PayPal Fee Calculator
PayPal, US domestic commercial transactions (goods and services) — PayPal pricing, read 2026-09-05; that page was last updated 2026-09-01.
fee $174.99
How can I calculate PayPal fees?
A PayPal fee on a commercial payment is a percentage of the payment plus a fixed amount. Both parts come out before the money reaches you.
- Enter the payment amount.
- Check the rate and the fixed fee in the fields beside it. Both are pre-filled from PayPal and stamped with the date the figure was read, and you can change either one.
- Multiply the amount by the rate and add the fixed fee. PayPal fee = payment x percentage rate + fixed fee.
- Take the fee away from the payment to see what reaches your balance.
- To work the other way, switch the widget to the amount you want to receive. To receive a target amount, charge (target + fixed fee) / (1 - rate).
Fee and net across a ladder of amounts
Every row uses the rate in the caption, and the caption says where that rate came from and when it was read. Change the rate in the widget above and the figures move with it; this table stays at the sourced default.
| Amount | Fee | What reaches you |
|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $0.66 | $4.34 |
| $25.00 | $1.36 | $23.64 |
| $100.00 | $3.98 | $96.02 |
| $1,000.00 | $35.39 | $964.61 |
| $5,000.00 | $174.99 | $4,825.01 |
Worked Example: a $5,000 payment
The fee is $174.99. At 3.49% + $0.49 a $5,000 payment costs $174.99 and $4,825.01 reaches the balance; to land $100.00 exactly, charge $104.12.
$5,000.00 → fee $174.99, $4,825.01 reaches you
The fixed part is the same 49 cents it would be on a five-dollar payment, so it barely shows here and dominates a small one. That is why the effective rate on a small payment is so much worse than the headline percentage.
What Changes the Fee?
Who the fee comes out of
On a commercial payment the fee comes out of the amount the receiver is paid, so the receiver carries it unless the price is raised to cover it.
What this page is priced for
This calculator covers commercial goods-and-services payments, the type the sourced rate applies to. Personal payments are priced separately and this page states no figure for them.
Why the rate is a field and not a claim
Published third-party figures for this rate disagree with each other, which is why this page says where its number came from and when, rather than presenting a rate as settled.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does PayPal charge on a payment?
PayPal's US merchant fees page gave 3.49% + $0.49 for domestic commercial transactions when it was read on 2026-09-05; the page carried a last-updated date of 2026-09-01.
Who pays the PayPal fee?
The receiver. It is taken out of the amount paid before the balance is credited, so a payment sent for a round figure arrives as something less than that figure.
Is the fee different for a friends and family payment?
Personal payments are priced separately from commercial ones, and this page states no figure for them. The rate in the field above covers goods-and-services payments only.
Where does the PayPal rate on this page come from?
From PayPal's own merchant fees page, linked beside the field, with the date it was read printed next to it. It is a starting value you can change, not a figure this site claims as current.
The rest of the site is on browse every tool by family.