by Matt Rej
Shift4 is changing the way they charge annual fees on select merchant accounts in 2026.
Previously, they billed two separate fees each year based on the number of devices you have. But moving forward, those two fees are being consolidated into a single charge: Annual Service and Maintenance Fee.
While Shift4’s billing update notices are positioning this as something that’s “clear, simple, and easy to manage,” the end result for most businesses is a higher annual fee.
About Shift4’s Annual Service and Maintenance Fee
Shift4’s Annual Service and Maintenance Fee was announced in June 2026. Here are the key details:
- Effective July 1, 2026.
- Billed annually every August.
- The amount varies by account (around $1,500 to $2,000 per year).
- Consolidates Annual Program Fees and Regulatory Assurance Fees into a single annual fee.
Rates Vary By Merchant Account
Our clients using Shift4 started receiving these annual fee changes in the form of an “Important Billing Update” notice sent out in the first week of June. And it was immediately clear that this new annual fee would not be consistently applied to all accounts.
Here’s one example where a merchant is being charged $2,000 annually:
And here’s another notice we received the same day from another client getting charged $1,500 for the exact same fee:
As of right now, Shift4 has yet to publish anything about this fee or the rate on its helpdesk. These notices are still continuing to roll in on our side, so I’ll update the pricing accordingly if we get any outside of this range.
But at $1,500 or $2,000, it’s safe to say that this is now the most expensive annual fee in the credit card processing industry.
Is It Cheaper or More Expensive Than the Previous Shift4 Annual Fees?
Shift4’s new Annual Service and Maintenance Fee is a combination of two other fees:
- Regulatory Assurance Fee — $325 per device annually ($975 max)
- Annual Program Fee — $250 per device annually ($1,000 max)
So the most you could have possibly been charged under the old billing system was $1,975 per year, assuming you had at least four devices.
But we’re already seeing Shift4 charge $2,000 for the new Annual Service and Maintenance Fee, meaning the new fee is going to be more expensive for most merchants.
I get that a $25 difference seems marginal. But it’s still a price hike on top of other Shift4 rate increases being applied over the last 12-24 months.
And this doesn’t even tell the whole story. The Annual Program Fee used to be $99 per device per year before it jumped to $250. So not long ago, a merchant with two devices paid $424 ($325 + $99) per device, for a total of $848 annually.
But under this new consolidated billing system, that same merchant is being charged $1,500 per year in the form of an Annual Service and Maintenance Fee.
So the gap is much wider on certain accounts compared to others. But it’s still more expensive across the board. I’ve yet to see an account where the new annual fee is less than what the merchant previously paid.
Are Annual Program Fees and Regulatory Assurance Fees Being Eliminated?
No, the new Shift4 Annual Service and Maintenance Fee is only being applied to select accounts.
Shift4’s Regulatory Assurance Fee and Annual Program Fee will continue being assessed annually for other merchants. We typically see one charged in January and the other billed in August.
It’s also worth noting that Shift4 updated their helpdesk pages for each of these fees on May 27, 2026 — just a few days before they started sending out notices for the Annual Service and Maintenance Fee. The recent update to these pages tells me they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Does This Fee Apply to Every Shift4 Merchant?
No, not every merchant is going to pay Shift4’s new annual fee.
You should receive a billing update notice if this applies to your account. You can also check attachments to your recent statements to see if the notice is in there.
Otherwise, you can check your statements in August to see if an Annual Service and Maintenance Fee was applied, and for which amount.
If Shift4 failed to properly notify you of the charge before applying it to your account, you may be able to get it removed.
What to Do If You Received This Notice
If you were notified of Shift4’s Annual Service and Maintenance Fee being applied to your account, take these steps:
Make sure Shift4 isn’t double-dipping: You should NOT be charged the Annual Service and Maintenance fee AND the Regulatory Assurance Fee or Annual Program Fee in the same year. This new fee is a consolidation of the other two, so if you already paid one of these annual fees in January, then Shift4 shouldn’t be charging you again in August for the Annual Service and Maintenance fee.
Compare your annual fee totals from last year: Pull out your Shift4 statements from 2025 and find the RAF and Annual Program charges applied to your account (should be January and August statements). Add them up, and compare that total against the amount you’re being charged for the new Annual Service and Maintenance Fee. If the new fee is more, you have a gripe to pick with Shift4.
Verify the new amount in August: Don’t just assume you’ll be charged correctly. Anytime there’s a new fee being applied to accounts, billing “errors” and “mistakes” can happen (wouldn’t be the first time we saw this with Shift4). So verify that you’re actually being charged the amount from your notice, and there wasn’t a per-device billing glitch or something that further increased your costs.
Monitor each statement closely: Shift4’s updated billing notice made it clear that the whole point of this new annual fee is simplicity and consolidation. So you need to make sure that you’re not being hit with additional annual fees on top of this one. Here are some other Shift4 fees to watch out for.
Negotiate and push back: You don’t have to take this increase lying down. You have every right to pick up the phone, call Shift4, and let them know you’re unhappy. Try as best you can to get the fee removed from your account. And if they won’t budge, see if they can make concessions elsewhere.
If you want to keep using Shift4 but you’re fed up with all the increases and new fees, you have options. Our team here at MCC can negotiate your rates directly with Shift4 so you pay less without changing anything. Even if you’re still under contract. Get your free audit today.