Home
PayPal Fee Calculator— See Exactly What You Keep
US merchant rates for the payment type you actually use.
- Fee
- $3.98
- You keep
- $96.02
- Effective rate
- 3.98%
US merchant receiving fees. The fee is deducted from what you receive, not a send-money or currency exchange tool.
Fees verified November 4, 2026. Rates are US. Official fee schedule
PayPal commercial fee rates in the US
These are PayPal’s published US rates for receiving a commercial payment. A card payment is 2.99% + $0.49. PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, and Venmo are 3.49% + $0.49. QR code transactions are 2.29% + $0.09. That last line is PayPal’s in-person QR product: the fixed piece is the QR fixed fee table on PayPal’s fee page, not the $0.49 used for most online commercial types. An international commercial payment adds 1.50% of the amount on top of the domestic rate. The fee comes out of what you receive; the buyer is not charged this receiving fee on top.
What this tool is for: you pick the commercial receiving type that matches how the buyer paid (Checkout, standard card, Venmo, QR, goods and services) and optionally the 1.50% international add-on. We do not model currency conversion on your PayPal balance, chargeback fees, or account-level plans. If your account has negotiated pricing, replace the tool output with those contract numbers. For how we verify the public sheet against PayPal’s page and date the copy, see About FeeSolve.
- Micropayments: PayPal lists a separate micropayments profile with a higher percentage and a lower fixed fee for small transactions. This calculator follows the standard commercial rows unless your integration is on the micropayments rate.
- Pay Later and installment products appear as their own lines on PayPal’s fee page. Use that row when the buyer chooses Pay in 4 or other Pay Later labels at checkout, not the generic Checkout line.
- Disputes and chargebacks are not part of the receiving percentage. Treat them as a separate risk line when you price or set refund policy.
Reading the result with tax and shipping: the percentage and fixed fee apply to the gross commercial payment PayPal credits to you. If the buyer’s payment includes sales tax or shipping you collected, that money usually flows through the same total unless your integration splits line items differently—compare the credited total in PayPal to the amount you entered here.
| Payment | Rate | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| Credit or debit card | 2.99% | $0.49 |
| Pay with Venmo | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| QR code transaction | 2.29% | $0.09 |
| PayPal Pay Later | 4.99% | $0.49 |
| All other commercial transactions | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| Goods & services transfer | 2.99% | None |
| International payment (+1.5%) | 1.5% of the amount | None |
US merchant rates. A custom PayPal agreement can differ.
PayPal fee examples: Checkout vs domestic card
These seven amounts are calculated with the same formula as the tool, so the fee and the amount you keep are on the page before you type anything.
| Amount | Fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | $1.36 | $23.64 |
| $50.00 | $2.24 | $47.76 |
| $100.00 | $3.98 | $96.02 |
| $500.00 | $17.94 | $482.06 |
| $1,000.00 | $35.39 | $964.61 |
| $2,000.00 | $70.29 | $1,929.71 |
| $5,000.00 | $174.99 | $4,825.01 |
How to lower PayPal fees in practice: you cannot remove the published percentage on a commercial payment, but you can avoid the wrong product mix. Use Standard card pricing when buyers pay with a card outside PayPal Checkout if that rate is lower for your volume. Skip unnecessary cross-border sales if the 1.50% international add-on is not priced in. For a fixed payout target, use “I want to keep” in the tool so you pass the fee through in one step instead of guessing. PayPal does not return the processing fee when you refund the buyer; price and policy should account for that.
Cross-check in your activity: after a sale, open the payment in PayPal and compare the fee line to the calculator. If the labels differ (for example “Standard card” vs “PayPal Checkout”), switch the payment type here—the math follows PayPal’s published row for that label, not the name your storefront shows.
Fixed fees in other currencies appear on PayPal’s “fixed fee for commercial transactions” table: for example €0.39 for euro received and £0.39 for pounds. This page is USD-only; convert the idea, not the number, if your account settles in another currency.
| Product | Published domestic receiving rate |
|---|---|
| Pay with Venmo (commercial) | 3.49% + $0.49 fixed (same fixed band as Checkout/Guest) |
| PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 fixed |
| Standard credit or debit card (not through Checkout) | 2.99% + $0.49 fixed |
Venmo and Checkout share the higher percentage in PayPal’s table; many sellers compare them to standard card payments when buyers can pay either way.
Why a small payment keeps less of the total
On $25.00, using PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout, the fee is $1.36 and you keep $23.64. The effective rate is 5.44%. On $500.00 the fee is $17.94, you keep $482.06, and the effective rate is 3.59%. The percentage scales with the amount. The fixed fee does not, so it takes a larger share of a small payment.
The rows above use Checkout. A card payment is lower, at 2.99% + $0.49, but the fixed $0.49 still weighs more on a small amount than on a large one. Goods and services transfers are 2.99% with no fixed fee.
PayPal fee FAQ
How much does PayPal charge on a $100 card payment?
A $100 standard credit or debit card payment costs $3.48, which is 2.99% + $0.49. You keep $96.52. The same $100 through PayPal Checkout costs $3.98, which is 3.49% + $0.49, and you keep $96.02.
Who pays the PayPal fee, the seller or the buyer?
You do, when you receive a commercial payment. PayPal deducts the fee from the amount the buyer sent. The buyer is not charged this receiving fee on top of the payment.
What is the PayPal goods and services fee on $100?
A goods and services transfer is 2.99% with no fixed fee. On $100 the fee is $2.99 and you keep $97.01. A standard card payment is 2.99% + $0.49, which is $3.48 and you keep $96.52. PayPal Checkout is 3.49% + $0.49. The product name decides the rate, not whether you sold something.
Is this a PayPal business or seller fee calculator?
Yes, for US accounts receiving commercial payments: Checkout, cards, Venmo, goods and services, and the 1.50% international add-on. It is not for PayPal send-money fees, Friends and Family, currency exchange rates, or withdrawals.
How much do I charge to keep $100?
For a domestic card payment, charge $103.59. The fee is $3.59 and you keep $100.00. For PayPal Checkout, charge $104.12. The fee is $4.12 and you keep $100.00. Choose “I want to keep” if you also need the 1.50% international fee in the figure.
How much extra is an international payment?
Add 1.50% of the amount. A $100 Checkout payment with that fee is $5.48: $3.49 + $0.49 + $1.50. You keep $94.52. A $100 card payment with the same add-on is $4.98, and you keep $95.02.
Does PayPal return the fee when I refund the buyer?
No. PayPal charges nothing extra to send the refund, and it does not return the fee you already paid to receive the payment. That applies to a full or partial refund of a commercial or invoicing payment.
Are these PayPal rates current?
They were checked against PayPal’s US business fee page on November 4, 2026. That page lists QR code transactions as 2.29% + $0.09 for the third-party integrator line and uses a separate fixed-fee table for QR by currency. A custom agreement on your account can replace the published rates.
Where can I read how FeeSolve verifies PayPal’s numbers?
See About FeeSolve for verification, regional scope, and what we leave out (for example currency conversion and withdrawals).