PayPal fees: calculate what you keep and what to charge
Choose the receiving account's market and the payment product, then enter a payment or a net target. The answer separates the processing fee from money retained. Open Payment details for international payments, a custom agreement or multiple equal charges.
Inputs used by this calculator
PayPal Fee Calculator uses the fields below. The starting values reproduce the page example; replace them with values from the same units and time period before using the result.
| Input | Starting example | Accepted value | How it is used |
|---|---|---|---|
| What do you need? | Net received | Net received · Processing fee · Charge for my target net | Chooses which PayPal Fee Calculator method or unknown the engine evaluates. |
| Amount per payment | 100 | 0 to 1000000000 | Supplies the amount per payment quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| Payment currency | USD | USD · EUR · GBP · 8 more choices | Supplies the payment currency quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| Receiving account and payment type | US account · PayPal Checkout / invoice via PayPal | US account · PayPal Checkout / invoice via PayPal · US account · Send/Receive Goods & Services · US account · Standard cards / invoice via card · 5 more choices | Chooses which PayPal Fee Calculator method or unknown the engine evaluates. |
| Payer market | Domestic · same market as receiving account | Domestic · same market as receiving account · International · US payer, Canadian account · International · another market | Supplies the payer market quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| Base percentage fee (%) | 3.49 | 0 to 99.999999 | Supplies the base percentage fee (%) quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| Fixed fee per payment | 0.49 | 0 to 1000000000 | Supplies the fixed fee per payment quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| Additional percentage fee (%) | 0 | 0 to 99.999999 | Supplies the additional percentage fee (%) quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
| Number of equal payments | 1 | 1 to 10000 | Supplies the number of equal payments quantity used by the published equation or result breakdown. |
Find the correct payment product
A wallet payment, a card payment and an invoice can follow different schedules. The invoice preset here means an invoice paid using PayPal Checkout. Select the card option for an invoice paid by a standard card, or the ACH option for a domestic US invoice paid by bank. Advanced cards describe a separate approved product.
Use the custom option for another receiving market or an account agreement. Enter the rate and fixed charge from your fee page or receipt. Changing the payment currency does not change the receiving account's country.
Calculate the fee and the money you receive
The percentage component applies to the gross payment. The fixed component is then added once for that payment. For the illustrative USD 100 Checkout example, 100 × 0.0349 = 3.49, and 3.49 + 0.49 = 3.98. Subtracting 3.98 leaves 96.02.
An effective percentage includes the fixed charge. That is why a small payment can cost a higher share than a large one under the same schedule. Zero amount represents no processed payment in this model.
Effective fee percentage = total processing fee ÷ gross payment × 100Work backward from a net target
Adding a percentage of your desired net is insufficient because the processing rate applies to the larger gross payment. Solve the inverse equation, then check the rounded fee on the resulting currency amount. The engine searches for the smallest whole cent, or whole unit for JPY and CLP, whose net reaches your target.
Under the example Checkout assumptions, USD 104.12 less the rounded USD 4.12 fee leaves USD 100.00. This is pricing arithmetic; whether and how you can pass a charge to a buyer depends on your agreement and applicable rules.
International payments and conversion are separate
Select an international payer market when the account markets differ. The US presets add 1.50 percentage points. For a Canadian receiving account, a US payer adds 0.80 points and another international payer adds 1.00 point. These are processing additions, not exchange-rate assumptions.
Two people can use the same currency and still make an international payment. Conversely, exchanging currencies does not identify the payer's market. Calculate any later conversion with the rate actually quoted to you in the conversion tool.
Invoices, fixed charges and repeated payments
Set a payment count to model a period of equal invoices or orders. Each charge gets its own rounded percentage and fixed fee. The comparison table keeps total gross revenue equal and shows the arithmetic for one combined payment. It does not establish that separate customer transactions can or should be combined.
The domestic US invoice ACH preset is 1% with a USD 10 cap per transaction. A cap means doubling a large charge need not double its fee. This preset accepts only USD and a domestic route; other ACH products need their own quote.
Reconcile your estimate with a transaction receipt
Check the receipt's gross amount, currency, product, fee and payer market before comparing it with an estimate. A conversion can happen before or after a payment fee; a bank or card withdrawal is another stage. Enter each cost once and retain the original currencies.
The reference schedules have a visible review date. After the review deadline, reference-mode calculation pauses until the sources are reviewed; current custom quotes remain usable. No PayPal login or customer identifiers are requested.
Checked payment examples
| Payment product | Gross payment | Processing fee | Net received |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout | 100.00 | 3.98 | 96.02 |
| Send/Receive Goods & Services | 100.00 | 2.99 | 97.01 |
| Checkout, international payer | 100.00 | 5.48 | 94.52 |
| Checkout, target net 100.00 | 104.12 | 4.12 | 100.00 |
| Invoice ACH, domestic | 2,000.00 | 10.00 | 1,990.00 |
Frequently asked questions
How much does PayPal charge to receive USD 100?
It depends on the receiving market and product. The US Checkout example produces a USD 3.98 processing fee; Send/Receive Goods & Services produces USD 2.99. Choose the correct product before using either result.
How much should I charge to receive USD 100 after fees?
With the illustrated US Checkout schedule, USD 104.12 produces a USD 4.12 rounded fee and USD 100.00 net. Enter your own schedule if your account differs.
Is PayPal invoicing always charged at the same rate?
No. The customer's payment method matters. Choose Checkout, standard cards, Pay Later or the supported domestic invoice ACH preset to match the payment.
Can I use this calculator outside the US and Canada?
Yes, choose custom fees and enter your receiving account's schedule. Unsupported official fixed-fee currencies require a custom quote instead of an invented rate.
Does the estimate include currency conversion?
No. Use the currency-conversion comparison with the final quoted exchange rate. An international percentage addition and an exchange-rate cost are different inputs.
Can I send a sale as Friends and Family to avoid a fee?
Do not reclassify a purchase as a personal transfer. The payment purpose and available protections matter. This tool estimates commercial processing and does not offer that workaround.
Why do several small payments cost more?
When a fixed charge applies to each payment, it repeats for every charge. Rounding or caps can also affect the total. The equal-payment comparison shows those effects.
What to keep in mind
Receiving-account market, payment product and payment currency determine the applicable schedule. Presets are dated references, not a quote or an instruction to add a surcharge. Processing fees exclude currency conversion, withdrawal, disputes, taxes and negotiated terms.
Results use the selected currency: cents for most currencies, whole units for JPY and CLP. Processing fees are rounded per payment. CSV exports include the entered assumptions and the calculation breakdown. This is a calculation summary, not an official certificate.