Fee vs. Charge — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 12, 2024
A fee often refers to a payment for a service, while a charge can be a cost for goods, services, or a financial penalty.
Difference Between Fee and Charge
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Fees are generally associated with professional services, such as legal or medical services, where expertise and specialized knowledge are provided. They may be fixed or based on the time and resources used. For example, a lawyer might charge a fee based on the hours worked on a case. Charges, on the other hand, are broader and can apply to a wide range of financial demands. These can include the cost of products, services, or penalties for late payments. A utility company might add a charge for electricity usage or a late payment penalty on a bill.
While both fees and charges involve a payment, fees are more specific to services and often reflect the skill or expertise provided. Charges are more versatile and can relate to the purchase of goods, services, or as penalties. In some contexts, the terms can be used interchangeably, but their nuances can impact the perception of the payment demanded.
In certain industries, the choice between "fee" and "charge" can reflect the nature of the transaction. A bank might impose a service fee for account maintenance, highlighting the service aspect, whereas a charge might be applied for an overdraft, emphasizing the penalty or additional cost incurred.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Payment for a service, often based on expertise provided.
Cost incurred for goods, services, or as a penalty.
Associated With
Professional services like legal, medical, and consulting.
Goods, utilities, penalties, and a broader range of services.
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Nature
Can be fixed or variable, often reflecting service quality.
Can be fixed or variable, covering a wide range of costs.
Context
Implies a professional or specialized service transaction.
More general, applicable to a wide variety of transactions.
Perception
Often seen as a direct payment for expertise or service.
Can be seen as a broader cost or financial penalty.
Compare with Definitions
Fee
A payment made for professional services.
The consultant charged a service fee for the market analysis.
Charge
An additional fee for services, often in hospitality.
The restaurant added a service charge to the bill.
Fee
A periodic payment for continuous access to a service.
The streaming platform required a monthly subscription fee.
Charge
A fee for environmental impact mitigation.
The airline ticket included an environmental charge.
Fee
A payment for signing up for an event, course, or activity.
There was a registration fee for the online workshop.
Charge
A penalty for spending more than the account balance.
The bank applied an overdraft charge for the exceeded limit.
Fee
A payment for the right to use intellectual property or software.
The company paid a licensing fee for the software.
Charge
Interest or fee on borrowed money or credit.
The credit card statement included a monthly finance charge.
Fee
A charge for failing to make a payment on time.
The library imposed a late fee for overdue books.
Charge
A fee for transporting goods to a customer.
The online order came with a delivery charge.
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.
Charge
Entrust (someone) with a task as a duty or responsibility
The committee was charged with reshaping the educational system
Fee
A fixed sum charged, as by an institution or by law, for a privilege
A license fee.
Tuition fees.
Charge
Demand (an amount) as a price for a service rendered or goods supplied
He charged me five dollars for the wine
Wedding planners may charge an hourly fee of up to £150
Fee
A charge for professional services
A surgeon's fee.
Charge
Formally accuse (someone) of something, especially an offence under law
They were charged with assault
Fee
A tip; a gratuity.
Charge
Store electrical energy in (a battery or battery-operated device)
The shaver can be charged up and used while travelling
Fee
(Law) See fee simple.
Charge
Rush forward in attack
The plan is to charge headlong at the enemy
Fee
In feudal law, an estate in land granted by a lord to his vassal on condition of homage and service. Also called feud2, fief.
Charge
Place a heraldic bearing on
A pennant argent, charged with a cross gules
Fee
The land so held.
Charge
A price asked for goods or services
Our standard charge for a letter is £25
Fee
To give a tip to.
Charge
An accusation, typically one formally made against a prisoner brought to trial
He appeared in court on a charge of attempted murder
Fee
(Scots) To hire.
Charge
Responsibility for the care or control of someone or something
The people in her charge are pupils and not experimental subjects
Fee
(feudal law) A right to the use of a superior's land, as a stipend for services to be performed; also, the land so held; a fief.
Charge
The property of matter that is responsible for electrical phenomena, existing in a positive or negative form.
Fee
(legal) An inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord on condition of the performing of certain services.
Charge
A quantity of explosive to be detonated in order to fire a gun or similar weapon
Smaller charges, fired on three minute fuses lit by hand
Fee
(legal) An estate of inheritance in land, either absolute and without limitation to any particular class of heirs (fee simple) or limited to a particular class of heirs (fee tail).
Charge
A headlong rush forward, typically in attack
A cavalry charge
Fee
(obsolete) Property; owndom; estate.
Charge
A device or bearing placed on a shield or crest.
Fee
(obsolete) Money paid or bestowed; payment; emolument.
Charge
To impose a duty, responsibility, or obligation on
Charged him with the task of watching the young swimmers.
Fee
(obsolete) A prize or reward. Only used in the set phrase "A finder's fee" in Modern English.
Charge
To instruct or urge authoritatively; command
Charged her not to reveal the source of information.
Fee
An additional monetary payment charged for a service or good that is minor compared to the underlying cost.
Charge
(Law) To instruct (a jury) about the law, its application, and the weighing of evidence.
Fee
To reward for services performed, or to be performed; to recompense; to hire or keep in hire; hence, to bribe.
Charge
To set or ask (a given amount) as a price
Charges ten dollars for a haircut.
Fee
Property; possession; tenure.
Once did she hold the gorgeous East in fee.
Charge
To hold financially liable; demand payment from
Charged her for the balance due.
Fee
Reward or compensation for services rendered or to be rendered; especially, payment for professional services, of optional amount, or fixed by custom or laws; charge; pay; perquisite; as, the fees of lawyers and physicians; the fees of office; clerk's fees; sheriff's fees; marriage fees, etc.
To plead for love deserves more fee than hate.
Charge
To purchase on credit
Paid cash for the stockings but charged the new coat.
Fee
A right to the use of a superior's land, as a stipend for services to be performed; also, the land so held; a fief.
Charge
To load to capacity; fill
Charge a furnace with coal.
Fee
An estate of inheritance supposed to be held either mediately or immediately from the sovereign, and absolutely vested in the owner.
Charge
To load (a gun or other firearm) with a quantity of explosive
Charged the musket with powder.
Fee
An estate of inheritance belonging to the owner, and transmissible to his heirs, absolutely and simply, without condition attached to the tenure.
Buy the fee simple of my life for an hour and a quarter.
Charge
To pervade or fill, as with a feeling or quality
The atmosphere was charged with tension.
Fee
To reward for services performed, or to be performed; to recompense; to hire or keep in hire; hence, to bribe.
The patient . . . fees the doctor.
There's not a one of them but in his houseI keep a servant feed.
Charge
To make a claim of wrongdoing against; accuse or blame
The prosecutors charged him with car theft. Critics charged the writer with a lack of originality.
Fee
A fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services
Charge
To put the blame for; attribute or impute
Charged the accident to the driver's inexperience.
Fee
An interest in land capable of being inherited
Charge
To rush against in an attack
The troops charged the enemy line.
Fee
Give a tip or gratuity to in return for a service, beyond the agreed-on compensation;
Remember to tip the waiter
Fee the steward
Charge
(Basketball) To bump or run into (a defender) illegally while in possession of the ball or having just made a pass or shot.
Charge
(Sports) To bump (an opponent) so as to knock off balance or gain control of the ball, as in soccer.
Charge
(Sports) To body-check (an opponent) illegally, from behind or after taking more than two strides, especially in ice hockey.
Charge
To cause formation of a net electric charge on or in (a conductor, for example).
Charge
To energize (a storage battery) by passing current through it in the direction opposite to discharge.
Charge
To excite; rouse
A speaker who knows how to charge up a crowd.
Charge
To direct or put (a weapon) into position for use; level or direct.
Charge
(Heraldry) To place a charge on (an escutcheon).
Charge
To rush forward in an attack
The dog charged at the intruder.
Charge
To rush forward; run
Children charging around the house.
Charge
To demand or ask payment
Did not charge for the second cup of coffee.
Charge
To make a purchase or purchases on credit.
Charge
(Accounting) To consider or record as a loss. Often used with off.
Charge
To become energized
The battery is still charging.
Charge
Expense; cost
Added to the bill a charge for replacing the thermostat.
Charge
The price asked for something
What's the charge for a new tire?.
Charge
A debt or an entry in an account recording a debt
Are you paying cash or is this a charge?.
Charge
A financial burden, such as a tax or lien.
Charge
A weight or burden; a load
A freighter relieved of its charge of cargo.
Charge
The quantity that a container or apparatus can hold.
Charge
A quantity of explosive to be set off at one time.
Charge
An assigned duty or task; a responsibility
The commission's charge was to determine the facts.
Charge
Care; custody
A child put in my charge.
Charge
Supervision; management
The scientist who had overall charge of the research project.
Charge
One that is entrusted to another's care or management
The baby sitter's three young charges.
Charge
An order, command, or injunction.
Charge
Instruction given by a judge to a jury about the law, its application, and the weighing of evidence.
Charge
A claim of wrongdoing; an accusation
A charge of murder.
Pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Charge
A rushing, forceful attack
Repelled the charge of enemy troops.
The charge of a herd of elephants.
Charge
The command to attack
The bugler sounded the charge.
Charge
The intrinsic property of matter responsible for all electric phenomena, in particular for the electromagnetic force, occurring in two forms arbitrarily designated negative and positive.
Charge
The net measure of this property possessed by a body or contained in a bounded region of space, measured in coulombs, ampere-hours, or units of elementary charge. Also called electric charge.
Charge
See magnetic charge.
Charge
See color charge.
Charge
(Informal) A feeling of pleasant excitement; a thrill
Got a real charge out of the movie.
Charge
(Heraldry) A figure or device represented on the field of an escutcheon.
Charge
The amount of money levied for a service.
There will be a charge of five dollars.
Charge
(military) A ground attack against a prepared enemy.
Charge
A forceful forward movement.
Charge
An accusation.
Charge
An official description (by the police or a court) of a crime that somebody may be guilty of.
Two charges of manslaughter
Charge
An accusation by a person or organization.
That's a slanderous charge of abuse of trust.
Charge
An electric charge.
Charge
The scope of someone's responsibility.
The child was in the nanny's charge.
Charge
Someone or something entrusted to one's care, such as a child to a babysitter or a student to a teacher.
The child was a charge of the nanny.
Charge
A load or burden; cargo.
The ship had a charge of colonists and their belongings.
Charge
An instruction.
I gave him the charge to get the deal closed by the end of the month.
Charge
(basketball) An offensive foul in which the player with the ball moves into a stationary defender.
Charge
(firearms) A measured amount of powder and/or shot in a cartridge.
Charge
(by extension) A measured amount of explosive.
Charge
(heraldry) An image displayed on an escutcheon.
Charge
(weaponry) A position (of a weapon) fitted for attack.
To bring a weapon to the charge
Charge
(farriery) A sort of plaster or ointment.
Charge
(obsolete) Weight; import; value.
Charge
A measure of thirty-six pigs of lead, each pig weighing about seventy pounds; a charre.
Charge
(ecclesiastical) An address given at a church service concluding a visitation.
Charge
To assign a duty or responsibility to.
Charge
(transitive) To assign (a debit) to an account.
Let's charge this to marketing.
Charge
(transitive) To pay on account, as by using a credit card.
Can I charge my purchase to my credit card?
Can I charge this purchase?
Charge
(ambitransitive) To require payment (of) (a price or fee, for goods, services, etc.).
To charge high for goods
I won't charge you for the wheat.
Charge
(dated) To sell at a given price.
To charge coal at $5 per unit
Charge
(law) To formally accuse (a person) of a crime.
I'm charging you with assault and battery.
Charge
To impute or ascribe.
Charge
To call to account; to challenge.
Charge
(transitive) To place a burden, load or responsibility on or in.
Charge
To ornament with or cause to bear.
To charge an architectural member with a moulding
Charge
(heraldry) To assume as a bearing.
He charges three roses.
Charge
(heraldry) To add to or represent on.
He charges his shield with three roses or.
Charge
(transitive) To load equipment with material required for its use, as a firearm with powder, a fire hose with water, a chemical reactor with raw materials.
Charge your weapons; we're moving up.
Charge
(transitive) To cause to take on an electric charge.
Rubbing amber with wool will charge it quickly.
Charge
(transitive) To replenish energy to (a battery, or a device containing a battery) by use of an electrical device plugged into a power outlet.
He charged the battery overnight.
Don't forget to charge the drill.
I charge my phone every night.
Charge
To replenish energy.
The battery is still charging: I can't use it yet.
His cell phone charges very quickly, whereas mine takes forever.
Charge
(intransitive) To move forward quickly and forcefully, particularly in combat and/or on horseback.
Charge
To attack by moving forward quickly in a group.
The impetuous corps charged the enemy lines.
Charge
(basketball) To commit a charging foul.
Charge
To take a few steps down the pitch towards the bowler as they deliver the ball, either to disrupt the length of the delivery, or to get into a better position to hit the ball.
Charge
To lie on the belly and be still. A command given by a hunter to a dog
Charge
To lay on or impose, as a load, tax, or burden; to load; to fill.
A carte that charged was with hay.
The charging of children's memories with rules.
Charge
To lay on or impose, as a task, duty, or trust; to command, instruct, or exhort with authority; to enjoin; to urge earnestly; as, to charge a jury; to charge the clergy of a diocese; to charge an agent.
Moses . . . charged you to love the Lord your God.
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition.
Charge
To lay on, impose, or make subject to or liable for.
When land shall be charged by any lien.
Charge
To fix or demand as a price; as, he charges two dollars a barrel for apples.
Charge
To place something to the account of as a debt; to debit, as, to charge one with goods. Also, to enter upon the debit side of an account; as, to charge a sum to one.
Charge
To impute or ascribe; to lay to one's charge.
No more accuse thy pen, but charge the crimeOn native sloth and negligence of time.
Charge
To accuse; to make a charge or assertion against (a person or thing); to lay the responsibility (for something said or done) at the door of.
If he did that wrong you charge him with.
Charge
To place within or upon any firearm, piece of apparatus or machinery, the quantity it is intended and fitted to hold or bear; to load; to fill; as, to charge a gun; to charge an electrical machine, etc.
Their battering cannon charged to the mouths.
Charge
To ornament with or cause to bear; as, to charge an architectural member with a molding.
Charge
To assume as a bearing; as, he charges three roses or; to add to or represent on; as, he charges his shield with three roses or.
Charge
To call to account; to challenge.
To charge me to an answer.
Charge
To bear down upon; to rush upon; to attack.
Charged our main battle's front.
Charge
To make an onset or rush; as, to charge with fixed bayonets.
Like your heroes of antiquity, he charges in iron.
"Charge for the guns!" he said.
Charge
To demand a price; as, to charge high for goods.
Charge
To debit on an account; as, to charge for purchases.
Charge
To squat on its belly and be still; - a command given by a sportsman to a dog.
Charge
A load or burder laid upon a person or thing.
Charge
A person or thing commited or intrusted to the care, custody, or management of another; a trust.
Charge
Custody or care of any person, thing, or place; office; responsibility; oversight; obigation; duty.
'Tis a great charge to come under one body's hand.
Charge
Heed; care; anxiety; trouble.
Charge
Harm.
Charge
An order; a mandate or command; an injunction.
The king gave cherge concerning Absalom.
Charge
An address (esp. an earnest or impressive address) containing instruction or exhortation; as, the charge of a judge to a jury; the charge of a bishop to his clergy.
Charge
An accusation of a wrong of offense; allegation; indictment; specification of something alleged.
The charge of confounding very different classes of phenomena.
Charge
Whatever constitutes a burden on property, as rents, taxes, lines, etc.; costs; expense incurred; - usually in the plural.
Charge
The price demanded for a thing or service.
Charge
An entry or a account of that which is due from one party to another; that which is debited in a business transaction; as, a charge in an account book.
Charge
That quantity, as of ammunition, electricity, ore, fuel, etc., which any apparatus, as a gun, battery, furnace, machine, etc., is intended to receive and fitted to hold, or which is actually in it at one time
Charge
The act of rushing upon, or towards, an enemy; a sudden onset or attack, as of troops, esp. cavalry; hence, the signal for attack; as, to sound the charge.
Never, in any other war afore, gave the Romans a hotter charge upon the enemies.
The charge of the light brigade.
Charge
A position (of a weapon) fitted for attack; as, to bring a weapon to the charge.
Charge
A sort of plaster or ointment.
Charge
Thirty-six pigs of lead, each pig weighing about seventy pounds; - called also charre.
Charge
Weight; import; value.
Many suchlike "as's" of great charge.
Charge
(criminal law) a pleading describing some wrong or offense;
He was arrested on a charge of larceny
Charge
The price charged for some article or service;
The admission charge
Charge
An assertion that someone is guilty of a fault or offence;
The newspaper published charges that Jones was guilty of drunken driving
Charge
Request for payment of a debt;
They submitted their charges at the end of each month
Charge
A impetuous rush toward someone or something;
The wrestler's charge carried him past his adversary
The battle began with a cavalry charge
Charge
The quantity of unbalanced electricity in a body (either positive or negative) and construed as an excess or deficiency of electrons;
The battery needed a fresh charge
Charge
Financial liabilities (such as a tax);
The charges against the estate
Charge
A person committed to your care;
The teacher led her charges across the street
Charge
Attention and management implying responsibility for safety;
He is in the care of a bodyguard
Charge
A special assignment that is given to a person or group;
A confidential mission to London
His charge was deliver a message
Charge
A formal statement of a command or injunction to do something;
The judge's charge to the jury
Charge
A quantity of explosive to be set off at one time;
This cartridge has a powder charge of 50 grains
Charge
The swift release of a store of affective force;
They got a great bang out of it
What a boot!
He got a quick rush from injecting heroin
He does it for kicks
Charge
(psychoanalysis) the libidinal energy invested in some idea or person or object;
Freud thought of cathexis as a psychic analog of an electrical charge
Charge
Heraldry consisting of a design or image depicted on a shield
Charge
To make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle;
He saw Jess charging at him with a pitchfork
Charge
Blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against;
He charged me director with indifference
Charge
Demand payment;
Will I get charged for this service?
We were billed for 4 nights in the hotel, although we stayed only 3 nights
Charge
Move quickly and violently;
The car tore down the street
He came charging into my office
Charge
Assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to;
He was appointed deputy manager
She was charged with supervising the creation of a concordance
Charge
File a formal charge against;
The suspect was charged with murdering his wife
Charge
Make an accusatory claim;
The defense attorney charged that the jurors were biased
Charge
Fill or load to capacity;
Charge the wagon with hay
Charge
Enter a certain amount as a charge;
He charged me $15
Charge
Cause to be admitted; of persons to an institution;
After the second episode, she had to be committed
He was committed to prison
Charge
Give over to another for care or safekeeping;
Consign your baggage
Charge
Pay with a credit card; pay with plastic money; postpone payment by recording a purchase as a debt;
Will you pay cash or charge the purchase?
Charge
Lie down on command, of hunting dogs
Charge
Cause to be agitated, excited, or roused;
The speaker charged up the crowd with his inflammatory remarks
Charge
Place a heraldic bearing on;
Charge all weapons, shields, and banners
Charge
Provide with munition;
He loaded his gun carefully
Charge
Direct into a position for use;
Point a gun
He charged his weapon at me
Charge
Impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to;
He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend
Charge
Instruct (a jury) about the law, its application, and the weighing of evidence
Charge
Instruct or command with authority;
The teacher charged the children to memorize the poem
Charge
Attribute responsibility to;
We blamed the accident on her
The tragedy was charged to her inexperience
Charge
Set or ask for a certain price;
How much do you charge for lunch?
This fellow charges $100 for a massage
Charge
Cause formation of a net electrical charge in or on;
Charge a conductor
Charge
Energize a battery by passing a current through it in the direction opposite to discharge;
I need to charge my car battery
Charge
Saturate;
The room was charged with tension and anxiety
Common Curiosities
What is a charge?
A charge is a cost incurred for goods, services, or as a penalty, covering a broad range of financial demands.
How do fees and charges differ?
Fees are more specific to services and often tied to expertise, while charges are broader and can include goods, services, or penalties.
What is a fee?
A fee is a payment made for professional services, often reflecting the expertise or effort provided.
Is a late fee considered a charge or a fee?
A late fee is typically considered a fee, as it's a penalty for not fulfilling a payment obligation for a service on time.
Can a charge be considered a fee?
In some contexts, the terms are used interchangeably, but a fee typically implies a payment for a service.
What is a service charge?
A service charge is an additional fee for services, often seen in hospitality, which may cover service-related costs.
What is a subscription fee?
A subscription fee is a periodic payment for continuous access to a service or product.
Can fees and charges be negotiated?
Depending on the context, both fees and charges can sometimes be negotiated, particularly in services or contracts.
What is an overdraft charge?
An overdraft charge is a penalty for spending more than the available balance in a bank account.
Why do companies charge fees?
Companies charge fees for services to cover the costs of expertise, labor, and resources provided.
Are fees always fixed?
Fees can be fixed or variable, depending on the nature of the service and the agreement between the provider and the client.
Why are charges applied to transactions?
Charges are applied to cover costs associated with goods, services, penalties, or to ensure compliance with regulations.
Can a registration fee be refunded?
Whether a registration fee can be refunded depends on the terms and conditions set by the event or service provider.
What is a finance charge?
A finance charge is a fee related to the cost of borrowing money, including interest and other related fees.
What is a delivery charge?
A delivery charge is a fee for transporting goods to a customer, common in online shopping.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
