PayPal Fee Calculator
PayPal's headline rate hides two things: a fixed fee that quietly inflates the cost of small payments, and surcharges for international cards and currency conversion that stack on top. This calculator does the forward math (what does a $100 payment cost me?) and — more usefully — the reverse gross-up: the exact amount to put on your invoice so that what lands in your account equals your target. Defaults reflect PayPal's US commercial pricing as last verified in June 2026 — 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout goods-and-services payments, 2.99% + $0.49 for direct card payments; every field is editable because PayPal's fee schedule varies by country, account type, and product.
Defaults last verified June 2026 — PayPal changes pricing without much notice; confirm the exact rate for your account type and country in your PayPal fee schedule. Both fields above are editable.
$100.00 × 3.49% + $0.49 = $3.98 fee → net $96.02
Fees at common amounts (current settings)
| Amount | Fee | You receive | Effective % |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $0.84 | $9.16 | 8.39% |
| $50.00 | $2.24 | $47.77 | 4.47% |
| $100.00 | $3.98 | $96.02 | 3.98% |
| $500.00 | $17.94 | $482.06 | 3.59% |
| $1,000.00 | $35.39 | $964.61 | 3.54% |
How to use the paypal fee calculator
- Pick a mode: “I'm charging” computes the fee on an amount you already invoice; “I want to receive” works backwards from your target net.
- Choose a fee preset (goods & services, card payments, international, or friends & family) and a currency — the fixed-fee default updates with the currency.
- Override the percentage or fixed fee if your account's fee schedule differs; the preset switches to Custom automatically.
- Read the result: fee, net, and the effective percentage. In reverse mode the proof line re-runs the forward math so you can verify the gross-up.
- Scan the batch table to see how the fixed fee distorts small payments at $10, $50, $100, $500, and $1,000.
The formulas, worked through
Forward: fee = amount × rate + fixed, net = amount − fee. A $250 invoice at 3.49% + $0.49 costs $8.7250 + $0.49 = $9.22 (PayPal rounds to the cent), leaving $240.78.
Reverse: charge = (target + fixed) ÷ (1 − rate). To net $1,000: (1,000 + 0.49) ÷ 0.9651 = $1,036.67. Verify forward: $1,036.67 × 3.49% = $36.18, plus $0.49 is $36.67, and $1,036.67 − $36.67 = $1,000.00 exactly. The calculator prints this proof line on every reverse result.
Where PayPal fees hide
- Currency conversion spread. When PayPal converts currency it applies its own exchange rate, typically 3–4% worse than the mid-market rate. This is on top of the international transaction surcharge and never shows up as a fee line. If you invoice abroad regularly, billing in your own currency (and letting the buyer's side convert) usually costs less.
- International surcharge. Payments from buyers in another country add roughly 1.5 percentage points to the base rate — the “International” preset above models this.
- Refunds keep the fee. Since 2019 PayPal retains the original transaction fee when you refund a buyer. Refund a $518.59 payment and you are out $18.59 with nothing to show for it — a reason to gate refunds behind store credit where your policy allows.
- Withdrawal and instant-transfer fees. Standard bank withdrawal is free in most markets, but instant transfer to a card costs up to 1.75% in the US.
Fee presets on this page are reviewed quarterly. Last verified June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much does PayPal take from a $100 payment?
At the US goods-and-services rate of 3.49% + $0.49, a $100 payment costs $3.49 + $0.49 = $3.98, so you receive $96.02 — an effective rate of 3.98%. For an international buyer the rate rises to roughly 4.99% + $0.49 ($5.48 total), and if currency conversion applies PayPal also takes a 3–4% spread on the exchange rate, which never appears as a line-item fee.
What is the reverse (gross-up) formula?
Charge = (target + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − rate). To receive exactly $500 at 3.49% + $0.49, invoice (500 + 0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0349) = $518.59. The naive approach of adding 3.49% to $500 gives $517.45 — and after fees you would receive only $498.90, short by over a dollar. The division matters because the fee is charged on the grossed-up amount, not the target.
Why is the effective rate so high on small payments?
The $0.49 fixed fee is the same whether the payment is $5 or $5,000. On $5 the fee is $0.17 + $0.49 = $0.66, an effective 13.2% — nearly four times the headline rate. The calculator highlights the effective percentage whenever it exceeds twice the nominal rate. If you bill many small amounts, batch them into fewer larger invoices or use PayPal's micropayments pricing (5% + $0.09 in the US), which crosses over as cheaper below roughly $24.
Can I just add a PayPal surcharge to my invoice?
Adding a separate “PayPal fee” line is restricted: PayPal's user agreement prohibits surcharging in most markets, and several US states and many countries cap or ban card surcharges outright. The compliant approach is to build the fee into your price using the gross-up formula — quote $518.59 as your price rather than $500 plus a $18.59 fee line. Same money, no policy violation.
Should clients pay me via friends & family to avoid the fee?
No. Friends & family transfers carry no purchase protection for the sender and no seller protection for you, and using F&F for commercial payments violates PayPal's terms — accounts get limited or frozen for it. PayPal can also reclassify the payment. The 3.49% goods-and-services fee buys dispute handling and protection; treat it as a cost of doing business and price it in.
Are these the fees PayPal actually charges me?
They are PayPal's published US merchant rates as last verified in June 2026, but PayPal prices differ by country (e.g., different fixed fees per currency), by product (QR codes, invoicing, micropayments, Braintree), and by negotiated merchant agreements. Every rate field in this calculator is editable — open your PayPal account's fee page, copy your exact numbers in, and the math will match your statements.
Related tools
- Stripe & Square Fee CalculatorCalculate Stripe and Square fees and your net payout — standard, international, and currency conversion — plus reverse gross-up pricing.
- Freelance Hourly Rate CalculatorCalculate your freelance hourly rate from target income, billable hours, expenses, and time off — and see your day rate and project pricing.
- Profit Margin & Markup CalculatorCalculate profit margin and markup from cost and price — or work backwards from a target margin to the exact price you should charge.
- Sales Commission CalculatorCalculate sales commission instantly — flat rate, tiered plans, and broker splits — with the effective rate and take-home after every cut.
- Rent Receipt GeneratorGenerate printable rent receipts in seconds — enter tenant, landlord, and rent once and download every month as one signature-ready PDF.