PayPal Fee Calculator
Rates as published on 24 September 2026, from the PayPal pricing page: domestic commercial payments to a US account. That page was last updated 1 September 2026.
fee $174.99
Check before you rely on it
The rates are quoted from PayPal's published US pricing on the date shown beside them, for the payment type you pick. Personal payments, currency conversion, disputes and withdrawals are priced separately and are not included. PayPal changes fees, and your own account can be priced differently, so check it before you set a price. It is not financial, tax or legal advice.
How can I calculate PayPal fees?
A PayPal fee on a commercial payment is a percentage of the payment plus a fixed amount. Both parts come out before the money reaches you.
- Enter the payment amount.
- Pick how you are paid. The rate and the fixed fee fill in from PayPal's published table, dated beside the field, and you can change either one.
- Multiply the amount by the rate and add the fixed fee. PayPal fee = payment x percentage rate + fixed fee.
- Take the fee away from the payment to see what reaches your balance.
- To work the other way, switch the widget to the amount you want to receive. To receive a target amount, charge (target + fixed fee) / (1 - rate).
This page works out the fee on a PayPal goods-and-services payment; the Stripe fee calculator does the same for a card charge, with international surcharges.
Fee and net across a ladder of amounts
Every row uses 3.49% + $0.49, the PayPal Checkout rate PayPal published on 24 September 2026. Change the rate in the widget above and its answer moves with it; this table stays at that published default.
| Amount | Fee | What reaches you |
|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $0.66 | $4.34 |
| $25.00 | $1.36 | $23.64 |
| $100.00 | $3.98 | $96.02 |
| $1,000.00 | $35.39 | $964.61 |
| $5,000.00 | $174.99 | $4,825.01 |
Worked Example: a $5,000 payment
The fee is $174.99. At 3.49% + $0.49 a $5,000 payment costs $174.99 and $4,825.01 reaches the balance; to land $100.00 exactly, charge $104.12.
$5,000.00 → fee $174.99, $4,825.01 reaches you
The fixed part is the same 49 cents it would be on a five-dollar payment, so it barely shows here and dominates a small one. That is why the effective rate on a small payment is so much worse than the headline percentage.
What Changes the Fee?
Who the fee comes out of
On a commercial payment the fee comes out of the amount the receiver is paid, so the receiver carries it unless the price is raised to cover it.
What this page is priced for
This calculator covers commercial goods-and-services payments, the type the sourced rate applies to. Personal payments are priced separately and this page states no figure for them.
Why the rate is a field and not a claim
Published third-party figures for this rate disagree with each other, which is why this page says where its number came from and when, rather than presenting a rate as settled. PayPal publishes a different US rate for each way of being paid, so a figure quoted without its payment type can be right for one payment and wrong for the next.
The other published rates, and payments from abroad
PayPal's US merchant fees page, read on 2026-09-24, listed 2.99% + $0.49 for standard credit and debit card payments, 2.99% with no fixed fee for money sent or received for goods and services, 4.99% + $0.49 for PayPal Pay Later and 2.29% + $0.09 for QR code payments. A commercial payment from outside the US carries an additional 1.50% on top of the domestic rate, on PayPal's US merchant fees page as read on 2026-09-24. Each one is a choice or a switch in the widget above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does PayPal charge on a payment?
PayPal's US merchant fees page gave 3.49% + $0.49 for domestic commercial transactions through PayPal Checkout when it was read on 2026-09-24; the page carried a last-updated date of 2026-09-01. Card payments and money sent for goods and services cost less; pick yours in the widget.
Who pays the PayPal fee?
The receiver. It is taken out of the amount paid before the balance is credited, so a payment sent for a round figure arrives as something less than that figure.
Is the fee different for a friends and family payment?
Yes. Personal payments are priced separately from commercial ones, and this page states no figure for them. Its payment types cover commercial payments, including money sent for goods and services.
Where does the PayPal rate on this page come from?
From PayPal's own merchant fees page, linked beside the field, with the date it was read printed next to it. It is a starting value you can change, not a figure this site claims as current.
How much is the PayPal goods and services fee?
2.99% of the payment, with no fixed fee, when the money is sent for goods and services through PayPal itself, as PayPal listed it on 24 September 2026. A Checkout payment costs 3.49% + $0.49 instead; pick yours in the widget.
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