PayPal looks simple, a percentage plus a few cents, but the rate depends on how the money reaches you. A goods and services payment, a PayPal Checkout sale, a card payment, a Pay Later order and an invoice paid by bank all cost different amounts, and a payer in another country adds a surcharge before any currency conversion. The calculator above applies the rate PayPal publishes for each payment type, charges it on the whole payment the way PayPal does, and shows the arithmetic on every line.
Every PayPal fee at a glance
These are the fees for a US PayPal account. Pick another country in the calculator to see its own table.
| Fee | Amount | Charged on | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, All Other Commercial Transactions | 3.49% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Online sales paid through PayPal Checkout or a PayPal buttonsource |
| Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services | 2.99% | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | The buyer sends money and marks it as goods or servicessource |
| Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments | 2.99% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | The buyer pays by card in PayPal Checkoutsource |
| PayPal Pay Later options | 4.99% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | The buyer chooses Pay in 4 or Pay Monthlysource |
| Pay with Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | The buyer picks Venmo at PayPal checkoutsource |
| Pay With Crypto | 1.5% | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | You let customers pay in cryptocurrency at checkoutsource |
| Invoicing: PayPal Checkout, Pay with Venmo, or PayPal Guest Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Client pays your PayPal invoice with PayPal or Venmosource |
| Invoicing: Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments, Apple Pay, or other third-party wallets | 2.99% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Client pays your invoice by card, Apple Pay or another walletsource |
| Invoicing: PayPal Pay Later options | 4.99% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Client pays your invoice with Pay in 4 or Pay Monthlysource |
| Invoicing: Pay by Bank (ACH) | 1%, max $10.00 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Client pays your invoice straight from their bank accountsource |
| QR code Transactions | 2.29% + $0.09 | The payment amount | The buyer scans your PayPal QR codesource |
| PayPal Point of Sale: Card Present Transactions | 2.29% + $0.09 | The payment amount | Card tapped, inserted or swiped in personsource |
| PayPal Point of Sale: Manual Card Entry Transactions | 3.49% + $0.09 | The payment amount | You type the card number into PayPal Point of Salesource |
| Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments | 2.89% + $0.29 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Card fields built into your own checkout (Expanded Checkout)source |
| Virtual Terminal | 3.39% + $0.29 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | You key in a card online, e.g. for phone orderssource |
| Donate Button, PayPal Checkout for Donations | 2.89% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Money received through a Donate button or Checkout for Donationssource |
| Charity Transactions | 1.99% + $0.49 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Charities PayPal has approved for the charity ratesource |
| Micropayments | 4.99% + $0.09 | Everything the payer sends (incl. shipping & tax) | Accounts PayPal has approved for micropayments pricingsource |
| Friends and family, from PayPal balance or a bank account | Free | The amount sent | Personal payments within the USsource |
| Friends and family, paid by card | Sender pays 2.9% + $0.30 | The amount sent | Personal payment the sender funds with a credit or debit card (sender pays)source |
| International payment | +1.50% | Added to the rate above | The payer's PayPal account is registered outside the USsource |
| Fixed fee in other currencies | €0.39, £0.39, C$0.59, A$0.59 | Each payment, by the currency you receive | Main rate, payment in another currencysource |
| Currency conversion | 3% spread | The amount converted (built into the exchange rate) | PayPal converts a payment into your currencysource |
| Instant transfer · business account | 1.5%, min $0.50, no max | The amount withdrawn | Only if you choose itsource |
| Instant transfer · personal account | 1.75%, min $0.25, max $25.00 | The amount withdrawn | Only if you choose itsource |
| Standard withdrawal to your bank | Free | The amount withdrawn | No currency conversionsource |
| Friends and family abroad | 5% of the amount (at least $0.99, at most $4.99), plus 2.90% + $0.30 if paid by card | The amount sent (paid by the sender) | Personal payment to another countrysource |
| Refunds | Fee kept | The original payment | Full or partial refund: the original fee isn't returnedsource |
| Dispute fee | $15 ($30 high volume) | Each buyer claim or chargeback | Standard fee not charged on payments under $30, if you win, or if Seller Protection covers itsource |
| Chargeback fee | $20 | Each card chargeback | Card payments not made through a PayPal account or guest checkoutsource |
Four things catch most people out:
- Shipping and sales tax are charged too. The percentage applies to everything the payer sends, not just your price.
- Refunds and disputes cost you. Outside Germany, PayPal keeps the whole fee on a full or partial refund. A buyer claim adds a $15 dispute fee ($30 for high-volume sellers), though the standard fee isn't charged on payments under $30, when you win, or when Seller Protection covers it.
- International costs stack. The 1.50% surcharge, the fixed fee in the currency you receive and the conversion spread are separate charges.
- Pay Later costs more. When a buyer chooses Pay in 4, you pay 4.99% + $0.49 instead of 3.49% + $0.49.
What you keep at common prices
Each row is a US PayPal Checkout payment from a buyer in the US, with no shipping or tax added.
| Amount to charge | Total fees | Fee rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $0.66 | 13.2% | $4.34 |
| $10.00 | $0.84 | 8.40% | $9.16 |
| $20.00 | $1.19 | 5.95% | $18.81 |
| $50.00 | $2.24 | 4.48% | $47.76 |
| $100.00 | $3.98 | 3.98% | $96.02 |
| $250.00 | $9.22 | 3.69% | $240.78 |
| $500.00 | $17.94 | 3.59% | $482.06 |
| $1,000.00 | $35.39 | 3.54% | $964.61 |
The $0.49 fixed fee is what makes small payments expensive: PayPal takes 13.2% of a $5 payment but 3.54% of a $1,000 one.
How the fees add up on one payment
A $50 item with $8 shipping, paid through PayPal Checkout by a buyer who also pays 8% sales tax:
- Payer pays$62.64
- PayPal Checkout fee3.49% × $62.64 + $0.49−$2.68
- You keep$55.32
The buyer sends $62.64: the item, the shipping and $4.64 of tax. PayPal charges 3.49% of the full $62.64 plus $0.49, a fee of $2.68. The tax lands in your PayPal balance but you owe it to the state, so what you keep from the sale is $55.32. If the item had been priced at $58 with free shipping, the fee would be the same, because PayPal doesn't care how the payment is split.
Which rate applies: goods and services, Checkout, cards or invoices
In the US the cheapest common option is a goods and services payment, where the buyer sends money from their PayPal account with goods and services selected: 2.99% and no fixed fee, $2.99 on $100. A sale through PayPal Checkout, a PayPal button or a Venmo payment at checkout costs 3.49% + $0.49. Standard card payments sit in between at 2.99% + $0.49, and businesses that build card fields into their own checkout pay 2.89% + $0.29.
Invoices cost the same as the equivalent checkout payment, so a $2,000 invoice paid with PayPal costs $70.29. The exception is Pay by Bank: when the client pays straight from their bank account, the fee is 1% capped at $10.00, so the same $2,000 invoice costs $10.00. To receive exactly $2,000 that way you'd invoice $2,010.00.
In person, PayPal's card reader and Tap to Pay cost 2.29% + $0.09, the same as a QR code. The QR rate is the same at every amount in the US, but the UK, Canada and German personal accounts still charge a different rate on QR payments of 10.00 or less.
International payments and currency conversion
A payment counts as international when the payer's PayPal account is registered in another country, whatever the shipping address. A US account then pays 3.49% + 1.50% + $0.49: $5.48 on a $100 Checkout payment. If PayPal also converts the payment into dollars, its 3.00% spread costs another $2.84, and you keep $91.68 of the $100.
The table below shows the same 100 in each market's own currency, paid by a domestic buyer through the standard rate:
| Market | Sale | Fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | $100.00 | $3.98 3.98% | $96.02 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | £100.00 | £3.20 3.20% | £96.80 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | CA$100.00 | CA$3.20 3.20% | CA$96.80 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | A$100.00 | A$3.20 3.20% | A$96.80 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 100,00 € | 3,38 € 3.38% | 96,62 € |
- UK: 2.9% + £0.30 at home, plus 1.29% from the EEA or 1.99% from anywhere else.
- Canada: 2.90% + C$0.30, plus 0.80% from the US or 1.00% from elsewhere. Converting a commercial payment costs at least 4.00%.
- Australia: 2.90% + A$0.30 since May 27, 2025, plus 1.00% from abroad.
- Germany: business accounts pay 2.99% + €0.39 through Checkout; goods and services payments and personal accounts pay 2.49% + €0.35. Payments from anywhere in the EEA count as domestic.
Getting your money out: instant transfer fees
A standard transfer to your bank is free. An instant transfer is not: a US business account pays 1.5% with a $0.50 minimum and no maximum, and a personal account pays 1.75% with a $0.25 minimum and a $25 maximum. On a $1,000 Checkout payment, PayPal's fee leaves $964.61 in your balance; moving it instantly costs $14.47 from a business account or $16.88 from a personal one. Turn on the withdrawal option in the calculator to include it.
Ways to keep more of each sale
- Offer Pay by Bank on invoices. The 1% fee is lower than any card or PayPal rate and stops at $10.00, so the bigger the invoice, the more it saves.
- Turn off Pay Later if your margins are thin. US and Canadian sellers can switch it off in their account settings.
- Use standard transfers. Waiting a day or two for a free bank transfer saves the 1.5% instant fee.
- Get paid in your own currency. Pricing in your account's currency avoids the conversion spread on every payment.
- Ask about micropayments if you sell small items. US accounts approved for Dynamic Micropayments pay whichever is lower, 4.99% + $0.09 or the standard rate, so a $5 payment costs $0.34 instead of $0.66.
- Build the fee into your price. PayPal doesn't let you add a surcharge for paying with PayPal, so use “What to charge” to set a price that covers it.
Recent PayPal fee changes
- October 1, 2026UK: Pay in 3 and Pay in 30 now cost sellers 3.9% + £0.30 (they were charged the standard 2.9% before); Virtual Terminal rose from 1.2% to 2.9% + fixed fee; an optional tiered plan (2.9%, 2.4% or 2.1% by last month's sales) is available on request.source
- August 1, 2026US: Pay with Crypto rose from 0.99% to 1.5% of the transaction amount.source
- October 9, 2025Canada: Pay Later (Pay in 4) launched for sellers at 4.90% + C$0.30, above the 2.90% standard rate. Sellers can turn it off.source
- July 17, 2025Germany: card-present payments with PayPal's card reader (then Zettle by PayPal) set to 1.39%; Payment Links launched at the standard transaction rates.source
- May 27, 2025Australia: the standard rate rose from 2.6% to 2.9% + A$0.30 (international from 3.6% to 3.9%); cards on your own site fell from 1.75% to 1.50%.source
- January 13, 2025US: Pay Later moved from the 3.49% Checkout rate to 4.99% + $0.49; Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments went from 2.59% + $0.49 to 2.89% + $0.29; Virtual Terminal from 3.09% + $0.49 to 3.39% + $0.29.source
- January 9, 2025Germany: instant withdrawals to a bank account in the EEA (SEPA Instant) became free.source
- October 23, 2023US: QR code payments changed from 1.90% + $0.10 (2.40% + $0.05 up to $10) to a single 2.29% + $0.09.source
We re-check PayPal's fee pages every day and update this calculator when they change; if your activity statement shows a different fee, use the “Something's off” button under the result.