR invoices, record payments against them and keep gateway fees in your expenses.