Chiropractic Surcharging, Simplified: A Smarter Way to Recover Your Fees

Reduce Processing Fees with Smart Surcharging for Chiropractic Practices

Chiropractors are facing rising processing fees that quietly erode profits. This guide explains how smart surcharging can help recover those costs while keeping patients informed and compliant.

Key Takeaways

• Credit card processing fees can cost chiropractic practices up to 4% of revenue on every transaction.
• ChiroSpring Pay’s surcharging feature helps chiropractors automatically recover up to 3% of those costs while staying fully compliant. ‍
• Early users report average monthly savings of $800–$2,400 and a 95% patient acceptance rate with clear communication.
• With chiropractic surcharging, providers can protect their margins and keep more of what they earn.

You work hard for every dollar your practice earns. So why let thousands of those dollars disappear into processing fees?

Most chiropractic practices lose around 2–4% of revenue on every credit card transaction. It’s an invisible drain that adds up fast, cutting into margins and making it harder to grow.

For many clinics, those fees mean the difference between investing in a new table, hiring another staff member, or staying exactly where they are.

That’s why ChiroSpring Pay now includes smart surcharging, a simple, compliant way to recover those costs and keep more of what you earn.

What Is Chiropractic Surcharging?

Chiropractic surcharging allows your practice to recover the cost of credit card processing by adding a small, clearly disclosed fee to eligible transactions. It’s one of the easiest ways to keep more of what you earn without increasing your base rates for every patient.

If you’ve seen a service fee added at checkout, it might seem similar, but it’s not. A convenience fee is charged for using a specific payment channel, like paying online instead of in person. On the other hand, a surcharge applies only to credit card payments and must follow strict rules set by card networks and state regulations.

Understanding that difference matters because chiropractors have unique billing and transparency requirements. Using a generic surcharging tool can create compliance issues or confuse patients if fees aren’t presented clearly.

How Smart Surcharging Works in ChiroSpring Pay

Processing fees are part of doing business, but they don’t have to chip away at your bottom line. With surcharging in ChiroSpring Pay, chiropractors can automatically recover a portion of those fees while staying fully compliant and transparent with patients.

Here’s what it does:

• Adds up to 3% to eligible credit card transactions to offset processing costs
• Excludes Medicare, Medicaid, and other restricted payments automatically
• Shows the surcharge clearly before patients pay, online or in person
• Works within your existing ChiroSpring Pay setup—no new equipment or extra steps

It’s a straightforward way to recover costs you’re already paying, without disrupting how you collect or communicate with patients.

How Surcharging Benefits Your Practice and Your Patients

For most chiropractors, even small changes in revenue can make a real difference. Surcharging helps reclaim revenue lost to processing fees without changing how your team collects or how patients pay.

For Your Practice

• Recovers up to 3% in processing costs, directly improving margins on every eligible credit card payment
• Fits seamlessly into your existing ChiroSpring Pay workflow, so there’s nothing new to learn or manage
• Frees up revenue that can be reinvested in your staff, equipment, or continued growth

For Your Patients

• Clearly displays the surcharge before payment, so they always know what to expect
• Encourages lower-cost payment choices like debit or cash
• Keeps care affordable by avoiding across-the-board price increases

Surcharging helps you keep more of what you earn, allowing you to focus on your patients and the future of your practice.

Surcharging in Action: Real Results from Chiropractic Practices

Chiropractors using surcharging in ChiroSpring Pay have already saved thousands in processing fees while maintaining strong patient satisfaction and trust.

• Average monthly savings between $800 and $2,400 in recovered processing fees
• ‍95% patient acceptance rate when surcharges are explained clearly
• ‍Zero compliance issues reported since activation

Chiropractic practices nationwide already rely on ChiroSpring Pay to simplify billing and reduce processing costs.

Keep More of What You Earn

You work hard to keep your practice running, managing patients, staff, and everything in between. But when processing fees take a cut of every transaction, it can be harder to build the kind of stability your practice deserves.

With ChiroSpring Pay’s surcharging, you can recover those costs and keep more of each payment you earn. It’s a simple, compliant way to strengthen your margins and reinvest in what matters most: caring for your patients and growing your practice.

Learn how surcharging in ChiroSpring Pay can strengthen your margins.

FAQs About Chiropractic Surcharging

What is surcharging in chiropractic practices?
Surcharging allows chiropractors to recover credit card processing costs by adding a small, clearly disclosed fee to eligible transactions. It helps protect margins without raising prices for every patient.

Is surcharging legal for chiropractic practices?
Yes, surcharging is legal in most states when done in compliance with card network and state regulations. ChiroSpring Pay automatically manages these rules to help practices stay compliant.

How much can my practice recover with surcharging?
Most chiropractic practices can recover up to 3% in credit card processing costs, depending on their transaction volume and payer mix.

Can chiropractors surcharge Medicare or Medicaid payments?
No. Medicare, Medicaid, and other restricted transactions cannot be surcharged. ChiroSpring Pay automatically excludes these payments to maintain compliance.

Will surcharging upset my patients?
Not when it’s communicated clearly. Chiropractors using ChiroSpring Pay report a 95% patient acceptance rate, thanks to transparent payment disclosures.

How quickly can surcharging be activated?
Most practices are fully set up within about five business days after enabling surcharging in ChiroSpring Pay.

What’s the difference between surcharging and convenience fees?
A surcharge applies only to credit card transactions, while a convenience fee covers alternative payment methods like online payments. ChiroSpring Pay automatically handles both distinctions compliantly.

References

Grigg, B. A., & Vandiver, W. (2025, January 24). Credit Card Processing Fees: What Small Businesses Should Know in 2025 (R. Lane, Ed.). NerdWallet. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/credit-card-processing-fees

How to Improve the Patient Experience with Easier Payments. (2025, July 17). ChiroSpring. https://www.chirospring.com/articles/how-to-improve-the-patient-experience-with-easier-payments

Mosteller, A. (2022, December 8). What’s the Difference Between a Surcharge and a Convenience Fee? Business.org. https://www.business.org/finance/payment-processing/surcharge-vs-convenience-fee/