This calculator was manually reviewed to confirm current platform fees, plan details, and assumptions as of September 2026.
Platforms may update pricing or terms at any time.
PayPal fees are easy to underestimate because PayPal does not charge one universal rate for every payment. The rate depends on how the customer pays, and even a small difference can add up across a month of sales.
Choose the PayPal payment type, select whether the transaction is domestic or international, and enter the amount your customer pays. The calculator will estimate PayPal’s processing fee and the revenue remaining afterward.
The amount remaining is not profit. Product costs, shipping, advertising, platform fees, refunds, and other business expenses are not included.
Estimate a PayPal transaction fee
Choose how the payment will be processed, then enter the amount your customer pays.
Fee breakdown
What this means
On this domestic PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, or Venmo payment, PayPal’s estimated processing fee is $3.98, or approximately 4.0% of the amount charged. That leaves $96.02 after the processing fee.
That amount is revenue remaining after payment processing, not profit. Product costs, shipping, advertising, platform fees, refunds, and other business expenses still need to be deducted.
Why the PayPal payment type matters
PayPal does not charge the same fee for every way a customer pays. On a $100 domestic payment, the estimated fee is $3.98 through PayPal Checkout, $3.48 for a standard credit or debit card payment, and $3.18 with Advanced card processing.
An 80-cent difference may not change one sale, but it adds up to $80 across 100 similar payments. Knowing which rate applies helps you estimate how much room your price needs to cover processing along with the rest of your business costs.
The lowest published rate is not automatically available for every transaction. Use the payment type that most closely matches what appears in your PayPal account. If you have custom pricing, use your account’s actual rate instead of this estimate.
International transactions add another 1.50 percentage points to the selected rate. Currency conversion can also affect what ultimately reaches your account, but it is not included in this calculator.
Start with the revenue you need and calculate the customer payment required to cover the selected PayPal fee.
PayPal Fee Calculator FAQs
What PayPal fee does this calculator use?
PayPal does not charge one universal rate for every payment. This calculator supports several published US merchant rates.
PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, and Venmo use 3.49% + $0.49. Standard credit or debit card payments use 2.99% + $0.49. Advanced credit or debit card payments use 2.89% + $0.29.
Goods and Services payments use 2.99%, with no fixed fee listed. PayPal Pay Later uses 4.99% + $0.49. Approved micropayment pricing uses 4.99% + $0.09.
Select the option that most closely matches the payment type shown in your PayPal account.
Which PayPal payment type should I select?
Choose PayPal Checkout when the customer pays through PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, or Venmo. Choose a card option only when your PayPal account identifies the transaction as standard or Advanced card processing.
Use Goods and Services for an eligible commercial payment sent through that PayPal payment type. Select Pay Later when the transaction uses a PayPal Pay Later option. Select micropayment pricing only if PayPal has approved your account for that rate.
If the transaction details are unclear or you have custom pricing, check your PayPal account before relying on the estimate.
Why might my actual PayPal fee be different?
Your actual fee can depend on the PayPal product, payment method, account agreement, buyer and seller locations, currency conversion, and any custom pricing attached to your account.
The calculator estimates the processing fee using PayPal’s published US rate for the options you select. It does not reproduce every PayPal product, account arrangement, or transaction adjustment.
How are international PayPal payments calculated?
PayPal adds 1.50 percentage points to the applicable commercial transaction rate when the sender and receiver are registered in different markets. Selecting “International” adds that adjustment to the payment type you chose.
This does not include currency conversion. When PayPal converts currencies, its transaction exchange rate can include an additional conversion spread. The financial effect depends on the currencies and exchange rate involved.
Is the amount remaining after the PayPal fee profit?
No. It is estimated revenue remaining after PayPal’s processing fee.
Product costs, shipping, platform fees, advertising, taxes, refunds, disputes, and other business expenses still need to be deducted before profit can be estimated.
What happens to the PayPal fee when I issue a refund?
PayPal does not currently charge a separate fee to issue a full or partial refund for a commercial transaction. However, the original fee paid to receive the payment is not returned.
This calculator estimates the fee on the original successful payment. It does not include the financial effect of a later refund.
Does this calculator include PayPal dispute or chargeback fees?
No. PayPal currently lists a $15 standard dispute fee and a $30 high-volume dispute fee for USD transactions. It also lists a $20 chargeback fee for certain card transactions not processed through a buyer’s PayPal account or Guest Checkout.
The exact fee and any protection eligibility depend on the transaction and account. These costs are not included in the calculator’s per-payment estimate.
When should I use PayPal micropayment pricing?
PayPal’s US micropayment rate is 4.99% + $0.09, but it is not automatically available to every account. PayPal states that sellers may apply for micropayment pricing for certain lower-value transactions.
The smaller fixed fee can make this rate useful for low-priced payments, even though the percentage is higher. Select it only if PayPal has approved that pricing for your account.
How much should I charge to receive a specific amount after PayPal fees?
Use the PayPal Reverse Fee Calculator when you know how much revenue you need after the processing fee. It works backward from that target and estimates the customer payment required under the selected PayPal rate.
The reverse result still covers PayPal processing only. It does not calculate profit or include the rest of your business costs.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides an estimate using PayPal’s published US merchant rate for the selected payment type, verified on August 22, 2026. Actual fees may vary by account, country, payment method, transaction type, currency conversion, custom pricing, and other PayPal products or services. The result is estimated revenue remaining after payment processing, not a guaranteed payout or profit calculation. Confirm the pricing that applies to your PayPal account before making pricing or accounting decisions.