Online payment charges
What a card payment to a foreign website costs from Zimbabwe, once tax and bank fees are added.
A guide, not a quote: the bank fees and IMTT here are estimates we haven’t been able to re-check since March 2026.
Tax treatment from ZIMRA Public Notice 05/2026 (19 January), checked 8 October 2026. That notice doesn’t settle every current tax rule.
About these numbers
What does ZIMRA’s notice say?
Public Notice 05/2026 specifies 15.5% withholding for non-registered foreign suppliers and a 3/23 fraction for VAT-registered suppliers. Registration is not a blanket exemption. This estimator does not calculate the registered-supplier debit.
Which transactions may be excluded?
The notice excludes physical goods, local suppliers and services consumed outside Zimbabwe from this mechanism. Relevant educational, medical and financial services retain their exempt or zero-rated treatment. Confirm how your transaction is classified.
Does a foreign card remove all tax obligations?
No. The notice retains supplier VAT responsibilities for services used in Zimbabwe even when payment occurs abroad.
Can a business claim VAT?
The notice allows qualifying VAT input claims using valid invoices, subject to the VAT Act. It does not create an automatic exemption just because the customer is VAT-registered.
Are the bank fees and IMTT verified?
No. The bank options are a March 2026 model and IMTT is an illustrative 2%. Check your card’s current fee schedule. The generic option uses 3% with a $1.50 minimum; NMB uses $1.50 below $100 and $1.50 plus 1.8% from $100.
What is left out of the total?
Funding costs, currency conversion, shipping, customs duty and import VAT. Banks may also debit charges differently from this simple add-up. Don’t use it as an invoice or a tax return.