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The Collection Fee Bearer setting controls who pays the transaction fee on each payment - you, your customer, or decided per transaction via the API.
Only a Merchant Admin can configure fee settings.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:
  • Merchant Admin access to your Bila dashboard
  • A clear understanding of your pricing strategy - whether your listed prices are inclusive or exclusive of transaction fees

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Step 1: Open General Settings

  1. Click Settings at the bottom of the left sidebar.
  2. Confirm you are on the General tab - this is the default view.
General settings page - light mode
The General settings page displays two configurable sections:

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Step 2: Open the Collection Fee Bearer Panel

Under Collection fee bearer, click Manage. The Collection fees panel slides open on the right side of the screen with three options to choose from.
Collection fee bearer panel - light mode

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Step 3: Choose Your Fee Bearer

Select the option that matches how you want fees handled on your account:
Fee bearer options - light mode

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Merchants

You absorb the collection fee on every transaction. Bila deducts the fee from the amount you receive - your customer always pays exactly what is listed on your storefront or payment link. Example:
This is the simplest setup and the Bila default. Choose this if you want a clean checkout experience where customers never see a fee line item.

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Customers

The collection fee is added on top of your listed price at checkout. Your customer pays the listed amount plus the fee - you receive the full listed price. Example:
Choose this if your margins are tight and you need to receive the full listed price on every transaction. The fee will appear as a separate line item at checkout.

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Either

You pass who bears the fee on each individual API request - giving you full flexibility to decide per transaction. This option is designed for businesses that use the Bila API to initiate collections programmatically and need dynamic fee logic.
Either requires API integration. If you are not using the Bila API to initiate payments, choose Merchants or Customers instead.

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Step 4: Save Your Changes

Once you have selected your preferred option, click Save changes. Confirmation: The panel closes and your new fee bearer setting is applied immediately to all future transactions.
This change takes effect on the very next transaction processed. It does not affect payments that have already been completed. If switching from Merchants to Customers, inform your team before saving - customers will see a fee line item added to their checkout total from this point forward.

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Fee Bearer Decision Guide

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Troubleshooting

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Next Steps

Configure API Access Channels

Control which payment channels your API integration can use for collections.

Set Admin Roles

Manage who on your team can view and change fee settings.