{
  "id": "paypal-fee",
  "version": "dd9ef51d6b68",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "PayPal Fee Calculator",
  "question": "What is my PayPal fee?",
  "summary": "Computes the PayPal fee on a payment received in the US, what you keep, or how much to ask for to keep a set amount, from PayPal’s published US rates.",
  "category": "finance",
  "subcategory": "business",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/finance/paypal-fee-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/finance/paypal-fee-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "method": "fee = payment × percent ÷ 100 + fixed fee; you keep = payment − fee; to keep K, ask for (K + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percent ÷ 100).",
  "assumptions": [
    "Rates are PayPal’s US fees for receiving a commercial payment in US dollars, as published on September 1, 2026 (retrieved September 27, 2026). PayPal can change them.",
    "An international payment adds 1.50% to the percent fee. Currency conversion fees are not included.",
    "Fees are not rounded here; PayPal charges whole cents, so a real fee can differ by a cent.",
    "Personal payments to friends and family, chargebacks and dispute fees are not included."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "amount": {
        "title": "Amount",
        "description": "The payment amount in US dollars: what the buyer pays, or what you want to keep.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "exclusiveMinimum": 0,
        "maximum": 100000000
      },
      "mode": {
        "title": "The amount is",
        "description": "Paid: the buyer pays this amount. Keep: you want this much after fees.",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "paid",
          "keep"
        ]
      },
      "type": {
        "title": "Payment type",
        "description": "How the buyer pays, which sets the rate.",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "checkout",
          "goods",
          "card",
          "qr",
          "paylater",
          "micro"
        ]
      },
      "intl": {
        "title": "The buyer is in another country",
        "description": "International payments add 1.5% to the percent fee.",
        "type": "boolean"
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "ask": {
      "label": "Ask for",
      "description": "The payment that leaves you the amount you want to keep after the fee.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "fee": {
      "label": "PayPal fee",
      "description": "Percent of the payment plus the fixed fee.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "net": {
      "label": "You keep",
      "description": "The payment minus the PayPal fee.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "paid": {
      "label": "Buyer pays",
      "description": "The payment the buyer makes.",
      "format": "money"
    },
    "effective": {
      "label": "Fee as a percent of the payment",
      "description": "The fee divided by the payment × 100.",
      "format": "percent"
    },
    "rate": {
      "label": "Rate used",
      "description": "The percent and fixed fee used.",
      "format": "text"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "amount": 100,
      "mode": "paid",
      "type": "checkout",
      "intl": false
    },
    "outputs": {
      "fee": 3.9800000000000004,
      "net": 96.02,
      "paid": 100,
      "effective": 3.9800000000000004,
      "rate": "3.49% + $0.49"
    },
    "text": "On a payment of $100.00 (3.49% + $0.49), PayPal takes $3.98 and you keep $96.02."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "amount": 240,
        "mode": "paid",
        "type": "card",
        "intl": false
      },
      "expect": {
        "fee": 7.666,
        "net": 232.334,
        "effective": 3.194166666666667
      },
      "source": "PayPal US merchant fees (2.99% + $0.49); hand calculation in content.mdx: 240 × 0.0299 + 0.49 = 7.666"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "amount": 100,
        "mode": "paid",
        "type": "checkout",
        "intl": false
      },
      "expect": {
        "fee": 3.98,
        "net": 96.02
      },
      "source": "PayPal US merchant fees (PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49): 100 × 0.0349 + 0.49 = 3.98"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "amount": 100,
        "mode": "paid",
        "type": "checkout",
        "intl": true
      },
      "expect": {
        "fee": 5.48,
        "net": 94.52
      },
      "source": "PayPal US merchant fees (3.49% + 1.50% international + $0.49): 100 × 0.0499 + 0.49 = 5.48"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "amount": 500,
        "mode": "keep",
        "type": "checkout",
        "intl": false
      },
      "expect": {
        "ask": 518.5887472800746,
        "fee": 18.588747280074585
      },
      "source": "hand calculation in content.mdx: (500 + 0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0349) = 518.59"
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "amount": 40,
        "mode": "paid",
        "type": "goods",
        "intl": false
      },
      "expect": {
        "fee": 1.196,
        "net": 38.804
      },
      "source": "PayPal US merchant fees (goods and services 2.99%, no fixed fee): 40 × 0.0299 = 1.196"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "PayPal, Merchant Fees (United States), last updated September 1, 2026: commercial transaction rates, the 1.50% international fee, the $0.49 US dollar fixed fee, and the $0.09 fixed fee for QR code and micropayments. https://www.paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees",
    "PayPal, Consumer Fees (United States), last updated May 19, 2026: domestic personal payments from a balance or bank account have no fee; card-funded personal payments do. https://www.paypal.com/us/digital-wallet/paypal-consumer-fees"
  ],
  "related": [
    "margin",
    "markup",
    "percentage"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}