Provider service fees

GigSalad charges a small fee for every booking made through our site. This fee covers the costs associated with processing credit card payments, distributing deposits and balances, and maintaining the booking platform so it remains safe and easy to use for both you and the client.

IMPORTANT: These service fees are only applied when a booking is confirmed through the site. You will not be charged for receiving leads or sending quotes. 

Your service fee

The client will pay the total amount you quoted (deposit and balance) at the time of booking, plus their own service fee. We will send the payment to you in two separate installments minus your service fee. The deposit amount you request will be paid out in advance, but the balance will be held by GigSalad and sent to you one or two business days after the event. (Read more about payouts.)

The service fee is applied to your total booking price and will be split between your two payouts, with a portion deducted from each. For example, if you have a free membership and book a gig for $300, your 5% service fee will be $15. If you request a $100 deposit, we’ll keep a $5 service fee (5% of $100) and send you $95. We’ll take the other $10 (5% of $200) from your remaining balance and send $190 after the event. We do it this way to make sure both you and GigSalad are paid fairly.

Note: If you ever collect payment directly from the client, you must mark the gig as booked and pay a higher service fee in order to cover the fees from both parties. 

The event planner’s service fee

In addition to your service fee, the event planner pays their own service fee in addition to your quoted amount. The planner’s fee is roughly 10–12% of your total fee and is added to their checkout total when they book.

You can see exactly what the planner will be charged by clicking "See service fees" under your quote amount. It’s calculated in real time, so if you edit the fee, it’ll be adjusted accordingly.

Want to cover the planner’s service fee? You can use that same calculation to adjust your quote so that your fee plus the planner’s service fee adds up to the total you want the client to pay. For example, if you want the client’s total to land at $500, lower your quoted fee so that once their ~10–12% service fee is added back on, the grand total comes out to $500. The "See service fees" link makes it easy to fine-tune.

Why we charge fees to both parties

Splitting a smaller fee between you and the client (rather than putting it all on one side) lets us keep the platform running smoothly and protect everyone involved. The combined fees cover:

• Payment processing — securely accepting credit card payments from clients.
• Payouts — distributing your deposit and post-event balance reliably.
• Platform security and maintenance — keeping the booking platform safe and easy to use.
• Worry-Free Guarantee protection — backing every booking with our Worry-Free Guarantee for planners, which gives clients peace of mind and helps them feel confident booking you.

This shared structure aligns with standard marketplace practices and keeps fees lower for everyone.

Frequently asked questions:

Are there minimum service fee amounts?

There is no minimum service fee when you book through the platform. Minimum fees create a disproportionate structure for our members, with a higher percentage fee on bookings under $300.

However, if you handle payment off-platform, you must mark that lead as booked. In that case, there is a $10 minimum service fee.

Can I choose who pays the service fee?

We did have that option long ago (prior to June 2017). Our current structure, where we take a smaller fee from both parties, is more aligned with standard marketplace practices. If you’d like to absorb the planner’s fee on a specific booking, see the event planner’s service fee above for how to adjust your quote.

Why do I have to pay both a membership fee and booking fees?

These fees serve two different purposes. With your membership, you pay to increase your exposure and unlock additional features for your account, including lead insights and access to client phone numbers before booking. The service fee covers the costs of collecting and distributing payments, as well as the general maintenance of the booking platform. For paid members, the 2.5% fee is lower than most other popular payment processing solutions.