PayPal Fee Calculator
PayPal's goods and services fee in the US is 3.49% + $0.49 through PayPal Checkout (2.99% + $0.49 for standard card), so a $100 sale nets $96.02. Sending to Friends & Family from your balance is free. See your net or work backwards from a target.
Rates verified 28 Jun 2026 vs PayPal's official business fee schedule · updated weekly
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PayPal · US
Free · no sign-up · an estimate on standard published rates.
How much does PayPal take?
On a US sale, PayPal takes 3.49% + $0.49 through Checkout, the default for most sellers, or 2.99% + $0.49 on a standard card payment. So a $100 Checkout sale costs you $3.98 and you keep $96.02. On a $1,000 sale the cut is $35.39, an effective 3.54%, because the flat $0.49 stops mattering much once the amount climbs.
Two things push that number up. An international buyer adds a cross-border surcharge, +1.5% in the US, and converting the currency adds another 3% to 4% on top. Both are off by default above, so the headline is the everyday domestic sale. Sending money to Friends & Family within your own country from your balance is the one case that costs nothing, though it carries no protection, so it isn't for sales.
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How PayPal fees work in 2026
PayPal stacks its fee from a base rate, an optional cross-border surcharge, and an optional currency spread. Here is each piece, so the number above is the number you actually keep.
The percentage plus a fixed fee
Every commercial PayPal payment is a percentage of the money plus one small fixed fee, and it comes out of your side, not the buyer's. The buyer pays the sticker price. You receive that amount minus the cut. What the percentage and the fixed fee actually are depends on three things: your country, the payment type, and whether the buyer sits in another country.
The US product fork (why your rate isn't one number)
The US has more than one commercial rate, and that trips people up. PayPal Checkout, Invoicing and Venmo run at 3.49% + $0.49, which is what most sellers getting paid through the standard button are on. Standard card and send-and-receive Goods & Services drop to 2.99% + $0.49. QR code is 2.29% + $0.09, and the opt-in Micropayments program is 4.99% + $0.09. Pick your type above and the math switches with it.
Goods & Services vs Friends & Family
Sending to Friends & Family inside your own country, funded by your balance or bank, costs nothing. Card-funded or international Friends & Family does cost money. Here's the catch worth knowing: Friends & Family carries no buyer or seller protection, so it's not a safe way to take payment for something you sold. Keep your sales on Goods & Services. That's what the protection is for.
The international and currency stack
When your buyer is in another country, PayPal adds a cross-border surcharge on top of the base rate. It's a flat +1.5% in the US, and a tiered EEA / UK / rest-of-world surcharge in the UK and EU. If PayPal also converts the currency, a 3% to 4% spread stacks on as well. Both are off by default here, because the common sale is domestic. Flip them on and you'll see the full all-in rate, not just the headline.
Real PayPal fee examples
$100 sale, US Checkout
The default rate, 3.49% + $0.49. Fee is 3.49% of $100 plus $0.49, which is $3.98. You receive $96.02. The effective rate works out to 3.98%.
$250 sale, standard card
Standard card is the lower 2.99% + $0.49. Fee is $7.97, you keep $242.04, an effective 3.19%. Same buyer, same $250, but $1.25 cheaper than Checkout because of the fork.
$100 international Checkout
Add the +1.5% cross-border surcharge to the 3.49% base and the rate is 4.99%. Fee is $5.48, net $94.52. The international buyer cost you another $1.50 on this sale.
Net exactly $100
Switch to Find charge mode and ask to clear $100 via Checkout. The calculator says invoice $104.12. The fee on $104.12 is $4.12, which leaves you exactly $100.
PayPal commercial fees by country
Goods & Services rates for sellers, in each country's own currency. The fixed fee follows the currency you receive in, not the buyer's. The international surcharge is added on top when the buyer is abroad.
| Country | Goods & Services rate | International surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 3.49% + $0.49 (Checkout); 2.99% standard card | +1.50% |
| United Kingdom | 2.9% + £0.30 | +1.29% EEA / +1.99% rest of world |
| Australia | 2.9% + A$0.30 | +1.00% |
| Canada | 2.9% + C$0.30 | +0.80% US / +1.00% other |
| Germany | 2.99% + €0.39 | +1.29% UK / +1.99% other |
| France | 2.9% + €0.35 | +1.29% UK / +1.99% other |
| Italy | 3.4% + €0.35 | +1.29% UK / +1.99% other |
Currency conversion adds a further 3% to 4% when applied. EU base rates are not uniform, so check Germany, France and Italy separately. Source: PayPal's official business fee pages, verified 28 Jun 2026.
What counts as a good margin after PayPal fees?
PayPal's cut is small next to a marketplace commission, so it rarely makes or breaks a sale on its own. On a typical domestic sale you keep roughly 96% of the money before your own costs. The real squeeze shows up on small sales, where the flat $0.49 is a bigger slice, and on cross-border ones, where the surcharge and the conversion spread can push the effective rate past 8%.
So judge it by the effective rate the calculator shows, not the headline percentage. If you sell a lot of low-ticket items, the fixed fee is your enemy, and that is exactly where QR code or Micropayments earns its keep. On bigger sales, the percentage dominates and the type of payment barely moves the needle.
How to pay less in PayPal fees
- ✓On small sales, under about $20, the opt-in Micropayments rate (4.99% + $0.09) costs less than the standard card rate. A $15 sale runs $0.84 on Micropayments versus $0.94 on standard card.
- ✓Taking payment by QR code is 2.29% + $0.09, the cheapest commercial rate PayPal offers, so use it when the sale is in person.
- ✓On a big invoice, ask the buyer to pay in your own currency. That skips the 3% to 4% currency-conversion spread entirely.
- ✓Keep selling on Goods & Services even though Friends & Family looks free. The protection is worth more than the fee if a sale goes sideways.
- ✓Watch the payment type, not just the percentage. Most US sellers default to 3.49% Checkout without realising standard card is 2.99%.
PayPal fee calculator FAQ
What is PayPal's goods and services fee?
In the US it is 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction through PayPal Checkout, or 2.99% + $0.49 for a standard card payment. It is deducted from the amount the seller receives, not added to what the buyer pays. On a $100 sale you keep $96.02 and PayPal keeps $3.98.
How much does PayPal charge per transaction?
In the US, PayPal charges sellers 3.49% + $0.49 for a PayPal Checkout payment, or 2.99% + $0.49 for a standard card payment. So on a $100 sale you receive $96.02 and PayPal keeps $3.98. Rates differ by country and rise for international buyers or currency conversion.
How much does PayPal take from $100 or $1,000?
On a $100 US Checkout sale the fee is 3.49% + $0.49 = $3.98, so you receive $96.02. On a $1,000 sale it is $35.39, so you receive $964.61, an effective 3.54% because the fixed $0.49 matters less on larger amounts. Use the calculator above for your exact figures.
Is PayPal Friends and Family free?
Yes, when you send it within your own country funded by your PayPal balance or bank account. Card-funded Friends & Family and international Friends & Family are not free. Remember that Friends & Family has no buyer or seller protection, so it should not be used to pay for goods.
Who pays the PayPal fee, the buyer or the seller?
The seller. PayPal deducts its fee from the amount the recipient receives, not from what the buyer pays. The buyer is charged the full sticker price, and you receive that amount minus the percentage and fixed fee. This calculator shows exactly what lands in your account.
What is PayPal's currency conversion fee?
PayPal adds a spread above the base exchange rate when it converts currency. It is 3% in most markets, and 4% in the US for cross-border goods and services in a different currency. It stacks on top of the base rate and any cross-border surcharge. Toggle Currency conversion above to include it.
How do I calculate PayPal fees before sending an invoice?
Use the Find charge mode above. Enter the amount you want to receive and the calculator solves for the price to charge so you net that figure after fees. For example, to net $100 via US Checkout you would invoice $104.12, on which the $4.12 fee leaves you exactly $100.
What is PayPal's international or cross-border fee?
PayPal adds a cross-border surcharge when the buyer is in a different country: +1.5% in the US, or a tiered surcharge in the UK and EU (around +1.29% within the EEA and +1.99% for the rest of the world). If the currency is also converted, a 3% to 4% spread is added on top of the base rate.
How much are PayPal fees in the UK?
UK sellers pay 2.9% + £0.30 on Goods & Services, plus a cross-border surcharge of +1.29% for EEA buyers or +1.99% for the rest of the world. On a £100 sale from a US buyer the fee is 2.9% + 1.99% + £0.30 = £5.19, so you receive £94.81. Switch the country above to the UK to check yours.
Why is my PayPal fee 3.49% and not 2.99%?
Because the US has more than one commercial rate. PayPal Checkout, Invoicing and Venmo are 3.49% + $0.49, while standard card payments and send-and-receive Goods & Services are 2.99% + $0.49. Most sellers getting paid through the standard PayPal button are on the 3.49% rate, which is why it is the default here.
Does PayPal charge to receive money?
For a sale, yes. Goods & Services payments are charged the commercial fee when the money lands in your account. Friends & Family received within your own country, funded by the sender's balance or bank, arrives free. Card-funded or international Friends & Family is not free.
PayPal fee terms, in plain English
- Goods & Services
- A commercial PayPal payment for something you sold. The seller pays the fee and both sides get buyer and seller protection.
- Friends & Family
- A personal transfer. Free domestically from a balance or bank, but with no protection, so not for purchases.
- PayPal Checkout
- The standard pay-with-PayPal button. In the US it is the 3.49% + $0.49 rate, the default most sellers are on.
- Micropayments
- An opt-in account program, 4.99% + $0.09 in the US. Cheaper than the standard rate on small sales under about $20.
- Cross-border surcharge
- An extra percentage PayPal adds when the buyer is in another country. +1.5% in the US, tiered in the UK and EU.
- Currency conversion
- A 3% to 4% spread above the base exchange rate, charged only when PayPal converts the money for you.
- Fixed fee
- The flat per-transaction fee in your own currency: $0.49 in the US, £0.30 in the UK, €0.39 in Germany.
- Effective rate
- The fee as a percentage of the whole sale. It is higher than the base rate on small sales because of the fixed fee.
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