PayPal Fee Calculator 2026 – United States
See the PayPal fee and what you keep on any amount, or what to charge to net a set amount. Rates checked against PayPal's official page and dated below.
Calculate your PayPal fee
Use a custom rate
For a negotiated merchant rate or another processor. Leave empty to use the official rate.
PayPal fee estimate
- Buyer pays
- $100.00
- PayPal fee
- −$3.98
- You receive
- $96.02
Rate 3.49% + $0.49 · PayPal Checkout
To receive $100.00, ask for $104.12
PayPal fee calculator examples
Fee and net for common amounts at the PayPal Checkout rate of 3.49% + $0.49.
| Amount received | PayPal fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $0.84 | $9.16 |
| $25.00 | $1.36 | $23.64 |
| $50.00 | $2.24 | $47.76 |
| $100.00 | $3.98 | $96.02 |
| $250.00 | $9.22 | $240.78 |
| $500.00 | $17.94 | $482.06 |
| $1,000.00 | $35.39 | $964.61 |
| $5,000.00 | $174.99 | $4,825.01 |
How to calculate PayPal fees
Every PayPal rate is a percentage plus a fixed amount, so the fee on any payment is:
Fee = (Amount × Percentage) + Fixed fee
$100.00 × 3.49% + $0.49 = $3.98 → you receive $96.02
What is a PayPal fee?
A PayPal fee is what PayPal keeps from a payment you receive for goods or services: a percentage of the amount plus a fixed charge per transaction. For a standard PayPal Checkout payment in the United States the rate is 3.49% + $0.49. On a $100.00 sale PayPal keeps $3.98 and you receive $96.02; on $1,000.00 the fee is $35.39, because the fixed part stays flat while the percentage grows.
The rate depends on how the buyer paid. Card payments, Goods and Services payments, QR code payments and micropayments each have their own line on PayPal's official fee page. The fee table below lists all of them, and every number links to the line it came from.
How the PayPal Fee Calculator works
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Enter the amount
Type what the buyer will pay. A dollar sign, commas and spaces are fine. The $100.00 example is filled in so you see the shape of the answer first.
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Pick the fee type
Choose your account type, then how the payment arrives: PayPal Checkout, card, invoice, in person, Goods and Services or micropayments. The rate beside the result changes and the matching table row is highlighted.
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Tick international if the buyer is abroad
When the buyer's account is outside the United States, PayPal adds 1.50% to the base rate. The checkbox folds that in. Currency conversion is a separate spread and is not included.
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Read the result, or flip to reverse mode
See what the buyer pays, what PayPal keeps and what you receive. Switch to "what to charge", enter the amount you want to end up with, and the PayPal fee calculator finds the price that nets exactly that, checked to the cent.
United States PayPal fee rates
Every rate this PayPal fee calculator uses links to its line on PayPal's official fee page (updated 2026-10-01).
| Transaction type | Percentage | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| Online and in-app payments | ||
| PayPal Checkout Buyer pays with the PayPal button. | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| PayPal Guest Checkout Buyer pays without a PayPal account. | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| Pay with Venmo | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments Card payments processed through PayPal. | 2.99% | $0.49 |
| Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments Custom card fields; requires approval. | 2.89% | $0.29 |
| Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services No fixed fee on this rate. | 2.99% | $0.00 |
| QR code Transactions Buyer scans your PayPal QR code. | 2.29% | $0.09 |
| PayPal Pay Later options | 4.99% | $0.49 |
| Virtual Terminal Card details keyed in by you. | 3.39% | $0.29 |
| All Other Commercial Transactions | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| Invoices | ||
| PayPal Checkout, Pay with Venmo, or PayPal Guest Checkout | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments, Apple Pay, or other third-party wallets | 2.99% | $0.49 |
| PayPal Pay Later options | 4.99% | $0.49 |
| Pay by Bank (ACH) 1% of the amount, capped at $10.00. | 1.00% cap $10.00 | $0.00 |
| In person and payment links | ||
| Card Present Transactions Tap, chip or swipe on a Zettle reader. | 2.29% | $0.09 |
| Manual Card Entry | 3.49% | $0.09 |
| QR code Transactions | 2.29% | $0.09 |
| Payment links (PayPal, Venmo, Pay Later) | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| Payment links (Card, Apple Pay) | 2.99% | $0.49 |
| Donations and charity | ||
| Donate Button / PayPal Checkout for Donations | 2.89% | $0.49 |
| Charity Transactions Requires PayPal to confirm charity status. | 1.99% | $0.49 |
| Micropayments | ||
| Micropayments Optional; better for sales under about $12. | 4.99% | $0.09 |
| Added on top | ||
| International commercial transactions Buyer's PayPal account is outside the United States. | +1.50% | — |
| Other fees | ||
| Chargeback fee When a card issuer reverses a payment. | — | $20.00 |
| Dispute fee (standard) | — | $15.00 |
| Dispute fee (high volume) | — | $30.00 |
About the fixed fee. PayPal lists each rate as "percentage + fixed fee" and publishes the fixed fee in a separate table by currency. The US dollar fixed fee is $0.49 for most commercial, invoicing and payment-link rates, $0.09 for QR code, Zettle in-person and micropayment rates, and $0.29 for Virtual Terminal and Advanced card payments. Pay by Bank and Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services have no fixed fee. See PayPal's fixed fee table →
- Rates apply to US PayPal accounts receiving US dollars.
- Currency conversion adds a separate 4.00% spread on goods and services (3.00% otherwise); not modelled here.
- Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.50% of the amount (minimum $0.50); standard transfers are free.
- Friends and Family payments funded by balance or bank are free; card-funded ones are charged to the sender.
Why use this PayPal fee calculator?
Most fee calculators quietly use last year's rates. This PayPal fee calculator shows the date its data was last checked against PayPal's official fee page right beside the result, and every rate links to its source line. When PayPal changes a rate, the date changes with it.
Reverse mode is done properly. Dividing by the percentage can be a cent off once rounding applies, so this PayPal fee calculator verifies its answer forward and adjusts.
PayPal Fee Calculator FAQs
How much does PayPal charge per transaction in 2026?
Most sales to US buyers cost 3.49% + $0.49 per PayPal Checkout transaction. Card and Goods and Services payments are 2.99% + $0.00, QR code payments 2.29% + $0.09, micropayments 4.99% + $0.09. Source: PayPal's official fee page, updated 2026-10-01.
How do I calculate the PayPal fee on $100.00?
Take 3.49% of $100.00, which is $3.49, and add the fixed $0.49. The fee is $3.98 and you receive $96.02.
What is the difference between Goods and Services and Friends and Family?
Goods and Services payments carry the seller fee and give the buyer Purchase Protection. Friends and Family payments are free from a balance or bank account but have no protection, and PayPal does not allow them for sales.
Does PayPal charge a fee to receive money?
A personal payment from a US friend funded by balance or bank is free to receive. Money for goods or services always carries the seller fee in the table. If a sender funds a personal payment with a card, the sender pays that fee, not you.
How much should I charge to receive a specific amount after PayPal fees?
Switch to "what to charge" mode and enter the amount you want to keep. Dividing by one minus the rate can be a cent out after rounding, so the PayPal fee calculator checks its answer forward and adjusts until the net matches exactly.
What are the PayPal fees for international payments?
PayPal adds 1.50% to the base rate when the buyer's account is outside the United States. If the payment also needs converting to dollars, a separate currency conversion spread applies; this PayPal fee calculator does not model that spread.
What are PayPal micropayment fees and who can use them?
Micropayment pricing is 4.99% + $0.09: a higher percentage with a much smaller fixed fee, which wins for sales under roughly $12.00. It is optional, PayPal has to enable it on your account, and it then applies to all eligible payments.
Does the buyer or the seller pay the PayPal fee?
The seller. The buyer pays the listed price and PayPal deducts the fee from what the seller receives. PayPal's rules generally do not allow a separate "PayPal fee" surcharge, so sellers build it into the price.
How often do PayPal fees change, and how is this calculator kept accurate?
PayPal updates its fee page a few times a year; the current version is dated 2026-10-01. We compare our data to that page by hand, show the date beside the PayPal fee calculator, and re-check at least quarterly. The data sources page explains the process and the rounding rule.