PayPal fee calculator
Enter a price, or the amount you want to receive, to see what PayPal’s commercial transaction fees leave after domestic and international payments.
Mode
Where you sell from
The region sets the currency and the fee schedule. Nothing is converted.
Options
You keep
$9.16
- PayPal Checkout fee
- 3.49% + $0.49 for a domestic PayPal Checkout transaction.
- $0.84
Buyer pays
$10.00
All fees as % of price
8.4%
Unlockable at $10.00 — a direct link, not a marketplace
Buyer pays $11.00 · you keep $9.00
Fees checked on 19 October 2026. Sources: PayPal US fees.
Fees change. Check the platform’s own pricing page before you rely on this.
How PayPal fees work
PayPal charges a percentage plus a fixed fee on a commercial transaction. In the US, the standard PayPal Checkout rate is 3.49% + $0.49. In the UK, the standard commercial transaction rate is 2.9% + £0.30. The fixed fee is based on the currency received; the calculator shows the USD and GBP fixed fees.
International transactions add a percentage. US commercial transactions add 1.5%; UK transactions from outside the EEA add 1.99%, while EEA senders add 1.29%. The calculator’s single international switch uses the non-EEA rate and says so. Currency conversion is not included. Standard US card payments are 2.99% + $0.49, which is a different product and is not modelled here. Figures are from PayPal’s merchant fee pages, checked in October 2026.
PayPal fees at common prices
Default US PayPal Checkout rate, no international surcharge and no currency conversion. Generated from the same schedule as the calculator.
| Price | Buyer pays | PayPal fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5.00 | $5.00 | $0.66 | $4.34 |
| $10.00 | $10.00 | $0.84 | $9.16 |
| $25.00 | $25.00 | $1.36 | $23.64 |
| $50.00 | $50.00 | $2.24 | $47.76 |
At $10 the fee is $0.84 (3.49% = $0.349, rounded to $0.35, plus $0.49), leaving $9.16. The fixed fee is why a $5 sale loses a larger share than a $50 sale.
What to charge to receive a target
The reverse mode solves price = (target + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percentage). In the US, to receive $100 after the standard PayPal Checkout fee, charge $104.13. The result is rounded up to the cent so the net reaches the target.
Use it when a client or a target income sets the number. It is the same arithmetic as working backwards from a payout, without a spreadsheet.
How to keep more of each sale
Keep the payment domestic where you can. The international surcharge is 1.5% in the US and 1.99% in the UK outside the EEA. A domestic buyer avoids it entirely.
Know which rate your checkout uses. PayPal has different rates for PayPal Checkout, standard card payments, QR codes and other commercial transactions. This calculator models PayPal Checkout, the usual route for a digital sale. If your account uses a different product, check the merchant fee page before relying on the number.
Do not let small prices hide the fixed fee. On a $5 sale, $0.49 is almost 10% before the percentage fee. A $5 product and a $25 product do not have the same margin.
Remember what PayPal does not do. It processes the payment; it does not host the product page, deliver the file or bring the buyer. Those are separate costs, and a lower percentage is not a lower total cost if you still have to build the rest.
PayPal vs selling with one link
PayPal is the right choice when your buyers already use it or when you need a payment button on a site you already have. It is familiar, widely accepted and does not require you to change your checkout. You keep the customer relationship.
Unlockable is the shorter route when the product is one file and the buyer already knows you. It includes delivery, capped and expiring links and card processing, and the buyer pays the 10% privacy and security fee on top. It is not a PayPal replacement for subscriptions or invoicing; it is a narrower product for one paid link. See Unlockable’s pricing and the platform comparison.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does PayPal charge per transaction?
- For a standard US PayPal Checkout transaction, 3.49% + $0.49. For a UK commercial transaction, 2.9% + £0.30. International transactions add 1.5% in the US and 1.99% in the UK outside the EEA. Other payment types and optional services have different rates.
- Does PayPal charge more for international payments?
- Yes. US international commercial transactions add 1.5%, making 4.99% + $0.49. UK transactions from outside the EEA add 1.99%, making 4.89% + £0.30. UK senders in the EEA add 1.29%; that rate is not separately selectable here.
- Does PayPal charge for currency conversion?
- Yes, when PayPal converts between currencies. The rate depends on the currency pair and the conversion option, so it is not included in this calculator. If you price and get paid in the same currency, there is nothing to convert.
- What does “I want to receive” do?
- It reverses the fee calculation. Enter the amount that should land in your account, and the tool solves for the price to charge, rounded up to the cent. To receive $100 in the US, it calculates a charge of $104.13 at the standard PayPal Checkout rate.
- Is PayPal cheaper than Stripe?
- It depends on the region, the payment type and the buyer’s funding source. In the US, PayPal Checkout is 3.49% + $0.49 and Stripe’s standard card rate is 2.9% + $0.30, so Stripe is lower on that comparison. PayPal can still be worth it if your buyers prefer PayPal or do not have a card.