PayPal Fee Calculator (2026)

PayPal charges sellers a fee whenever they receive payment for goods or services. The exact amount depends on how the payment is made, where the buyer is located, and whether currency conversion is involved. Rates range from 2.29% for in-person QR code payments to 4.99% for Pay Later transactions, with most online checkout payments falling at 3.49% + $0.49.

This PayPal fee calculator covers every fee type PayPal currently charges, sourced directly from their official merchant and consumer fee pages. Whether you're selling products online, invoicing clients, or accepting payments at a farmers market, you'll find the exact rates that apply to your situation.

Types Of PayPal Fees

PayPal doesn't charge anything to open an account. You also won't pay fees when sending money to friends and family from your PayPal balance domestically. That's genuinely free.

But most business transactions come with fees, and the structure is more complicated than it used to be. Different payment methods trigger different rates, so it's worth familiarizing yourself with each before choosing a payment gateway for your store.

Sending Money (Personal Transactions)

When you send money through the "Friends and Family" option, fees depend on how you fund the payment:

That international fee catches people off guard. Sending $100 to family overseas costs roughly $5 in fees even from a bank account, thanks to the 5% international charge. PayPal caps it at $4.99, but on smaller amounts, you're paying a significant percentage just to move money across borders.

Receiving Money (Personal Transactions)

Receiving personal payments from friends and family is free when no currency conversion is involved. The sender pays any applicable fees based on their funding method.

Goods and Services Fees (Commercial Transactions)

When you accept payment for products or services, PayPal charges the seller a fee. The buyer pays the listed price, and PayPal takes their cut from your end. Here are the current US domestic rates:

A $100 sale through PayPal Checkout costs you $3.98 in fees (3.49% + $0.49). The same sale using QR codes at a craft fair costs just $2.38. That $1.60 difference adds up quickly at volume. A seller doing 500 transactions monthly at that average would save $9,600 annually just by switching to QR codes where possible.

Invoicing Fees

Invoices sent through PayPal carry similar fees to standard commercial transactions, with one notable exception:

That Pay by Bank option is worth knowing about. A $2,000 invoice paid via standard checkout loses $70.29 to fees. The same invoice paid by bank transfer costs just $10 (the 1% would be $20, but PayPal caps it). Consider asking clients to use this option whenever the invoice exceeds a few hundred dollars. Most are happy to since it doesn't cost them anything extra.

Charity and Nonprofit Rates

Registered nonprofits can apply for reduced rates:

The 1.99% rate requires pre-approval through PayPal's Confirmed Charity program. On $50,000 in annual donations, that 0.9% difference saves $450 that could go toward your actual mission instead of fees.

International Payment Fees

Selling internationally means higher fees. PayPal adds 1.50% on top of the domestic rate for all cross-border commercial transactions.

Here's what a typical international transaction looks like. A customer in the UK buys from your US-based store for $100 using PayPal Checkout:

• Domestic rate: 3.49% + $0.49 = $3.98
• International fee: 1.50% = $1.50
• Total fee: $5.48

You receive $94.52 instead of the $96.02 from a domestic sale. That's nearly 5.5% of your sale price gone to payment processing before accounting for product costs, shipping, or any other expenses.

Currency Conversion Spreads

If your transaction involves converting currencies, PayPal adds another layer of cost:

This spread gets applied to the wholesale exchange rate, so you're not getting the market rate you'd see on Google. The fee is somewhat hidden in the exchange rate rather than appearing as a separate line item.

When you combine the 1.50% international fee with a 4% currency conversion spread, you're looking at 5.5% in additional costs beyond the base transaction fee. For a $100 international sale with currency conversion, total fees could approach $9.48. Factor at least 8-10% in total fees for international orders to keep margins healthy.

PayPal Friends and Family vs. Goods and Services

Friends and Family is free domestically when funded from your balance or bank account, but offers zero protection. No buyer protection, no seller protection. It's meant for splitting dinner bills and sending birthday money.

Goods and Services costs 2.99% to 3.49% plus a fixed fee, but includes full buyer and seller protection against fraud and disputes.

Using Friends and Family for commercial transactions violates PayPal's Terms of Service. PayPal can suspend accounts when they detect this pattern, and sellers have zero recourse if a buyer files a chargeback through their credit card company. The fees exist because they fund the infrastructure that protects both parties in a commercial transaction.

How to Minimize PayPal Fees

You can't avoid merchant fees entirely on commercial transactions, but you can reduce them through smarter choices. Any PayPal fees calculator will show you the same rates, but the payment method you choose determines which rate applies.

• Use QR code payments for in-person sales: At 2.29% + $0.09, these have the lowest commercial rate PayPal offers. If you sell at farmers markets, craft fairs, or retail locations, QR codes save real money compared to standard checkout.
• Encourage bank-funded payments for invoicing: Pay by Bank charges just 1% capped at $10. For any invoice over $1,000, that's significant savings compared to card payments.
• Build fees into your pricing from the start: Factor in 3-4% for domestic payment processing and 8-10% for international when calculating product pricing. It's better to know true margins upfront than to discover them after committing to prices that don't work.
• Compare processors for your specific situation: Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 for most online payments, which beats PayPal's 3.49% + $0.49 checkout rate. Square charges 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person swipes. Running the numbers on a few processors for your average transaction size and payment mix is worth the effort.

These small choices compound over time, especially at volume. Use this PayPal fee calculator to run the numbers before you commit to a pricing strategy.

PayPal Fees for eBay Sellers

eBay and PayPal ended their partnership in 2021. If you're selling on eBay today, you don't pay PayPal fees at all.

eBay now uses its own "Managed Payments" system that processes all payments directly. Buyers can still pay with PayPal if they want, but eBay processes everything on the backend and sends payouts directly to your bank account. There's no separate PayPal fee involved.

Here's the breakdown of eBay seller fees:

The "total sale" includes item price, shipping, handling, and sales tax. Processing is built into the final value fee rather than charged separately.

An example: you sell an item for $100 with $15 shipping ($115 total). eBay's final value fee at 13.6% comes to $15.64, plus the $0.40 per-order fee. Total eBay fees are $16.04, and you receive $98.96.

Some categories have different rates. Musical instruments carry lower fees (around 6.7%), while books can go as high as 15.3%. But regardless of category, none of that money goes to PayPal. Understanding how eBay's fee structure works matters more than worrying about PayPal for that platform.

If you want to accept PayPal payments outside of eBay, like on your own website or through direct invoicing, that's when PayPal's standard commercial rates apply.

PayPal Fee Calculator Examples

These scenarios show how fees stack up in real situations. Run your own numbers through a PayPal fees calculator to see exactly what you'll net.

Scenario 1: Domestic Online Sale

A $50 item sold through your website via PayPal Checkout costs you $2.24 in fees (3.49% works out to $1.75, plus the $0.49 fixed fee). You pocket $47.76. Notice how that fixed fee stings more on lower-priced items. At 4.47% of your sale, you're paying a higher effective rate than someone selling a $500 item.

Scenario 2: International Sale with Currency Conversion

Here's where fees really start to stack. A UK customer pays £80 for your product (approximately $100), paying in pounds while you receive dollars. The base checkout fee runs $3.98, same as domestic. But then PayPal tacks on the 1.50% international fee ($1.50) and the 4% currency conversion spread ($4.00). Your total hit: $9.48 in fees. From a $100 sale, you're left with $90.52.

That's why international pricing needs a different margin calculation entirely.

Scenario 3: In-Person QR Code Sale

Weekend market, $100 item, QR code payment. Total fee: $2.38 (that's 2.29% plus the $0.09 fixed fee). Compare that to the $3.98 you'd lose on the same sale through standard online checkout. The QR code saves you $1.60 on a single transaction, and those savings compound fast if you're doing any real volume.

Common Questions About PayPal Fees

What's the current PayPal Goods and Services fee?

The PayPal goods and services fee runs 3.49% + $0.49 for standard online checkout in the US. If the buyer pays with a credit or debit card directly (not through their PayPal account), it drops slightly to 2.99% + $0.49. The best rate goes to in-person QR code payments at 2.29% + $0.09.

Does PayPal still charge 2.9% + $0.30?

That rate still applies to Friends and Family payments funded by a debit or credit card. For commercial transactions, most online payments now cost 2.99% to 3.49% plus a $0.49 fixed fee.

Are there volume discounts for high-volume sellers?

Not publicly anymore. PayPal used to publish tiered rates that dropped as your monthly volume increased, but those tables are gone from their US fee pages. If you're processing serious volume, you can try contacting PayPal directly to negotiate a custom rate, but don't expect any automatic discounts just because your sales hit a certain threshold.

Can I pass PayPal fees to my customers?

Maybe, depending on where you operate. Some states allow credit card surcharges, others flat-out prohibit them. The rules vary, and they're enforced differently. Before you add a "payment processing fee" line item to your checkout, look up your state's specific regulations. Getting this wrong can create legal headaches that cost far more than the fees you were trying to recover.

Is PayPal cheaper than Stripe or Square?

It depends on how you're selling. For online checkout, Stripe wins at 2.9% + $0.30 versus PayPal's 3.49% + $0.49. For in-person sales, it gets more interesting. Square charges 2.6% + $0.10 and PayPal QR codes cost 2.29% + $0.09. On a $100 sale, PayPal QR edges out Square by a few cents. But on smaller transactions like a $20 sale, Square's lower fixed fee makes it the cheaper option. Run the math on your typical transaction size before committing.

Price With Fees in Mind

Payment processing fees aren't going away. The sellers who maintain healthy margins understand what they're paying and build those costs into their pricing from the start.

Bookmark this PayPal fee calculator and reference it before you price your next product. QR codes cost less than online checkout. Bank-funded payments cost less than card payments. Domestic transactions cost less than international ones. And if you're selling on eBay, PayPal isn't part of the equation at all anymore.

Ready to start selling? SaleHoo's free Online Seller Training Program covers how to build a profitable ecommerce business from the ground up.