PayPal Fee Calculator
See PayPal's fee on any sale by payment method, add international and currency-conversion rates, or work backward from the amount you need to receive.
Your numbers
Your result · updates as you type
PayPal fee
$2.24
4.47% of a $50.00 sale. You're paid out $47.77.
- Rate charged
- 3.49% + $0.49
- You keep
- $47.77
- Fee as a share of the sale
- 4.47%
PayPal's fixed-fee component stays the same regardless of currency conversion, so conversion mainly hurts on smaller international orders.
Breakdown
- Sale amount
- $50.00
- PayPal Checkout (PayPal or Venmo button) (3.49% + $0.49)
- −$2.24
- Total PayPal fee
- −$2.24
- You receive
- $47.77
PayPal's US rates
PayPal charges a different rate depending on how the buyer pays. PayPal Checkout (the PayPal or Venmo button) costs the most because PayPal carries the buyer relationship. Card fields (a buyer typing in a card number without logging into PayPal) cost less. Micropayments is an opt-in rate built for carts under about $10.
| Method | Rate |
|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 |
| Debit or credit card fields | 2.99% + $0.49 |
| Micropayments (opt-in) | 4.99% + $0.09 |
Example: the default numbers ($50 through Checkout)
- Sale amount
- $50.00
- PayPal Checkout fee
- 50 × 3.49% + $0.49 = $2.235
The fee rounds to $2.24, so you're paid out $47.77, about 4.47% of the sale.
Turn on International transaction to add 1.50%, and Currency conversion to add PayPal's 4.00% spread over the base exchange rate. Both stack on the method's base rate.
Working backward from what you need to keep
Switch Calculate to Price to net an amount when you know exactly what you want left over, for example covering a supplier invoice or a fixed payout. The calculator grosses up the charge so PayPal's fee comes out of the buyer's payment instead of your margin.
Where sellers get caught out
- Micropayments above $10 cost more, not less, because the higher percentage outweighs the lower fixed fee. Check the bar chart for your amount before switching.
- Refunds don't return PayPal's fixed fee. PayPal keeps the fixed $0.49-style portion even on a full refund, so a lot of small refunds adds up.
- Chargebacks are separate. A dispute carries its own fee on top of the lost sale: see the chargeback cost calculator.
Questions people ask
What percentage does PayPal take?
For US sellers, PayPal Checkout is 3.49% + $0.49 per domestic sale. Card fields (no PayPal login) are 2.99% + $0.49. Both add 1.50% on international payments.
Is PayPal cheaper than Stripe?
Usually not for online card sales: Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9% + $0.30, below either PayPal rate. Compare your real order mix with the PayPal vs Stripe calculator.
What is PayPal's micropayments rate for?
A higher percentage (4.99%) but a much lower fixed fee ($0.09), built for very small carts. It's opt-in and usually only worth it under about $10 to $12.
Does PayPal charge extra for currency conversion?
Yes. On goods and services payments taken in another currency, PayPal adds a spread of up to 4.00% over its base exchange rate, on top of the international transaction fee.
Related tools
Want this builtinto your store?
I'm Emmanuel, a Shopify and WooCommerce developer. If this tool pointed at something you'd rather have fixed for you (a faster store, cleaner product data, a migration, a custom feature), send me a note.
Emmanuel Asika
Shopify & WooCommerce developer, Dublin
I build and fix online stores: new builds, migrations, speed, SEO and the custom bits apps can't do.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026.
Sources: PayPal: Merchant fees