Skip to content
Calcapedia
Menu
Money

PayPal Fee Calculator

See the PayPal fee on a US payment, what you'll keep, and how much to request so you receive a set amount.

Level: Grades 7–8

Printable worksheet

PayPal Fee Calculator

Inputs
What do you want to find?

US rates for payments in US dollars, checked on October 31, 2026.

Result

PayPal fee

$3.98

On a $100.00 payment, the fee is $3.98 and you receive $96.02.

You receive
$96.02
Fee as a share of the payment
3.98%

See the step-by-step solution ↓

US rates checked October 31, 2026
US rates checked October 31, 2026
Payment typeRate
PayPal Checkout or Venmo3.49% + $0.49
Standard credit or debit card2.99% + $0.49
Goods and services payment2.99%
Pay Later options4.99% + $0.49

Step-by-step solution

  1. PayPal takes a percentage of the whole payment

    $100.00×3.49%=$3.49

  2. The fee is that percentage plus any fixed fee, rounded to the nearest cent

    $3.49+$0.49=$3.98

  3. Take the fee off the payment to see what reaches you

    $100.00−$3.98=$96.02

Test yourself

20 quick questions built from this calculator's formula: work out results, predict what happens when an input changes, and work backward from an answer. Every answer comes with the working.

Please note: Results are estimates for planning and comparison. Lenders, banks, and tax authorities may round differently or include fees not modeled here, so confirm figures with your provider before deciding.

What this calculator does

Find out how much PayPal will take from a payment, and how much you'll actually keep. You can also work backward. Tell the calculator what you want to end up with, and it shows what to request.

The rates here are PayPal's published US rates for payments within the country, checked on October 31, 2026. PayPal's page was marked as last updated on October 1, 2026. Fees can change, so you can also enter your own rate.

Where it's used

Why this math matters outside the classroom:

  • Freelance invoices. A freelancer who wants to net $100 after a 3.49% plus $0.49 fee sends an invoice for $104.12.
  • Craft sales. A seller compares a $3.98 fee on a $100 Checkout sale with a $3.48 fee on the same sale by card.
  • Pricing small items. A shop owner sees that a $5 sale loses $0.66, over 13%, and sets a higher minimum order.
  • Bookkeeping. A small business owner records a $100 sale as $96.02 received plus a $3.98 fee expense.

How to use it

  1. Choose whether you want the fee on an amount, or the amount to request.
  2. Pick the way your customer pays, or enter your own rate.
  3. Enter the payment amount or the amount you want to receive.
  4. Read the fee and the amount you keep.

What the inputs mean

Payment type
The fee depends on how the buyer pays. A standard card payment costs less than PayPal Checkout. Your account statement shows which rate applied.
Amount you want to receive
This is the money you want left after the fee.

Formula and method

fee = amount × rate + fixed fee
you receive = amount − fee
amount to request = (target + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − rate)

The rate is a percentage of the whole payment. The fixed fee is a flat amount added to each payment. For US dollars, PayPal lists it as 49 cents on most commercial payments.

The third formula is the part most people miss. If you want $100 and add $3.98 to your invoice, you'll fall a little short. PayPal charges its percentage on the larger total, including the part you added. Dividing by the share you keep solves that.

Worked example

A customer pays you $100 through PayPal Checkout, at 3.49% plus $0.49.

  1. The percentage part is $100 × 3.49% = $3.49.
  2. Add the fixed fee: $3.49 + $0.49 = $3.98.
  3. Take it off the payment: $100 − $3.98 = $96.02.

Result: The fee is $3.98 and you receive $96.02. To receive a full $100, you'd request $104.12, and the fee would be $4.12.

Understanding the result

Small payments lose a bigger share to the fee, because the fixed part doesn't shrink. On a $5 payment at 3.49% plus $0.49, the fee is $0.66, or more than 13%.

If you plan to pass the fee to your buyer, check your terms first. A tax professional can tell you how to record fees in your books.

Assumptions and limitations

  • Payments are in US dollars between two US accounts, at standard rates.
  • The fee is rounded to the nearest cent. PayPal's own rounding could differ by a cent.
  • The goods and services option shows 2.99% with no fixed fee, because that's how PayPal's table listed it when we checked.
  • International payments and currency conversion cost more and aren't included.
  • Nonprofit, micropayment, in-person and negotiated rates aren't included. Use your own rate for those.
  • This is an estimate. Your PayPal transaction details show the amount actually charged.

Frequently asked questions

Does PayPal charge to receive money from friends?

Personal payments work differently from the business rates here. PayPal's consumer fee page lists them.

Why isn't the amount to request just the target plus the fee?

Because the fee is also charged on the extra you add. So the amount needs to be a little higher than a simple sum.

Do refunds return the fee?

This calculator doesn't cover refunds. PayPal's fee page explains how fees on refunded payments work.

How current are these rates?

We read them from PayPal's merchant fees page on October 31, 2026. If your rate differs, choose "Enter my own rate".

Sources

How this calculator is checked

Method: PayPal US merchant fees page, read 2026-10-31, marked last updated October 1, 2026. Rates are in src/calculators/paypal-fee/logic.ts. The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-31. Found a problem? Tell us.

Embed this calculator

Put this PayPal Fee Calculator on your own website or blog for free. Paste this code where you want it to appear: