Payments & Withdrawals
Platform fees explained
YouFundMe charges donors a payment processing fee and tax, and fundraisers a platform fee and a disbursement fee. Each charge, its current rate, and who pays it is listed below.
Creating a campaign is free
There is no setup fee and no monthly fee. Charges apply only when a donation is made and when a fundraiser withdraws. If a campaign receives no donations, the fundraiser pays nothing.
What a donor pays
A donor pays the donation amount they choose plus the charges below. The tax is calculated on the donation amount. The payment processing fee is calculated on the total the donor pays, so the total is slightly more than the donation plus tax. The donor sees the exact total before paying.
- Payment processing fee (4%). Charged by our payment processor as a share of the total the donor pays. It is rounded up.
- Tax (3.5%). Collected by YouFundMe and passed on to the tax authority. It is not YouFundMe income and it is not added to the campaign.
- Optional tip. A donor can add a tip to support YouFundMe. It is never required, and the donor chooses the amount.
- SMS receipt fee (USh 100). Receipts are emailed free of charge. A donor paying in Ugandan Shillings who gives no email address gets the receipt by SMS and pays this fee (USh 150 each month for a monthly gift). Adding an email removes it.
The campaign records the full donation amount as raised, not the total the donor paid.
Mobile money network charges
Mobile money network charges from MTN or Airtel may also apply and are paid by you directly to the network. These charges are set by the network, not by YouFundMe, and are separate from the fees on this page.
What a fundraiser pays
- Platform fee (7.5% of each donation). Deducted from each donation when it is received. It pays for running the platform, campaign verification, fraud prevention, and support. What remains is the withdrawable balance.
- Disbursement fee (4% of the amount withdrawn). The cost of sending the payout to mobile money or a bank. It is deducted from the payout, so the fundraiser receives the amount requested minus this fee.
- SMS fee (USh 50 per withdrawal). Covers the withdrawal code sent to your phone, deducted from the payout with the disbursement fee. It is USh 150 if your account has no email address.
YouFundMe charges no other fee for creating or running a campaign. Your mobile money provider or bank may apply its own charges when you cash out or transfer money you have received.
Setting your goal with fees in mind
Fees come off before money reaches your phone: the platform fee on each donation, then the disbursement fee on each withdrawal. If you need an exact amount, set your goal above it so that what you receive after both fees still covers your costs.
Rates can change
The rates on this page are the current rates. The rate in force when a donation is paid or a withdrawal is requested is the one that applies to it, and the donor's total is shown before they confirm.
Worked example: a USh 2,000 donation
This example uses the current rates and assumes the fundraiser withdraws the whole withdrawable balance in one request. Mobile money network charges, if any, are paid by the donor to the network and are not shown here.
The donor
| Donation amount | USh 2,000 |
|---|---|
| Payment processing fee (4%) | + USh 87 |
| Tax (3.5%) | + USh 70 |
| Optional tip (this example has none) | + USh 0 |
| Total the donor pays | USh 2,157 |
The fundraiser
| Recorded on the campaign as raised | USh 2,000 |
|---|---|
| Platform fee (7.5%) | - USh 150 |
| Withdrawable balance | USh 1,850 |
| Disbursement fee (4% of the amount withdrawn) | - USh 74 |
| SMS fee for the withdrawal code | - USh 50 |
| Received on the fundraiser’s phone or bank | USh 1,726 |
The tax of USh 70 is passed on to the tax authority. The payment processing fee of USh 87 covers collecting the payment. Neither reaches the campaign.
Tip
If you ask friends to give a round amount, tell them the exact total they pay is shown before they confirm, so nothing changes at checkout.