PayPal Fee Calculator 💸 — 2026 Rates
Calculate exact PayPal fees for domestic, international, invoice, micropayment, and charity transactions. See what you receive — and what to charge to net your target amount.
📋 PayPal Fee Reference Table — 2026 US Rates
Click any row to load those rates into the calculator.
| Transaction Type | Rate | Fixed Fee | Fee on $100 | You Receive |
|---|
Verified July 2026. Always confirm rates on PayPal's official merchant fees page before billing clients, as rates are subject to change.
Free PayPal Fee Calculator 2026 — Calculate Transaction Fees Instantly
Our free PayPal fee calculator helps freelancers, sellers, and businesses calculate the exact amount PayPal deducts from every transaction — and how much to charge clients to receive your target amount after fees. In 2026, PayPal charges 2.99% + $0.49 to receive domestic goods and services payments, and 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout and invoice payments. This calculator covers all major PayPal transaction types — domestic, international, invoice, micropayments, charity, and custom rates — with a built-in reverse calculator to help you invoice correctly from day one.
What Are PayPal Fees in 2026?
PayPal's standard US fee is 2.99% + $0.49 to receive a goods-and-services payment, rising to 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout and invoices. International cross-border transactions add 1.5% on top of the domestic rate, plus a currency-conversion spread of roughly 3–4% when funds are converted. Personal payments between friends and family funded by PayPal balance or bank transfer remain free. The person receiving a commercial payment pays the fee — not the sender.
How to Calculate PayPal Fees — The Formula
PayPal fee formula: Fee = (Amount × Rate%) + Fixed Fee. For a $200 domestic goods & services payment: Fee = ($200 × 2.99%) + $0.49 = $5.98 + $0.49 = $6.47. You receive $200 − $6.47 = $193.53. To receive exactly $200, use the reverse formula: Amount to invoice = ($200 + $0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0299) = $200.49 ÷ 0.9701 = $206.67. This calculator does all of this automatically — just enter the amount and select your transaction type.
PayPal Fees for Freelancers — Invoice and Goods & Services
Freelancers using PayPal invoices are charged 3.49% + $0.49 for standard domestic transactions through PayPal Checkout and invoices. This is higher than the standard goods and services rate because PayPal's invoicing feature includes additional payment processing infrastructure. If you invoice $1,000 through PayPal, the fee is $34.90 + $0.49 = $35.39, leaving you with $964.61. To net exactly $1,000, you need to invoice $1,036.62. The reverse calculator above tells you this amount instantly for any target.
PayPal International Fees — Cross-Border Payments
International payments add significant fees on top of the domestic rate. International payments add 1.5% for cross-border commercial transactions, plus a currency-conversion spread of roughly 3–4% when funds are converted. For a freelancer receiving $500 from an international client on the standard invoice rate: Fee = ($500 × 4.99%) + $0.49 = $24.95 + $0.49 = $25.44. With currency conversion, the total cost can reach 8% or more of the transaction amount. Always specify invoice currency as USD when billing international clients to avoid the worst of the currency conversion fees.
PayPal Micropayments Fee — For Small Transactions
PayPal offers a micropayments plan at 4.99% + $0.09 domestically for businesses processing many small transactions under $10. The fixed $0.49 alone takes 7.9% of a $10 sale, and a $5 sale loses 12.8% on the standard rate. The micropayments rate reduces this significantly — a $5 transaction under the micropayments plan costs $0.34 (6.8%) instead of $0.64 (12.8%). You must apply for the micropayments pricing separately through your PayPal business account.
How Much to Charge on PayPal to Receive Your Target Amount
The most common question from freelancers and sellers is: "How much should I add to my invoice to cover PayPal fees?" The answer requires working backwards from the net amount. To actually receive $100 on a domestic goods-and-services payment, you'd ask for about $103.59, since the fee comes out before the money reaches you. For a $500 invoice target at the 2.99% + $0.49 rate: Invoice amount = ($500 + $0.49) ÷ 0.9701 = $515.91. Use the "To receive exactly" card in this calculator for any amount and transaction type.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PayPal fee for receiving money in 2026?
2.99% + $0.49 for domestic goods and services. 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Invoice and Checkout. International payments add 1.5%. Personal friends & family payments are free. The receiver pays the fee on commercial transactions.
How do I calculate PayPal fees?
Fee = (Amount × Rate%) + Fixed Fee. For $100 at 2.99% + $0.49: Fee = $2.99 + $0.49 = $3.48. You receive $96.52. This calculator does this math automatically for all transaction types.
How much does PayPal charge for international payments?
Domestic rate + 1.5% cross-border fee, plus 3–4% currency conversion if funds are converted. A $200 international invoice at the invoice rate (3.49%) becomes 4.99% + $0.49, costing $10.47 in fees.
How much should I charge to receive a specific amount after PayPal fees?
Formula: (Target + Fixed Fee) ÷ (1 − Rate%). To receive $500 at 2.99% + $0.49: ($500.49) ÷ 0.9701 = $515.91. Use the "To receive exactly" card in this calculator.
What are PayPal micropayment fees?
4.99% + $0.09 for domestic transactions under ~$10. Cheaper than the standard rate for very small payments. Must apply through your PayPal business account to access this rate.
What is the PayPal instant transfer fee?
1.5% of the transfer amount (min $0.25, max $25) for instant withdrawal to bank or debit card. Standard bank transfers take 1–3 days and are free. This calculator shows your instant transfer cost in the results panel.
About This Tool
This PayPal Fee Calculator was built by the FreeImageTools team — freelancers and e-commerce sellers who use PayPal daily and needed a fast, up-to-date fee reference. The original tool used an outdated 2.9% + $0.30 rate and had no transaction type selection. We updated it with 2026 verified PayPal rates (2.99% + $0.49 domestic, 3.49% + $0.49 invoice, micropayments, charity, international), added 6 transaction type presets, a reverse calculator (how much to invoice to net a target), an instant transfer fee estimate, a 2026 fee reference table with clickable rows, and a copy results button. All calculations run in your browser. Rates verified July 2026 from PayPal's published merchant fee schedule.