PayPal Fee Calculator

PayPal's fee schedule is a patchwork of transaction types, each with its own percentage and fixed fee. The standard US domestic Goods and Services rate is 2.99% + $0.49, but invoicing bumps the percentage to 3.49%, cross-border transactions add another 1.5%, micropayments under $10 switch to 4.99% + $0.09, and QR code payments drop to 2.29% + $0.09. Our PayPal fee calculator handles all of these in one place. Enter the amount and pick the transaction type — we compute the fee, the net amount you receive, the effective fee percentage, and (critically for freelancers and merchants) the gross-up amount, which is the total you must charge so that after PayPal's cut you receive exactly the target net. This is essential for invoicing clients a clean number and not eating the fee yourself.

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PayPal Fee Calculator calculator

payments Transaction Details

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Leave 0 to use the amount above as the target

Advanced overrides
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analytics Fee Breakdown

PayPal Fee
$3.48
Effective: 3.48%
You Receive (Net) $96.52
Applied %
2.99%
Fixed Fee
$0.49
Gross-Up (Reverse)
Charge this to net target $103.60
Fee PayPal takes $3.60
Rate Applied
Standard Goods and Services fee — 2.99% + $0.49

tips_and_updates Tips

  • • Always add the PayPal fee to your invoice using gross-up — dividing (net + 0.49) by (1 − 0.0299) — or you'll eat 3-5% of every transaction
  • • For transactions under $10, enable Micropayments (4.99% + $0.09) — the lower fixed fee makes small payments cheaper despite the higher percentage
  • • International (cross-border) transactions add a 1.5% surcharge on top of the base rate, so a US seller receiving from Europe pays roughly 4.49% + $0.49
  • • Invoicing carries a 3.49% + $0.49 rate — higher than standard Goods and Services because invoices get extra reminders and dispute protection
  • • QR code in-person payments are the cheapest at 2.29% + $0.09 — worth using for face-to-face transactions
  • • Friends and Family transfers from a US bank account are free, but credit-card-funded F&F still costs 2.9% + $0.30 — always verify the funding source
  • • Never ask a client to send Goods and Services payment as Friends and Family to avoid fees — it voids PayPal's purchase protection and violates the User Agreement
  • • Charity rates (1.99% + $0.49) apply only to verified 501(c)(3) nonprofits that enroll with PayPal Giving Fund

How to Use the PayPal Fee Calculator

1

Enter the transaction amount

Input the gross amount of the PayPal payment you are sending or receiving.

2

Pick the transaction type

Choose Goods and Services, Invoicing, International, Micropayments, QR Code, or Friends and Family.

3

Review fee and net

See the PayPal fee, net amount received, and effective fee percentage instantly.

4

Use gross-up for invoicing

Enter a target net amount to compute the gross you should charge so you receive exactly that net after fees.

5

Optional overrides

Use percentage and fixed fee overrides for charity rates, negotiated pricing, or future rate changes.

The Formula

Forward: multiply the amount by the percentage and add the fixed fee. Reverse (gross-up): to net a target amount after PayPal fees, divide (target + fixed fee) by (1 − percentage). Example: to net exactly $100 on Goods and Services, charge $103.60 — PayPal takes 2.99% + $0.49 = $3.60 and you receive $100.00. International transactions add a 1.5% cross-border surcharge on top of the base percentage.

Fee = Amount × Percentage + Fixed Fee | Net = Amount − Fee | Gross-up = (Target Net + Fixed Fee) / (1 − Percentage)

lightbulb Variables Explained

  • Amount Gross transaction amount (what the payer sends)
  • Percentage PayPal's percentage fee (2.29% – 4.99% depending on type)
  • Fixed Fee Flat per-transaction fee ($0.09, $0.30, or $0.49)
  • Fee Total PayPal fee deducted from the payment
  • Net Amount you actually receive after fees
  • Effective % Fee / Amount × 100 — true all-in rate including the fixed fee
  • Gross-up Amount to charge so net equals your target (reverse calculation)

tips_and_updates Pro Tips

1

Always add the PayPal fee to your invoice using gross-up — dividing (net + 0.49) by (1 − 0.0299) — or you'll eat 3-5% of every transaction

2

For transactions under $10, enable Micropayments (4.99% + $0.09) — the lower fixed fee makes small payments cheaper despite the higher percentage

3

International (cross-border) transactions add a 1.5% surcharge on top of the base rate, so a US seller receiving from Europe pays roughly 4.49% + $0.49

4

Invoicing carries a 3.49% + $0.49 rate — higher than standard Goods and Services because invoices get extra reminders and dispute protection

5

QR code in-person payments are the cheapest at 2.29% + $0.09 — worth using for face-to-face transactions

6

Friends and Family transfers from a US bank account are free, but credit-card-funded F&F still costs 2.9% + $0.30 — always verify the funding source

7

Never ask a client to send Goods and Services payment as Friends and Family to avoid fees — it voids PayPal's purchase protection and violates the User Agreement

8

Charity rates (1.99% + $0.49) apply only to verified 501(c)(3) nonprofits that enroll with PayPal Giving Fund

PayPal processes over $400 billion in payment volume quarterly, making it one of the most widely used payment platforms for freelancers, e-commerce sellers, and small businesses. However, its fee structure is anything but simple. The standard domestic Goods and Services rate of 2.99% plus $0.49 per transaction applies to most online payments, but fees shift significantly depending on transaction type. Invoice payments carry a higher 3.49% plus $0.49 fee. Cross-border transactions add a 1.5% international surcharge on top of the base rate. Micropayments under $10 use a separate fee schedule of 4.99% plus $0.09 — lower fixed fee but higher percentage. QR code in-person payments come in at 2.29% plus $0.09, the most competitive rate PayPal offers. Friends and Family transfers within the same country are free when funded by bank account or PayPal balance, but funded by credit card they carry a 2.99% fee. For merchants and freelancers, the most important calculation is the gross-up: if you need to receive exactly $1,000 after fees, you must charge $1,033.90 for a standard transaction (not simply $1,000 plus fees on $1,000). Getting this math wrong means eating into your margin on every invoice.

Understanding PayPal's 2026 fee schedule

PayPal's US domestic Goods and Services rate sits at 2.99% + $0.49 in 2026, up from the long-running 2.9% + $0.30 legacy rate. Invoicing is priced higher at 3.49% + $0.49 because PayPal provides additional services — automated reminders, payment tracking, and dispute mediation. Micropayments (opt-in) flip the formula to 4.99% + $0.09, which makes any payment below roughly $12 cheaper because the fixed fee drops by 40 cents. In-person QR Code payments are the cheapest channel at 2.29% + $0.09, reflecting PayPal's push into point-of-sale. Cross-border transactions carry a flat 1.5% surcharge on top of the base rate, and currency conversion adds a further 3-4% spread when the payment arrives in a different currency than your account.

The gross-up math every freelancer should know

If a client owes you $500 and you send them a PayPal invoice for $500, PayPal takes 3.49% + $0.49 = $17.94 and you receive $482.06. To receive the full $500, you must gross up the invoice: Gross = (500 + 0.49) / (1 − 0.0349) = $518.59. Always bake the fee into the price you quote — never absorb it silently. Our PayPal fee calculator does the reverse math automatically so you can generate a correct invoice in one step.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Data sourced from trusted institutions

All formulas verified against official standards.

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