---
title: How and When a Tournament Is Charged
last_updated: 2026-05-05
description: Every tournament that is created is charged a setup fee of $25 to complete and stay listed on the software.  This is payable to Credit Card only and will need to be paid within 5 days of the initial tournament creation or the tournament listing will be removed.  Daily email reminders will continue to be sent until this is paid. If you have a Stripe account attached, all event service fees will be paid by the player at the time of their registration payment.  On the receipt, this is itemiz ...
url: https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000646226-how-and-when-a-tournament-is-charged
---

# How and When a Tournament Is Charged

Pickleball Tournaments (PT) charges tournaments at three points: a setup fee at creation, per-event service fees collected from players at registration, and any remaining balance owed at the end of the tournament. This article covers each charge and when to expect it.

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## Tournament Setup Fee

Every new tournament has a one-time $25 USD setup fee. The fee is paid by credit card and must be received within 5 days of creating the tournament — otherwise the tournament listing is removed.

> **Note:** Daily email reminders are sent until the setup fee is paid.

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## Player Service Fees (Stripe)

If you have a Stripe account connected to your tournament, all event service fees are paid by the player at registration checkout. Service fees are itemized on the player's receipt and shown as a running total that updates each time a player completes payment.
![Tournament fees breakdown showing Due and Paid totals](https://graffiti-auf7e6dwhxhcbwek.z03.azurefd.net/45a0010e-ec76-43e9-9914-4376bfa80903/4025e8c9-71ea-4557-850d-662c78598919/53a5479124605989562cfc779387ba1f.png?v=1986017647)
If every player in the tournament has paid through Stripe, the **Paid** total matches the **Due** total. If **Due** is higher than **Paid**, you have players who haven't paid yet, or you've manually added a player and applied a discount or recorded an offline payment we couldn't collect. The difference appears as a remaining balance.

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## Remaining Balance Charges

All new tournaments require a payment method on file at setup. Your card on file is automatically charged when:

- The remaining balance hits $250
- A balance is still outstanding 5 days after the tournament concludes

The balance is the difference between fees collected from players and any fees charged to the tournament.

> **Warning:** Optional texting fees cannot be transferred to players. Any texting fees charged to your tournament will be billed to your card on file at the end of the tournament.

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## Pay Online and Non-Stripe Tournaments

If your tournament uses Pay Online or another option that doesn't collect through Stripe, we can't pull service fees from players automatically. In that setup, your card on file is charged every time the amount due reaches $250. Plan for this when you set up your tournament's payment options.

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## Frequently Asked Questions

### How much is the tournament setup fee?
$25 USD, payable by credit card within 5 days of tournament creation.

### When am I charged the remaining balance?
Whenever your remaining balance hits $250, and again 5 days after the tournament concludes if a balance is still outstanding.

### Can I pass texting fees on to players?
No. Texting is billed to the tournament organizer regardless of how registration payments are collected.

### What if my tournament doesn't use Stripe?
For Pay Online or other non-Stripe setups, your card on file is charged every time the amount due reaches $250. The same end-of-tournament charge applies for any balance still outstanding 5 days after the tournament concludes.

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## Related Resources

- [Tournament Pricing](https://pickleball.com/docs/en/72000615191-tournament-pricing)

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Questions about tournament charges or billing? Email [support@pickleball.com](mailto:support@pickleball.com).