PayPal Fee Calculator
Work out what PayPal takes on a sale and what you actually keep. The defaults reflect a typical domestic goods-and-services rate - adjust them for your country and for cross-border sales.
How PayPal fees work
For commercial transactions, PayPal charges a percentage of the sale plus a small fixed fee. A common domestic goods-and-services rate is around 3.49% + a fixed fee (for example $0.49 in the US), but the exact numbers vary by country and currency. PayPal fees tend to run a little higher than card processors like Stripe or Shopify Payments.
- Percentage + fixed fee - applied to every commercial payment you receive.
- Cross-border surcharge - receiving money from buyers in another country usually adds an extra percentage on top.
- Currency conversion - if PayPal converts the currency, there’s a spread baked into the rate too.
Watch out for cross-border fees
If you sell internationally - common in dropshipping - a chunk of your orders may carry the higher cross-border rate. Bump the fee rate in the calculator to model that, so your margins reflect reality rather than the best-case domestic fee.
FAQ
How much does PayPal charge per transaction?
For commercial payments, typically a percentage of the sale plus a fixed fee. The defaults here reflect a common domestic rate; check PayPal’s fee page for your country and adjust the fields.
Are PayPal fees higher than Stripe or Shopify Payments?
Often slightly, especially on cross-border sales. If you use Shopify, note that adding PayPal alongside a third-party gateway can also trigger Shopify’s extra transaction fee - see the Shopify fee calculator.
Can I avoid PayPal fees?
Not on commercial sales - fees are unavoidable, so build them into your pricing. The only real control is your price and which processors you offer.
FAQ
How much does PayPal charge per transaction?
For typical online commercial payments PayPal charges a percentage plus a fixed fee per transaction, with the exact rate depending on your country and whether the sale is domestic or international - cross-border sales add a surcharge and currency conversion costs extra. This calculator applies the rates to your amount so you see the real net.
How do I receive $100 after PayPal fees?
Work backwards: the calculator's reverse mode tells you what to invoice so the amount after percentage + fixed fee lands on your target. Simply adding the fee percentage on top under-shoots, because the percentage applies to the grossed-up amount too.
Are PayPal fees refunded when I refund a customer?
No - since PayPal's policy change, the original transaction fees are not returned when you refund. A refund therefore costs you the full fees on top of the returned amount, which is worth pricing into thin-margin products.
PayPal vs Stripe or Shopify Payments for a store?
Their headline rates are similar; the real differences are dispute handling, payout speed, and conversion (PayPal's button can lift checkout conversion since buyers skip typing card details). Many stores offer card payments plus PayPal side by side and let customers choose.
Price with fees baked in
SpotPeaks builds payment fees into the profit and breakeven numbers on real products, so you set prices that survive ads and processor cuts alike.
Try SpotPeaks free →More free tools: Shopify fee calculator · profit margin · all tools