PayPal fee calculator: what are PayPal's fees?
PayPal keeps a cut of every business payment: a percentage of the amount plus a small fixed fee, set by how the buyer pays and where they are. Type a payment or drag across the chart to see the fee for every way to pay with PayPal, or flip it to find how much to ask for so you receive an exact amount.
PayPal keeps a cut of every business payment: a percentage of the amount plus a small fixed fee. Type a payment to see the fee and what you receive, or flip it to see what to ask for.
You receive, with PayPal Checkout
$96.02
PayPal keeps $3.98 of $100.00, 3.98% of the payment. Example payment; type yours or drag the chart.
Fee on $100.00, every way to pay with PayPal. Click one to make it yours.
- PayPal fee
- $3.98
- Effective rate The fee as a share of the payment, fixed fee included. It's higher on small payments, where the fixed fee weighs more.
- 3.98%
- Rate
- 3.49% + 49¢
- Buyer pays
- $100.00
The Card processor line is Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢, for scale. Converting a payout to another currency costs another 3 to 4% on PayPal's exchange rate.
PayPal’s published rates for US business accounts. Other countries’ accounts have their own.
How to read your number
The PayPal fee is what PayPal keeps from a business payment: a percentage of the amount plus a fixed fee per payment, set by how the buyer pays and where they are. A $100 PayPal Checkout payment from a US buyer costs 3.49% + 49¢, so $3.98, and you receive $96.02. To receive a full $100, ask for $104.12. If the buyer is abroad, another 1.5% takes the fee to $5.48.
Why it matters
PayPal is often the most expensive way a store gets paid: 3.49% + 49¢ against 2.9% + 30¢ for a typical card processor, and the fixed fee bites hardest on small orders. A $20 order pays $1.19, almost 6%. Knowing the real fee per payment method tells you whether PayPal's conversion lift covers its cost, and how to price invoices so the fee doesn't come out of your margin.
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Formula
PayPal fee = payment × percentage rate + fixed fee. You receive = payment − PayPal fee
For US accounts, PayPal Checkout and Venmo are 3.49% + 49¢, Pay Later 4.99% + 49¢ and standard card payments 2.99% + 49¢. Buyers outside the US add 1.5%. The fixed fee depends on the currency you receive: 49¢, €0.39, £0.39, CA$0.59 or A$0.59.
Other ways to calculate paypal fee
- Fee on a payment
- fee = amount × 3.49% + $0.49
- Checking a payout or the margin on an order paid with PayPal Checkout.
- Amount to ask for (reverse PayPal fee)
- ask for = (amount you want + $0.49) ÷ (1 − 3.49%)
- Invoices and fixed-price sales where you need to receive an exact amount. Adding 3.49% + 49¢ to the target isn't enough, because the fee is charged on the larger total.
- International payment
- fee = amount × (3.49% + 1.5%) + $0.49
- The buyer's PayPal account or card is from outside the US.
- Pay by bank invoice
- fee = min(amount × 1%, $10)
- Large invoices paid by bank transfer (ACH), where the cap makes PayPal cheaper than a card.
How to calculate paypal fee: a worked example
A US store receives a $100 PayPal Checkout payment from a US buyer.
- Percentage fee = $100 × 3.49% = $3.49
- Fee = $3.49 + $0.49 = $3.98
- You receive $100 − $3.98 = $96.02
- To receive $100: ($100 + $0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0349) = $104.12
PayPal keeps $3.98 of $100. To net a full $100, the store asks for $104.12.
How to pay less in PayPal fees
Send card payments through a card processor. Shoppers who pay by card inside PayPal's button are charged PayPal's rate; a card form on Shopify Payments or Stripe costs 2.9% + 30¢. Keep PayPal for buyers who want it.
Use advanced card payments if you take cards through PayPal. 2.89% + 29¢ against 2.99% + 49¢ on standard card payments: 30¢ less on a $100 order.
Invoice large amounts by bank. Pay by Bank on PayPal invoices is 1% capped at $10, so a $2,000 invoice costs $10 instead of $70.29. Compare every option with the payment processing fee calculator.
| How the buyer pays | Rate | Fee on $100 | You receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout | 3.49% + 49¢ | $3.98 | $96.02 |
| Pay with Venmo | 3.49% + 49¢ | $3.98 | $96.02 |
| PayPal Pay Later | 4.99% + 49¢ | $5.48 | $94.52 |
| PayPal, standard card payments | 2.99% + 49¢ | $3.48 | $96.52 |
| PayPal, advanced card payments | 2.89% + 29¢ | $3.18 | $96.82 |
| PayPal QR code | 2.29% + 9¢ | $2.38 | $97.62 |
| PayPal invoice, pay by bank | 1%, max $10 | $1.00 | $99.00 |
Questions about paypal fee
- What are PayPal's fees?
- For a US business account, PayPal charges 3.49% + 49¢ on a PayPal Checkout or Venmo payment, 4.99% + 49¢ on Pay Later, and 2.99% + 49¢ on standard card payments. Payments from buyers outside the US cost another 1.5%, and the fixed fee changes with the currency you receive.
- Does PayPal charge a fee to receive money?
- Yes, when the money is a payment for goods or services: the seller pays the fee, 3.49% + 49¢ in the US, out of what arrives. Money sent between friends and family in the US is free to receive when the sender pays from a PayPal balance or bank account; if they pay by card, the sender pays a fee.
- How much does PayPal charge for a $100 payment?
- $3.98 for a PayPal Checkout payment from a US buyer, at 3.49% + 49¢, so you receive $96.02. From a buyer outside the US it's $5.48, because international payments add 1.5%. Paid with Pay Later, it's $5.48 too: 4.99% + 49¢.
- How do I calculate the PayPal fee in reverse?
- Add the fixed fee to the amount you want, then divide by 1 minus the rate. To receive $100 through PayPal Checkout: ($100 + $0.49) ÷ 0.9651 = $104.12. Ask for that, and $100 lands after the fee.
- What is PayPal's fee for international payments?
- 1.5% on top of the domestic rate for US accounts, so 4.99% + the fixed fee for PayPal Checkout. If the money is also converted to another currency, PayPal's exchange rate includes a further 3 to 4% spread.
- Is PayPal cheaper than Stripe?
- No, for most online orders. Stripe and Shopify Payments charge 2.9% + 30¢ for a US card, so a $100 order costs $3.20 against PayPal Checkout's $3.98. PayPal's advanced card payments, at 2.89% + 29¢, are about level with them.
Sources
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