Paypal Business Fee Calculator
PayPal’s business fees depend on how the buyer pays: checkout and invoicing, standard card payments, direct goods-and-services transfers, and in-person QR codes all carry different published rates, and cross-border payments add 1.50% on top. This calculator prices all eight methods side by side for your amount, flags the cheapest, and shows what you save versus the most expensive route. Switch to reverse mode to answer the freelancer’s question: how much do I need to charge to actually receive a target amount after fees?
Cheapest method
| Method | Rate | Fee | You receive |
|---|
Quick Answer
On a $500 domestic payment, PayPal's eight business rates produce fees from $11.54 (in-person QR code at 2.29% + $0.09) to $25.44 (PayPal Pay Later at 4.99% + $0.49), with standard card at $15.44 and direct goods-and-services at $14.95. The QR route keeps $488.46 of the $500, saving $13.90 versus Pay Later. The calculator above is pre-filled with this exact run.
Key takeaways
- Eight US business rates, not one: 3.49% + $0.49 (checkout/invoicing), 2.99% + $0.49 (standard card), 2.99% flat (direct goods and services), 2.29% + $0.09 (in-person QR), 4.99% + $0.49 (PayPal Pay Later), 4.99% + $0.09 (micropayments, opt-in), 2.89% + $0.29 (Advanced card), 3.39% + $0.29 (Virtual Terminal).
- Cross-border adds 1.50 percentage points to whichever rate applies.
- Reverse mode answers the real question: what to charge so you receive exactly your target after fees.
- Currency conversion adds a 3 to 4% spread on top, which this tool does not model: convert first, then price the fee.
How to use the PayPal business fee calculator
Three inputs, two modes. Results stay hidden until you click Calculate.
- Transaction amount: enter the payment in US dollars. In forward mode this is what the buyer pays and the tool shows what you keep; in reverse mode it is the exact amount you want to receive, and the tool shows what to charge per method.
- Cross-border: choose Yes when the sender and receiver are in different countries. The tool adds 1.50 percentage points to each method's rate before doing the math, exactly as PayPal's schedule describes it.
- Mode: stay in "Fee on this amount" to price a known payment, or switch to "Charge to receive this amount" when you are writing an invoice and need the gross figure that leaves you with your target after fees.
- Read the table: every method gets its own row with its rate, the fee in dollars, and what you receive (forward) or what to charge (reverse). The cheapest method is starred, and the summary line above the table names it with the dollar figure.
Card payments have their own fee landscape outside PayPal: the credit card processing fees calculator prices a merchant account the same way this page prices PayPal, and the 3.5% credit card fee calculator handles a flat-rate card scenario quickly. Sellers on eBay face a different fee world since eBay parted ways with PayPal; the eBay PayPal fees calculator covers that older structure for reference.
The fee by payment method
These are PayPal's published US business rates, verified against PayPal's own merchant fee schedule. The tool uses them exactly as printed.
| Method | Domestic rate | International rate |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout / invoicing (PayPal Checkout, guest checkout, Pay with Venmo) | 3.49% + $0.49 | 4.99% + $0.49 |
| Standard card via PayPal (credit and debit card payments) | 2.99% + $0.49 | 4.49% + $0.49 |
| Direct goods and services (send or receive money for goods and services) | 2.99%, no fixed fee | 4.49%, no fixed fee |
| QR code (in person) | 2.29% + $0.09 | 3.79% + $0.09 |
| PayPal Pay Later (Pay Later financing) | 4.99% + $0.49 | 6.49% + $0.49 |
| Micropayments (opt-in) (enrolled small-transaction accounts) | 4.99% + $0.09 | 6.49% + $0.09 |
| Advanced card (Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments) | 2.89% + $0.29 | 4.39% + $0.29 |
| Virtual Terminal (phone and mail orders) | 3.39% + $0.29 | 4.89% + $0.29 |
The direct goods-and-services row surprises people, so it is worth stating plainly: PayPal's published schedule lists "Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services" at 2.99% with no fixed fee shown, which is why the tool charges $0.00 fixed on that row. Several rival calculators fold a $0.49 fixed fee into that row; PayPal's own table does not. That single difference is what makes goods-and-services the cheapest route on larger domestic amounts, since the fixed fee stops mattering as the percentage takes over.
How the math works
Every row is the same two-part formula, and the reverse solver is that formula run backwards with a verification step.
You receive = Amount − Fee
Reverse: charge = (Target amount + Fixed fee) ÷ (1 − Rate)
The cross-border addition is applied to the percentage first, before any of this runs, so an international standard card payment is priced at 4.49% + $0.49 from the start. In reverse mode the tool does not just trust the algebra: it takes the computed charge, runs the forward fee on it, and displays that verified fee and the charge to issue in the row. The received amount therefore always reconciles to your target, to the cent. A marketplace seller working the same kind of per-unit math will find the Amazon sale calculator useful for the marketplace side of the ledger.
Worked example: $500, forward and reverse
The pre-filled run is forward mode, $500, domestic. Here is the full table the calculator returns, plus the reverse and international variants.
| Method | Rate | Fee | You receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkout / invoicing | 3.49% + $0.49 | $17.94 | $482.06 |
| Standard card via PayPal | 2.99% + $0.49 | $15.44 | $484.56 |
| Direct goods and services | 2.99% + $0.00 | $14.95 | $485.05 |
| QR code (in person) | 2.29% + $0.09 | $11.54 | $488.46 |
| PayPal Pay Later | 4.99% + $0.49 | $25.44 | $474.56 |
| Micropayments (opt-in) | 4.99% + $0.09 | $25.04 | $474.96 |
| Advanced card | 2.89% + $0.29 | $14.74 | $485.26 |
| Virtual Terminal | 3.39% + $0.29 | $17.24 | $482.76 |
Cheapest is QR code at $11.54, saving $13.90 versus PayPal Pay Later ($25.44). Flip to reverse mode with the same $500 and the tool answers per method: charge $518.59 via checkout, $515.92 via standard card (check: ($500 + $0.49) / (1 - 0.0299) = $515.92, then $515.92 in fees leaves exactly $500.00), $515.41 via direct goods and services, or $511.81 via QR code, which is the cheapest route and saves your customer $6.78 on the invoice. Go international on the same $500 and every percentage rises 1.50 points: checkout becomes $25.44, standard card $22.94, goods and services $22.45, QR code $19.04, still the cheapest by $13.90. Enter these inputs and the calculator reproduces every figure.
What competing fee calculators get wrong
Most rivals answer a simpler question than the one sellers actually ask, and several price the wrong rates.
- The old 2.9% + $0.30 table: many calculators still quote PayPal's pre-2021 US schedule. PayPal replaced it years ago; the current commercial rates are 3.49% + $0.49 for checkout-style payments and 2.29% + $0.09 for QR. Any tool showing $0.30 is stale.
- One blended rate for everything: several tools price a single "PayPal fee" per amount. The spread between QR ($11.54) and checkout ($17.94) on $500 is $6.40 a transaction; a blended tool hides that choice entirely.
- The goods-and-services fixed fee: rivals commonly write this row as 2.99% + $0.49. PayPal's published schedule lists Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services at 2.99% with no fixed fee. This page follows the published table, which is also why this row wins on larger amounts.
- Forward-only tools: almost every competitor answers "what is the fee on $X" and never the question sellers actually ask before invoicing: "what do I charge to keep $X?" The reverse mode here solves that per method and verifies each answer by running the forward fee on the computed charge.
- Hidden cross-border math: tools that fold the 1.50% into one number never show where the money went. This page adds the points to the percentage openly, per method, before the math runs.
The details this tool is honest about
Rates shown are US business rates as understood at the time of writing and may change; this tool is for estimation only and is not affiliated with PayPal, Inc. Two things it deliberately does not do. First, it does not model currency conversion: when a payment crosses currencies, PayPal adds a 3 to 4% spread on the exchange rate on top of the transaction fee, so convert the amount first and then price the fee on the converted figure. Second, micropayments pricing (4.99% + $0.09) is opt-in pricing for enrolled small-transaction accounts, and the tool now prices it as its own row. It beats the standard card and checkout rates on small amounts (against the standard card rate the crossover is $20 by the tool's own maths), but the no-fixed-fee and QR rows can still beat it, so check your own amount in the tool rather than assuming micropayments is cheapest. Third, PayPal does not refund the original transaction fee when you issue a refund, so price returns into your margins rather than expecting the fee back. High-volume merchants can sometimes negotiate custom rates below the published schedule through PayPal's sales team; treat these published rates as the ceiling, not necessarily your price.
Frequently asked questions
Eight published rates: checkout and invoicing at 3.49% + $0.49, standard card payments at 2.99% + $0.49, direct goods-and-services transfers at 2.99% with no fixed fee, in-person QR code payments at 2.29% + $0.09, PayPal Pay Later at 4.99% + $0.49, micropayments (opt-in) at 4.99% + $0.09, Advanced card at 2.89% + $0.29, and Virtual Terminal at 3.39% + $0.29. International payments add 1.50 percentage points to whichever rate applies. These match PayPal's own merchant fee schedule; always confirm on PayPal's site before quoting a client, since fee schedules change.
Because PayPal's published fee schedule lists "Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services" at 2.99% with no fixed fee shown, unlike the other methods. Several rival calculators add a $0.49 fixed fee to that row, but the official table does not include one, so this calculator follows the published table.
It is added to the percentage rate of the payment method whenever the sender and receiver are in different countries. A domestic standard card payment at 2.99% + $0.49 becomes 4.49% + $0.49 internationally; checkout becomes 4.99% + $0.49. Select "Yes, international" in the calculator to see it applied per method.
No. When a payment crosses currencies, PayPal adds a 3% to 4% spread on the exchange rate on top of the transaction fee. Convert the amount to the settlement currency first, then run the fee on the converted figure.
It solves charge = (target amount + fixed fee) / (1 - rate) for each method. To receive exactly $500 via a standard card payment, for example, charge ($500 + $0.49) / (1 - 0.0299) = $515.92. The tool then verifies each answer by running the forward fee on the computed charge, so the received column always reconciles to your target.
Usually the in-person QR code rate (2.29% + $0.09), which wins on the $500 example at $11.54. On larger domestic amounts, direct goods-and-services (2.99% with no fixed fee) can take the lead because it has no fixed fee dragging it up. The tool computes all eight so you do not have to guess.
No. This is an independent calculator using PayPal's published US business rates. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PayPal, Inc. Fee schedules change, so confirm the current rates on PayPal's site before quoting a client.
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References
- PayPal. Fees: Merchant and Business, PayPal US. Official published schedule: PayPal Checkout 3.49% + fixed fee, QR code transactions 2.29% + fixed fee, Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services 2.99%, standard card payments 2.99% + fixed fee, international commercial transactions +1.50%, USD fixed fee $0.49 (QR $0.09). Accessed October 23, 2026.
- PayPal. PayPal Fees. Cross-border surcharge of 1.5% on commercial payments and the micropayments crossover analysis (standard versus 4.99% + $0.09). Accessed October 23, 2026.
- PayPal. PayPal Business Fees. PayPal's 2026 business fee schedule: 1.50% international surcharge, 3% to 4% currency conversion spread, and PayPal's no-refund policy on original transaction fees. Accessed October 23, 2026.
- PayPal. PayPal Business Fees. Official published US fee schedule: standard commercial transaction rates, the 1.50% international surcharge, and the fixed-fee schedule by currency. Accessed October 23, 2026.
- PayPal. PayPal Consumer Fees. Official US fee schedule, including cross-border surcharge and currency-conversion fees. Accessed October 23, 2026.
- PayPal. PayPal User Agreement. The governing fee schedule for commercial transactions, cross-border payments, and refunds. Accessed October 23, 2026.