What an assessment fee is
An assessment fee is a small fee charged by the card network on each sale. The card networks are Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, UnionPay and Interac. What processors publish about Amex in Canada is in American Express in Canada.
It is usually a small percentage of the sale. TD’s fee list describes the Visa and Mastercard ones in four words: “Assessed on all Visa transactions,” and the same for Mastercard.
Your processor collects it from you and passes it on. Some statements call it a card brand fee or a network fee.
How it differs from interchange
A card sale has three main cost parts. Each goes to someone different.
| Part | Who gets it | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Interchange | Your customer’s bank (the issuer) | The card network publishes the rates |
| Assessment fee | The card network | The card network |
| Markup | Your processor | Your processor |
Visa’s Canadian rate sheet describes interchange as “Fees paid by the Acquirer to the Issuer on purchase transactions.” The assessment fee is a separate charge, listed on its own line.
In this example, interchange is much bigger. On Visa’s sheet, a basic Visa card in person is 1.25% interchange. TD lists the Visa assessment fee at 0.1017%.
More: What Is Interchange? and Processor Markup.
The amounts TD lists
All from TD Merchant Solutions’ fee list, as percentages of each sale unless noted:
| Network | Fee on TD’s list | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Visa | Visa Assessment Fee | 0.1017% |
| Mastercard | Mastercard Assessment Fee | 0.1017% |
| Discover | Discover Assessment Fee | 0.0712% |
| UnionPay | UnionPay Assessment Fee (credit and debit) | 0.1130% |
| American Express (OptBlue) | Amex Assessment Fee | 0.1360% |
| Interac | Interac Direct Payment (IDP) Assessment Fee (statement name: Interac Switch Fee) | $0.0158 per sale; $0.0163 from Nov 1, 2026 |
TD’s list also shows a “Visa Card Brand Fee” and a “Mastercard Card Brand Fee” at 0.102%, each “Assessed on all” Visa or Mastercard transactions.
Cross-border assessments are extra, for cards issued outside Canada. TD lists Visa at 0.678% when the sale is in Canadian dollars and 1.13% in other currencies, and Mastercard at 1.13% in Canadian dollars from August 1, 2026. See Foreign Card Fees.
What it looks like on a statement
On an interchange plus statement, assessment fees show as their own lines, one per network. TD’s sample interchange plus statement shows them as “assessment fees”, separate for each card brand.
When a network changes a fee, TD’s Fee Change Summary lists it with the change origin marked as the card network (“PCNO”, Payment Card Network Operator) and the amount passed on, usually 100%.
Where it appears on different statements
- Interchange plus: a separate line for each network’s assessment, plus any cross-border or other network fees. See What Is Interchange Plus Pricing?
- Differential (DRAF): TD lists network fee changes for its DRAF method too, so they appear as separate lines there as well.
- Flat rate: no separate line. The assessment is inside your one rate.
Helcim, for example, says: “All card association fees, network fees and interchange rates are passed onto the merchant directly.” Its combined rates in its fee disclosure boxes include them.
How to Read Your Merchant Statement shows where to look. The statement decoder explains individual lines.
Other network fees
Assessment fees are not the only network fees. TD’s list also includes:
- Mastercard NABU fee, from October 19, 2026. See Mastercard’s New NABU Fee in Canada.
- Non-compliance fees, such as $0.15 from Visa when a declined card is retried. See PCI Fees and Non-Compliance Fees.
- Card-not-present fees, such as Visa’s Digital Commerce Services Fee on online and keyed sales.
Where to go from here
On a statement, assessment fees are the lines with “assessment” or “card brand” in the name. Each one divided by the sales on that network gives its rate. Each processor’s fee list shows the rate it charges; TD’s rates above are one published example.
For more on Canadian card fees, see card processing in Canada. Want a partner to review your statement? We will put you in touch. Start the free statement review.