SellersCalc

Payment fees

PayPal Fee Calculator

What PayPal takes from a payment — and the exact amount to invoice so the fee lands on the payer instead.

PayPal fee = amount × 3.49% + $0.49 for standard US commercial payments. Receive $100 and PayPal keeps $3.98, leaving you $96.02. To receive a target amount, invoice more than the target: required invoice = (target + $0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0349). To net exactly $100 you must invoice $104.12 — not $103.98, because the fee applies to the grossed-up total too. Enter an amount to see the fee both directions: what a payment nets you, and what to invoice for a desired net.

PayPal Fee Calculator — your numbers

You receive

$96.02

PayPal fee

$3.98

Invoice this to net your target

$104.12

Estimate only. Results reflect exactly the numbers you enter — verify against your own accounting before making pricing decisions.

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Worked examples

Receiving a $100 payment

Payment amount $100.00
Fee rate 3.49%
Fixed fee $0.49
Desired net (for invoicing) $100.00
You receive $96.02
PayPal fee $3.98
Invoice this to net your target $104.12

$3.98 in fees; to actually net $100 you must invoice $104.12.

A $250 client invoice

Payment amount $250.00
Fee rate 3.49%
Fixed fee $0.49
Desired net (for invoicing) $250.00
You receive $240.79
PayPal fee $9.22
Invoice this to net your target $259.55

The fee grows with the amount: $9.21 gone, invoice $259.55 to keep $250.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I just add 3.49% to my invoice to cover the fee?

Because PayPal charges the fee on the grossed-up total, not the original amount. Add 3.49% to $100 and invoice $103.49: the fee on that is $4.10, netting you $99.39 — still short. The correct formula divides instead: (target + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − rate). That is what the gross-up output computes for you.

What rate applies to my PayPal payments?

US commercial transactions (invoices, checkout, goods and services) run 3.49% + $0.49. Qualified charity rates, micropayment pricing (4.99% + $0.09, better below roughly $10), QR-code and card-present rates, and international surcharges (an extra ~1.5% cross-border) all differ. Both fee fields are editable — set them to the product you actually use.

Are friends-and-family payments free?

US-to-US personal payments funded by bank balance are free, but they carry no buyer or seller protection and using them for commerce violates PayPal's terms — accounts get limited for it. For any business income, use goods-and-services and treat the 3.49% + $0.49 as a cost of sale that this calculator prices into your invoice.

Do PayPal's fees change, and what about currency conversion?

PayPal revises its fee schedule periodically — the fixed fee moved from $0.30 to $0.49 in 2021 — so verify the current rate table on PayPal's pricing page. Currency conversion adds a separate 3–4% spread on top of transaction fees, which this calculator does not model: for international clients, that spread often costs more than the visible fee.

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Part of the Marketplace & Payment Fees collection.