Understanding Charges
This page explains what each charge on your PayBru receipt means, so there are no surprises on your billing documents.
Receipt Line Items
A typical PayBru receipt contains the following line items:
| Line item | Description |
|---|---|
| Membership fee | The price of the tier you're subscribed to, as set by the creator. |
| Platform fee | PayBru's platform fee (5% of the transaction amount). |
| Gateway fee | Payment processing fee charged by Paystack (2.9% + R1 per transaction). |
| VAT | Value-Added Tax, if applicable to the transaction. |
| Total | The final amount charged to your payment method. |
Membership Fee
This is the core charge - the price of the creator's tier that you are subscribed to. It matches the amount displayed on the creator's page when you subscribed.
- Prices are always in ZAR.
- The amount is the same each month unless you change tiers.
- Creators set their own pricing, so this varies between creators and tiers.
Fee Breakdown
PayBru's fee structure is transparent and broken down on every receipt:
Platform Fee - 5%
This is PayBru's service fee, calculated as 5% of the transaction amount. It covers the cost of running the platform, including hosting, support, and feature development.
Gateway Fee - 2.9% + R1
This is the payment processing fee charged by Paystack, PayBru's payment provider. It covers the cost of securely processing card payments and is calculated as 2.9% of the transaction amount plus a flat R1 fee.
For members, the amount you pay matches the tier price set by the creator. Platform and gateway fees are deducted from the creator's earnings, not added to your payment.
VAT
VAT is tracked on every transaction. The current VAT rate applied is 0%. This means VAT is recorded on your receipts but does not add to the total charged.
How VAT appears on your receipt:
- VAT is tracked per transaction for compliance and record-keeping purposes.
- The VAT rate is currently set at 0%, so no additional VAT amount is charged.
- The VAT line item will appear on receipts showing R0.00.
- All amounts are shown in ZAR.
If the VAT rate changes in the future, it will be reflected on receipts going forward.
What If a Charge Looks Wrong?
If you see an amount on your receipt or bank statement that you don't recognise:
- Check your active subscriptions in Account Settings > Memberships to see which creators you're subscribed to and at what tier.
- Review your payment history to match the charge date with a specific transaction.
- Compare the receipt amount with the tier price on the creator's page.
If the charge still doesn't make sense, contact PayBru support with your receipt number and they will investigate.
Bank statements may show Paystack as the merchant name rather than "PayBru". Check your receipt to confirm the charge matches.