⚡ At a glance On August 1, for California accounts:
👉 Want to keep passing the credit card fee to families? That's still allowed, but it now takes one action from you. See section 3. |
1. What's changing on August 1, 2026
California's Honest Pricing Law (SB 478), in effect since July 1, 2024, requires that the price a customer is shown up front is the price they actually pay. A credit card fee is still allowed, but only when it's clearly disclosed before the family chooses how to pay, and the family has a genuine, fee-free way to pay instead.
2. What happens automatically
No action needed for any of this. It applies to your account on August 1, 2026:
Payment method | What changes |
💳 Debit or prepaid card | You absorb the processing fee. Families are not charged a surcharge on debit or prepaid card payments. |
🏦 Bank account (ACH) | ACH bank payments turn on. Families pay their full balance straight from a bank account with no fee. Your cost is small: 1% of the transaction, capped at $10. |
💳 Credit card | Side-by-side fee breakdown at checkout. Families see the fee for each payment method before choosing, so nothing appears for the first time after they've decided. |
The last two are what matter under SB 478: a card fee isn't a "mandatory" fee when the family has a clearly disclosed, fee-free way to pay.
3. If you want to keep passing the credit card fee to families
❗ Must be completed by an Admin You can keep passing the fee along, but you'll need to opt back in:
⚠️ Until you complete this, your account stays on the default of absorbing the credit card fee. Any credit card transactions that occur before you accept the new terms will have the fee absorbed, not passed to the family. |
4. Debit and prepaid cards
Never surcharged. Card networks (Visa, Mastercard) and federal rules prohibit adding any fee to debit or prepaid card transactions, regardless of how the card is processed.
You absorb the processing cost. Every electronic payment costs something to run. You pay the standard Stripe fee on debit and prepaid transactions even if you've opted to pass the fee along on credit cards.
5. What families will see at checkout
Payment method | Fee to the family |
🏦 Bank account (ACH) | No fee. Family pays the exact balance. |
💳 Debit or prepaid card | No fee ever. You absorb the processing cost. |
💳 Credit card |
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In every case the family sees the fee for each method side by side before they choose, so there are no surprises at final payment.
FAQ
Do I have to do anything by August 1?
No. The changes apply automatically. You only need to act if you want to keep passing the credit card fee to families.
Where do I opt back in to passing the fee along?
In your dashboard, navigate to Settings → Payment settings. Toggle the setting to 'Family pays fee.' You'll accept a short acknowledgment there before the setting is applied.
Will debit and prepaid card be surcharged?
No. Debit and prepaid cards can never be surcharged, and you'll absorb the processing fee on those transactions regardless of your credit card setting.
What does ACH cost my family?
Nothing. Families pay the exact balance. Your funeral home absorbs a small cost of 1%, capped at $10.
Is this legal advice?
No. See the note below.
Where to read the law directly
Parting Pro provides technology and payment-processing functionality only. We are not attorneys and this is not legal advice. Your counsel may read the same statute and reach a different conclusion for your operation than we did for our platform. You are responsible for consulting your own legal and professional advisors regarding your pricing structure, disclosures, and use of any credit card surcharge, cash discount, or dual-pricing program.