Free tool
PayPal fee calculator: the fee, what you receive and what to request
Convertica's free PayPal fee calculator works out the fee on a payment, what you receive, and the amount to request so that a set sum is left after the fee. It starts from the rates PayPal publishes for US accounts. Every rate can be edited, because rates change and vary by country and account.
Short answer
A PayPal fee calculator multiplies a payment by PayPal's percentage rate, adds the fixed fee and subtracts the total: fee = amount × rate + fixed fee. At PayPal Checkout's published US rate of 3.49% + $0.49, a $100.00 payment costs $3.98 and leaves $96.02. To be left with $100.00, request $104.12.
- PayPal's US rates for receiving a commercial payment are a percentage plus a fixed fee per payment: 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout and 2.99% + $0.49 for standard card payments.
- PayPal's table lists goods and services payments made through send or receive money at 2.99%, and prints no fixed fee on that row.
- A payer outside the US adds 1.5% to the percentage. A currency conversion by PayPal adds a spread to the exchange rate, published at 3% for a payment you receive.
- To be left with a set amount, divide (target + fixed fee) by (1 - rate). Adding the fee on top leaves you short, because the fee is charged on the larger amount.
- The fixed fee is charged once per payment, so it takes a larger share of a small order than of a large one.
PayPal fee calculator
Free to use, no sign-up. Enter one amount to see the fee if a customer pays it, and what to request to be left with it. The result updates as you type.
PayPal fee on 100.00
3.98
100.00 × 3.49% = 3.49, plus the 0.49 fixed fee, is 3.98.
If a customer pays 100.00, you receive 96.02. The fee is 3.98% of the payment.
To be left with 100.00 after the fee, request 104.12: (100.00 + 0.49) ÷ (1 - 3.49%), checked to the cent. The fee on 104.12 is 4.12.
Formula
fee = amount * (rate + international rate) + fixed fee
you receive = amount - fee
amount to request = (target + fixed fee) / (1 - rate - international rate)Rates as published by PayPal for US accounts, checked on . Rates change and vary by country, currency and account, so confirm yours on PayPal's merchant fees page before you rely on a figure. Convertica is not affiliated with PayPal.
How are PayPal fees calculated?
PayPal fees on a payment you receive are a percentage of the payment plus a fixed fee per payment. Multiply the amount by the rate for its payment type, add the fixed fee, and subtract the total from the amount. At PayPal Checkout's published US rate of 3.49% + $0.49, a $100.00 payment costs $3.98 and leaves $96.02.
fee = amount * rate + fixed fee- Amount: 100.00. Rate: 3.49%, which is 0.0349 as a decimal.
- Percentage part: 100.00 × 0.0349 = 3.49.
- Add the fixed fee: 3.49 + 0.49 = 3.98.
- You receive 100.00 - 3.98 = 96.02. The fee is 3.98% of the payment, more than the 3.49% headline rate because of the fixed fee.
A fee rarely lands on a whole cent. A $50.00 standard card payment at 2.99% + $0.49 works out as 50.00 × 2.99% = 1.495, plus 0.49 is 1.985. This calculator rounds that to the nearest cent, 1.99. PayPal's fee pages do not state a rounding rule, so the fee PayPal charges can differ from this one by a cent.
How to use the PayPal fee calculator
- Choose the payment type. The menu fills in the rate PayPal publishes for that type. Pick "Custom rate" for a rate that is not listed.
- Enter one amount. The result shows the fee if a customer pays that amount, and the amount to request if you want to be left with it.
- Correct the rate. Change the percentage or the fixed fee to what your own PayPal account shows. Another country or another currency changes them.
- Say where the payer is. Choose an international payer to add PayPal's international percentage.
- Add a conversion, if there is one. If PayPal converts the money to another currency, the result adds an estimate of what the spread costs.
- Add your gross margin. Optional: it shows how much of the profit on the sale the fee takes.
PayPal fees by payment type for US accounts
PayPal publishes a different rate for each way of being paid. For a US account receiving US dollars from a US payer, PayPal Checkout is 3.49% + $0.49, a standard credit or debit card payment is 2.99% + $0.49, PayPal Pay Later is 4.99% + $0.49 and a QR code transaction is 2.29% + $0.09. The table shows what each rate does to a $100.00 payment.
| Payment type | Published rate | Fee on $100.00 | You receive | Request, to be left with $100.00 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 | $3.98 | $96.02 | $104.12 | |
| PayPal Guest Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 | $3.98 | $96.02 | $104.12 | |
| Pay with Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 | $3.98 | $96.02 | $104.12 | |
| Standard credit and debit card payments | 2.99% + $0.49 | $3.48 | $96.52 | $103.59 | |
| PayPal Pay Later | 4.99% + $0.49 | $5.48 | $94.52 | $105.77 | |
| Goods and services (send or receive money) | 2.99% | $2.99 | $97.01 | $103.08 | PayPal's table lists this row as a percentage only, with no fixed fee. |
| Invoice paid with PayPal Checkout, Venmo or Guest Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 | $3.98 | $96.02 | $104.12 | |
| Invoice paid by card, Apple Pay or another third-party wallet | 2.99% + $0.49 | $3.48 | $96.52 | $103.59 | |
| Invoice paid with PayPal Pay Later | 4.99% + $0.49 | $5.48 | $94.52 | $105.77 | |
| Invoice paid by bank (ACH) | 1%, capped at $10.00 | $1.00 | $99.00 | $101.01 | Not in the calculator's menu: the form has no field for a cap. |
| QR code transactions | 2.29% + $0.09 | $2.38 | $97.62 | $102.44 | |
| Point of sale, card present | 2.29% + $0.09 | $2.38 | $97.62 | $102.44 | PayPal Point of Sale, which needs approval by PayPal. |
| Point of sale, manual card entry | 3.49% + $0.09 | $3.58 | $96.42 | $103.71 | PayPal Point of Sale, which needs approval by PayPal. |
| Advanced credit and debit card payments | 2.89% + $0.29 | $3.18 | $96.82 | $103.27 | PayPal Online Payment Services, which need approval by PayPal. |
| Donations (Donate button or PayPal Checkout for Donations) | 2.89% + $0.49 | $3.38 | $96.62 | $103.48 | |
| Charity transactions | 1.99% + $0.49 | $2.48 | $97.52 | $102.53 | For charities PayPal has approved in advance. |
| Micropayments | 4.99% + $0.09 | $5.08 | $94.92 | $105.35 | By application to PayPal, for lower value transactions. |
Source for every rate: PayPal's merchant fees page for the US, read on . The fee, net and request columns are this page's arithmetic, not PayPal's figures. This page covers US accounts only: PayPal publishes a separate fee page for each country, with different rates.
What is the PayPal goods and services fee?
PayPal's table lists send or receive money for goods and services at 2.99% of the payment. Unlike the rows around it, that row prints no fixed fee, so the calculator's preset has none. A sale that goes through PayPal Checkout on a website is a different row, at 3.49% + $0.49. If your account shows a fixed fee on a goods and services payment, enter it in the fixed fee field.
What is the PayPal invoice fee?
The PayPal invoice fee depends on how the customer pays the invoice: 3.49% + $0.49 with PayPal Checkout, Venmo or guest checkout, 2.99% + $0.49 by card, Apple Pay or another third-party wallet, and 4.99% + $0.49 with PayPal Pay Later. An invoice paid by bank (ACH) is 1%, capped at $10.00 per transaction, so the cap holds from $1,000.00 upward: a $2,500.00 invoice paid that way costs $10.00. The bank rate is not in the calculator's menu because of the cap.
How much is the PayPal fee on $100, $400 or $1,000?
Through PayPal Checkout at the published US rate of 3.49% + $0.49, the PayPal fee is $3.98 on $100.00, $14.45 on $400.00 and $35.39 on $1,000.00. A standard card payment at 2.99% + $0.49 costs $3.48, $12.45 and $30.39 on the same three amounts.
| Payment | PayPal Checkout fee (3.49% + $0.49) | You receive | Fee as a share of the payment | Goods and services fee (2.99%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $0.66 | $4.34 | 13.20% | $0.15 |
| $10.00 | $0.84 | $9.16 | 8.40% | $0.30 |
| $25.00 | $1.36 | $23.64 | 5.44% | $0.75 |
| $50.00 | $2.24 | $47.76 | 4.48% | $1.50 |
| $100.00 | $3.98 | $96.02 | 3.98% | $2.99 |
| $400.00 | $14.45 | $385.55 | 3.61% | $11.96 |
| $1,000.00 | $35.39 | $964.61 | 3.54% | $29.90 |
| $5,000.00 | $174.99 | $4,825.01 | 3.50% | $149.50 |
The fourth column is the one to watch. The percentage is the same on every row, but the fixed fee is charged once per payment whatever its size, so it takes a far larger share of a small payment than of a large one.
Small payments and the micropayments rate
PayPal also publishes a micropayments rate of 4.99% + $0.09, which sellers apply for. It trades a higher percentage for a lower fixed fee, so it costs less only on small payments. Set the two published rates equal and they cross at $26.67: below that the micropayments rate is cheaper, above it PayPal Checkout's is. On a $5.00 payment the fees are $0.34 and $0.66.
How much should I charge to receive a set amount after PayPal fees?
To receive a set amount after PayPal fees, add the fixed fee to the amount you want and divide by one minus the rate. At 3.49% + $0.49, being left with $100.00 takes a request of $104.12. Adding the fee on top of the price is not enough, because the fee is then charged on the larger amount.
amount to request = (target + fixed fee) / (1 - rate)- Target plus the fixed fee: 100.00 + 0.49 = 100.49.
- One minus the rate: 1 - 0.0349 = 0.9651.
- Divide: 100.49 / 0.9651 = 104.12392, so request 104.12.
- Check it: the fee on $104.12 is $4.12, which leaves $100.00.
The shortcut that fails: the fee on $100.00 is $3.98, so it is tempting to request $103.98. The fee on $103.98 is $4.12, which leaves $99.86, $0.14 short.
| To be left with | Formula result | Request | Fee on the request |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100.00 | 104.12392 | $104.12 | $4.12 |
| $500.00 | 518.58875 | $518.59 | $18.59 |
| $1,000.00 | 1,036.66978 | $1,036.67 | $36.67 |
The calculator checks its answer to the cent: it returns the smallest amount whose fee, once rounded, leaves the target. Now and then that is a cent below the rounded formula.
This is arithmetic for setting a price or an invoice total. Whether you may add the fee as a separate charge for paying with PayPal is covered by PayPal's user agreement, which has a section headed "No surcharges". Read it before you do.
What are PayPal's international fees?
PayPal's international fee for a US seller is an extra 1.5% of the payment, added to the domestic rate when the payer's PayPal account is in another country. PayPal Checkout becomes 4.99% plus the fixed fee, so a $100.00 payment costs $5.48 and leaves $94.52, $1.50 less than a domestic one.
Three things can change on a payment from abroad:
- The percentage. The published 1.5% applies to commercial, invoicing, donation, charity and micropayment transactions alike.
- The fixed fee. PayPal sets it by the currency received, not by the payer's country. The table below has five of the currencies PayPal lists.
- A currency conversion. If PayPal converts the money, its exchange rate includes a currency conversion spread. PayPal publishes 3% for converting a payment you received and 4% when you pay or send money in another currency, in both cases unless it shows you another amount during the transaction.
| Currency received | Fixed fee |
|---|---|
| US dollar | 0.49 USD |
| Euro | 0.39 EUR |
| UK pounds sterling | 0.39 GBP |
| Canadian dollar | 0.59 CAD |
| Australian dollar | 0.59 AUD |
What does the PayPal currency conversion fee cost?
The spread is not a line on the transaction. It is built into the exchange rate, so the calculator can only estimate it, as the spread times the amount converted. If PayPal converts the $94.52 left from the payment above at a 3% spread, that costs about $2.84 and leaves about $91.68 in value. Fee and spread together take about $8.32 of the $100.00.
To be left with $100.00 after the international fee, request $105.77. To be left with about $100.00 after the conversion as well, request $109.02. The rate PayPal shows when it converts is the real figure, so treat the conversion line as an estimate.
PayPal goods and services vs friends and family fees
A goods and services payment is a commercial transaction: the seller pays a fee to receive it. A friends and family payment is what PayPal calls a personal transaction: receiving it is free when no currency conversion is involved, and the sender pays a fee only when it is funded by a card or sent abroad.
| Payment | Who pays the fee | Published fee | On $100.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods and services (send or receive money) | The seller | 2.99% of the payment | $2.99 |
| Personal, from a PayPal balance or a bank account, within the US | Nobody | No fee | No fee |
| Personal, funded by a card, within the US | The sender | 2.9% + $0.30 | $3.20, so the sender pays $103.20 |
| Personal, sent to another country | The sender | 5%, at least $0.99 and at most $4.99, on top of any card fee | $4.99 from a balance or bank account, $8.19 by card |
The minimum matters on small amounts: $10.00 sent abroad from a balance costs $0.99. Personal rates are from PayPal's consumer fees page for the US, read on the same day as the merchant rates.
The two are not interchangeable. PayPal defines a personal transaction as one made without an underlying purchase of goods or services, so payment for a sale belongs under the commercial rates. The calculator above covers those.
What do PayPal fees cost your margin?
A PayPal fee is paid out of the profit on a sale, so its real weight is larger than the rate suggests. On a $100.00 sale at a 40% gross margin, the $3.98 fee is 3.98% of the price but 9.95% of the $40.00 of gross profit. On a $10.00 sale it takes 21.00%.
The table uses one illustrative margin, 40%, to show the arithmetic. Enter your own in the calculator.
| Order | Gross profit before the fee | Fee | Fee as a share of gross profit | Left after the fee | Margin after the fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $4.00 | $0.84 | 21.00% | $3.16 | 31.60% |
| $25.00 | $10.00 | $1.36 | 13.60% | $8.64 | 34.56% |
| $50.00 | $20.00 | $2.24 | 11.20% | $17.76 | 35.52% |
| $100.00 | $40.00 | $3.98 | 9.95% | $36.02 | 36.02% |
| $250.00 | $100.00 | $9.22 | 9.22% | $90.78 | 36.31% |
Two things follow for anyone selling online.
- Put the fee in your margin before you set an ad budget. Break-even ROAS and break-even CPA are built on the margin left after every cost that rises with each order, and a payment fee is one of them. Work the margin out with the margin calculator, the profit after all costs with the profit calculator, and what the ads then have to return with the break-even ROAS calculator.
- Order size changes the fee's share. The fixed fee is charged per payment. $100.00 taken as one order costs $3.98 in fees at the PayPal Checkout rate; the same $100.00 taken as four orders of $25.00 costs $1.36 each, $5.44 in all. The $1.46 difference is three more fixed fees. Average order value is one of the numbers in the guide to ecommerce key metrics.
A payment fee is a known cost on each order you win. An order abandoned at the payment step costs the whole margin on that order. The guide to checkout optimization covers that step, and Convertica's free CRO audit checks the page you send buyers to: the first screen, calls to action, forms, trust, mobile, speed and AI agent readiness, ranked by likely impact.
Which other PayPal fees should a seller plan for?
Beyond the fee on each payment, PayPal's US fee pages publish charges for moving money out quickly and for payments that go wrong. A standard transfer to a linked bank account has no fee when no currency is converted, an instant transfer costs a percentage, and a refund does not bring the original fee back.
| Event | Published fee | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Standard transfer to a linked bank account | No fee when no currency conversion is involved | $500.00 arrives as $500.00 |
| Instant transfer, business account | 1.5% of the amount, at least $0.50 | $7.50 on $500.00 |
| Instant transfer, personal account | 1.75% of the amount, at least $0.25 and at most $25.00 | $8.75 on $500.00; $25.00 on $2,000.00 |
| Refund of a commercial or invoicing payment | No fee to make the refund, but the fee paid to receive the payment is not returned | A refunded $100.00 PayPal Checkout sale still costs $3.98 |
| Chargeback on a card payment not processed through the buyer's PayPal account or guest checkout | $20.00 | Charged per chargeback, in the currency received |
| Dispute fee, which PayPal may charge when a buyer files a claim or chargeback on a payment made through PayPal | $15.00 standard, $30.00 high volume | PayPal's user agreement says when each applies |
The refund rule is the one that reaches conversion work. Every refund leaves the original fee behind, so a product page that sets the wrong expectation costs the fee as well as the sale.
How can I lower PayPal fees?
You lower PayPal fees by being paid through a cheaper payment type where one fits, by avoiding the charges that are optional, and by taking fewer, larger payments. PayPal's fee pages list no way to receive a commercial payment for nothing. Each point below comes from the published US rates above.
- Know which rate each sale is on. PayPal Checkout, a standard card payment and a goods and services payment are three different rows. Check a real transaction in your account against the table.
- Offer bank payment on larger invoices. The published invoice rate by bank is 1%, capped at $10.00 per transaction, against 3.49% + $0.49 when the same invoice is paid with PayPal Checkout.
- Use the micropayments rate only below $26.67. Above that the standard rate is cheaper. The rate is by application to PayPal.
- Ask about the rates that need approval. Charity transactions and advanced card payments carry lower published rates, and PayPal decides who gets them.
- Take the standard transfer when you can wait. It has no fee without a conversion; the instant one costs 1.5% for a business account.
- Watch every conversion. The spread applies each time PayPal converts, so look at the rate it shows before you accept one.
- Raise the size of the order. One fixed fee per payment means a larger basket carries a smaller fee per unit of revenue.
- Cut refunds at the source. A refund does not return the fee, so clearer product pages and sizing, delivery and returns information save it.
How to calculate PayPal fees in Excel or Google Sheets
To calculate PayPal fees in Excel or Google Sheets, put the payment in one cell, the rate in a second and the fixed fee in a third, then multiply, add and round. With the payment in A2, the rate in B2 formatted as a percentage and the fixed fee in C2, the fee is =ROUND(A2*B2+C2,2). The same formulas work in both programs.
| To get | Formula | Cells |
|---|---|---|
| The fee | =ROUND(A2*B2+C2,2) | Payment in A2, rate in B2 as a percentage, fixed fee in C2 |
| What you receive | =A2-ROUND(A2*B2+C2,2) | The payment less the fee |
| The fee for an international payer | =ROUND(A2*(B2+D2)+C2,2) | International percentage in D2 |
| The amount to request | =ROUND((A2+C2)/(1-B2),2) | The sum you want to be left with in A2 |
| The fee as a share of the payment | =ROUND(A2*B2+C2,2)/A2 | Format the result as a percentage |
For a month of sales, apply the fee formula to each row and add the results. Multiplying total revenue by the rate and adding one fixed fee leaves out all but one of the fixed fees.
Related calculators
A payment fee is one cost between the price and the profit. These calculators cover the rest of the sum.
See all free tools and how they fit together.
PayPal fee calculator FAQ
How does a PayPal fee calculator work?
A PayPal fee calculator multiplies the payment by PayPal's percentage rate, adds the fixed fee, and subtracts the total from the payment: fee = amount × rate + fixed fee. At PayPal Checkout's published US rate of 3.49% + $0.49, a $100.00 payment costs $3.98 and leaves $96.02. Run backward, it gives the amount to request so that a set sum is left.
How do I calculate PayPal fees by hand?
Multiply the payment by the percentage rate for its payment type, add the fixed fee, and round to the cent. For a $50.00 standard card payment at 2.99% + $0.49: 50.00 × 2.99% = 1.495, plus 0.49 is 1.985, which rounds to $1.99. Add 1.5% to the rate when the payer's PayPal account is outside the US.
How much is the PayPal fee on $100?
On a $100.00 payment from a US payer, the fee is $3.98 through PayPal Checkout (3.49% + $0.49), $3.48 for a standard card payment (2.99% + $0.49) and $2.99 for a goods and services payment sent through send or receive money (2.99%). You receive $96.02, $96.52 or $97.01.
How much is the PayPal fee for $1,000?
On a $1,000.00 payment from a US payer, the fee is $35.39 through PayPal Checkout, $30.39 for a standard card payment and $29.90 for a goods and services payment sent through send or receive money. On a $400.00 payment the same three fees are $14.45, $12.45 and $11.96.
How much should I charge to receive a set amount after PayPal fees?
Add the fixed fee to the amount you want, then divide by one minus the rate: amount to request = (target + fixed fee) / (1 - rate). To be left with $100.00 at 3.49% + $0.49, request $104.12: the fee on that is $4.12. Adding the $3.98 fee on top instead leaves you $0.14 short.
What is the PayPal goods and services fee?
PayPal's US merchant fees page lists send or receive money for goods and services at 2.99% of the payment, with no fixed fee printed on that row, plus 1.5% when the payer is outside the US. A sale through PayPal Checkout on a website is a different row: 3.49% + $0.49. The seller pays either one.
What is the PayPal invoice fee?
PayPal's published US rates for an invoice depend on how the customer pays it: 3.49% + $0.49 with PayPal Checkout, Venmo or guest checkout, 2.99% + $0.49 by card, Apple Pay or another third-party wallet, 4.99% + $0.49 with PayPal Pay Later and, by bank (ACH), 1% capped at $10.00 per transaction. An international payer adds 1.5%.
What are PayPal's international fees?
For a US seller, PayPal adds 1.5% to the domestic percentage when the payer's account is outside the US, so PayPal Checkout becomes 4.99% plus the fixed fee. The fixed fee follows the currency received. If PayPal also converts the money, its exchange rate includes a spread, published at 3% for a payment you receive unless PayPal shows another figure.
Who pays the PayPal fee, the buyer or the seller?
The seller pays. PayPal publishes its commercial rates as the rate for receiving a transaction, so the fee is a cost to the account that receives the payment. PayPal's US consumer fees page says paying for a purchase is free for the buyer when no currency conversion is involved.
Is there a fee for PayPal friends and family?
Sending a personal payment within the US from a PayPal balance or a bank account has no fee, and receiving one has no fee when no currency conversion is involved. Sent with a card, the sender pays 2.9% + $0.30. An international personal payment adds 5%, with a minimum of $0.99 and a maximum of $4.99. PayPal defines these as payments that are not for goods or services.
How do I avoid a 3% fee on PayPal?
PayPal's fee pages list no way to receive a commercial payment free of charge, but the rate depends on the payment type. On PayPal's published US rates, a QR code transaction is 2.29% + $0.09 and an invoice paid by bank is 1%, capped at $10.00, against 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout. A payment from a US payer in US dollars carries no international fee and no conversion spread.
Does PayPal return the fee when I refund a customer?
No. PayPal's US merchant fees page says there is no fee to make a full or partial refund of a commercial or invoicing transaction, but the fees you originally paid to receive the payment are not returned to you. A refunded $100.00 PayPal Checkout sale therefore still costs the $3.98 fee.
How do I calculate PayPal fees in Excel or Google Sheets?
With the payment in A2, the rate in B2 (formatted as a percentage) and the fixed fee in C2, the fee is =ROUND(A2*B2+C2,2) and the amount you receive is =A2-ROUND(A2*B2+C2,2). The amount to request so that A2 is left after the fee is =ROUND((A2+C2)/(1-B2),2).