PayPal Fee Calculator

How to use the PayPal fee calculator

1. Choose what to find. “Fee on a payment” shows the fee and what you receive. “Amount to ask for” shows what to charge so that you keep a set amount.
2. Enter the amount in U.S. dollars.
3. Pick the payment type. The rate depends on how the buyer pays. Choose “Custom rate” to enter a percentage and fixed fee yourself, for example if your account has different pricing.
4. Switch on “International payment” if the buyer is in another country. That adds 1.50%.

The calculator opens on a $100 PayPal Checkout payment: the fee is 3.49% × $100 + $0.49 = $3.98, and you receive $96.02.

PayPal’s U.S. fees for receiving payments

PayPal calls a sale of goods or services a commercial transaction. Its business fee page lists these rates for receiving domestic commercial transactions in the U.S.:

The fixed fee for payments received in U.S. dollars is $0.49, and $0.09 for QR code transactions. Payments from a buyer in another country add 1.50% on top of the domestic rate. These figures come from PayPal’s page as it read on November 2, 2026, which showed “Last Updated: October 1, 2026”. PayPal changes its fees from time to time and posts changes on its Policy Updates page, so check the fee page before you set prices.

How the fee is calculated

For $250 through PayPal Checkout: 3.49% × $250 = $8.725, plus $0.49 = $9.215, which rounds to $9.22, so you receive $240.78. If the same buyer is abroad, the percentage becomes 3.49% + 1.50% = 4.99%, and the fee is $12.97.

The calculator rounds the fee to the cent. PayPal’s own rounding, currency conversion and other charges, such as dispute or chargeback fees, are outside this calculation.

How much to charge to keep a set amount

Adding the fee you expect to pay to your price doesn’t quite work, because PayPal charges its percentage on the higher amount too. To keep a net amount, divide by what is left after the percentage:

To keep $100 from a PayPal Checkout payment: ($100 + $0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0349) = $100.49 ÷ 0.9651 = $104.124…, so ask for $104.12. Check: 3.49% × $104.12 + $0.49 = $4.12, and $104.12 − $4.12 = $100.00. Simply adding $3.98 would give $103.98 and leave you $99.86.

Because fees are rounded to the cent, the formula can land a cent off. The calculator checks the result and picks the smallest amount that leaves you at least the net you entered. If you add the fee as a separate line, check any rules on surcharges that apply where you sell.

Small payments and the effective rate

The fixed fee weighs heavily on small payments. On a $10 Checkout payment the fee is $0.84, an effective rate of 8.4%. On $5 it is $0.66, or 13.2%. On $1,000 it is $35.39, or about 3.54%, close to the percentage alone. The “Effective rate” card shows the fee as a share of the payment, which makes it easier to compare payment types and processors.

QR code payments, with their 2.29% rate and $0.09 fixed fee, cost less on small in-person sales: $0.20 on a $5 payment. PayPal also offers separate micropayments pricing for some lower-value transactions, which isn’t included in this calculator.

Using the fee in your pricing

A payment fee is a cost of each sale, like shipping supplies. When you work out a markup or margin, subtract it along with your other costs. At 3.98% on a $100 sale, the fee is the same as giving away nearly $4 of revenue, which matters more when your margin is thin.

If you take payments through several channels, compare them on the same amount. On $100, the spread between QR code ($2.38) and Pay Later ($5.48) is $3.10, more than the gap between many shipping options.

Comparing payment types over a month

The fee per sale looks small, but it adds up. Take 40 sales of $25 in a month, $1,000 in total:

On a single $1,000 sale through Checkout, the fee would be $35.39, or 3.54%. Splitting the same revenue into 40 sales adds 39 more fixed fees of $0.49. Bundling small items into one order is one way to reduce the fixed-fee share.

Fixed fees in other currencies

The fixed fee depends on the currency you receive, not on the buyer’s country. PayPal’s U.S. fee page lists, among others, 0.49 USD, 0.59 CAD, 0.39 EUR and 0.39 GBP for commercial transactions. The calculator works in U.S. dollars; for another currency, choose “Custom rate” and enter the fixed fee from PayPal’s table.

Converting money between currencies has its own charges, which PayPal lists separately on the same page. They aren’t included here.

Common mistakes

• Using the domestic rate for an international buyer. The extra 1.50% turns a $3.98 fee on $100 into $5.48.
• Adding the fee instead of grossing up. Adding $3.98 to a $100 price leaves you $99.86, not $100.
• Using an old rate. Rates change; check the date on PayPal’s fee page.

When the buyer chooses Pay Later

The rate depends on how the buyer pays, so the same price can cost you different fees. On a $300 sale, a buyer paying through PayPal Checkout costs you 3.49% × $300 + $0.49 = $10.96. If the buyer picks one of PayPal’s Pay Later options, the rate is 4.99% + $0.49, and the fee is $15.46, $4.50 more. Pay with Venmo is listed at the same rate as Checkout.

When you set prices, it can help to estimate a blended rate from the mix of payment types your buyers used in past months, then check the effective rate for a typical order in the calculator.

Sources & assumptions

How this calculator gets its numbers. Full method: our methodology.

• Fee = amount × percentage + fixed fee, rounded to the cent; you receive the amount minus the fee.
• To keep a set amount, ask for (amount + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percentage), adjusted to the cent.
• U.S. domestic commercial rates from PayPal’s fee page (updated October 1, 2026; checked November 2, 2026); international payments add 1.50%.

Sources

1. PayPal, PayPal Merchant Fees (United States). Domestic commercial rates: PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49, cards 2.99% + $0.49, goods and services 2.99%, Pay Later 4.99% + $0.49, QR code 2.29% + $0.09; +1.50% international. Page updated October 1, 2026; checked November 2, 2026.

Last reviewed November 2, 2026. PayPal can change its fees; check the linked page before you set prices.