Written by Jeff Blake Updated May 28, 2026

A service fee adds a charge on top of a registration type’s price at checkout. You define the fee once, group it, then apply that group to the registration types it should charge.

A service fee charges nothing on its own. It only applies once it’s in a service fee category and that category is assigned to a registration type.

Requirements: A Guest Manager account. At least one event with a registration type — see Registration types.

1. Create the service fee

1. Open your account settings and go to the Service fee rates section.

2. Click the add button to create a new service fee rate.

3. Fill in the form:
   • Name — what this fee is called, such as Booking fee or Service charge.
   • Amount — the flat amount charged per ticket. Enter 0 if you only want a percentage.
   • Percent — the share of the ticket price to charge, entered as a decimal: 0.1 for 10%, 0.025 for 2.5%. Enter 0 if you only want a flat amount.
   • Included — check this to absorb the fee into the ticket price; leave it unchecked to show the fee as a separate line at checkout.
4. Submit the form.

The service fee rate is created and appears in the Service fee rates list. The fee equals the percentage of the ticket price plus the flat amount per ticket, so you can set one, the other, or both.

2. Group the fee into a category

A service fee category groups one or more service fees so they can be applied together to registration types and products.

1. While creating or editing the service fee, use the Service fee categories field to add it to a category.

2. Submit the form.

The service fee now belongs to that category. You can also manage categories from the Service fee categories settings section, where each category lists its fees.

3. Apply the category to a registration type

1. Open the event and edit the registration type that should charge the fee.

2. In the registration type’s settings, set its Service fee category to the category you created.

3. Save the registration type.

Buyers who purchase that registration type now pay the service fee at checkout. The fee applies to new orders only.

Related articles

• Registration types — the ticket types a service fee category attaches to.
• Event pages — the public order page where the fee appears at checkout.

FAQ

Why isn’t the service fee being charged?

A service fee only charges once it’s both in a service fee category and that category is assigned to the registration type being purchased. Confirm the fee is in a category, then confirm that category is selected on the registration type.

What’s the difference between Included and not Included?

When Included is checked, the fee is absorbed into the ticket price the buyer sees. When it’s unchecked, the fee shows as a separate line at checkout on top of the ticket price.

Can one fee charge both a flat amount and a percentage?

Yes. The total fee is the percentage of the ticket price plus the flat amount per ticket. Set either value to 0 to use only the other.

What is the “System Fee” row in the service fee rates list?

A fee marked as a system fee is a platform fee managed by Guest Manager, not one you created. You can choose whether to absorb it into the ticket price or show it as a separate line, but you cannot rename it, change its categories, or edit its pricing.

Can I limit a fee to certain tickets or price ranges?

A service fee rate has optional Product type, Min price, and Max price filters that restrict which items it applies to. Leave them empty to apply the fee to everything in its category.