Calculate PayPal fees, net received, and reverse-engineer the amount to charge

PayPal is one of the most widely used payment platforms in the world, processing billions of dollars in transactions every year for freelancers, online sellers, nonprofits, and businesses of all sizes. While PayPal makes it easy to send and receive money, its fee structure can be surprisingly complex — with different rates depending on your payment type, whether the transaction is domestic or international, and which currency is involved. Understanding exactly how much PayPal will charge you — and how much you will actually receive — is essential for pricing your services correctly, avoiding surprise deductions, and maximizing your take-home income. This free PayPal Fee Calculator gives you instant, accurate answers for every major PayPal payment type. The most commonly used PayPal payment method for business is PayPal Checkout and Invoicing, which carries a fee of 3.49% plus a fixed fee of $0.49 per transaction in the United States as of 2026. This means that if a client pays you $100 via PayPal Invoice, you will actually receive $96.02 — PayPal takes $3.98. At first glance this seems minor, but over hundreds of transactions per month, those fees add up rapidly. A freelancer processing $5,000 per month in PayPal invoices could be paying nearly $200 in fees every single month. Our calculator handles both directions of calculation. If you already know how much you are sending or charging, it tells you the fee and the net amount your recipient (or you) will receive. If you want to guarantee receiving a specific net amount, it reverse-engineers the exact gross amount you need to request so that after PayPal's fee is deducted, you still net your target. This reverse calculation uses the proper algebraic formula — (desired + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percentage rate) — not the naive approximation that many people mistakenly use. Different payment types have dramatically different rates. Charity transactions approved by PayPal carry only a 1.99% fee, saving registered nonprofits significant money. QR Code payments for in-person sales cost just 2.29% + $0.09, making them ideal for physical retail. Micropayments (transactions of $10 or less) have a higher percentage rate of 4.99% but a much lower fixed fee of $0.09, which can actually be cheaper for very small amounts. ACH bank transfer invoicing costs only 1% with a cap of $10, making it by far the cheapest option for large transactions. For international transactions, PayPal adds a 1.5% cross-border fee on top of any domestic rate, which is why a standard PayPal Checkout transaction with an international client costs 4.99% instead of 3.49%. Our calculator lets you toggle between domestic and international modes instantly. The calculator also supports 8 major currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, HUF, JPY, and INR — each with their own fixed fee amounts. When you change the currency, the fixed fee updates automatically to reflect the correct local amount. Beyond single transactions, the Batch Calculator lets you enter multiple transaction amounts and compute the total fees, total net received, and average fee rate across your whole batch. The Monthly Estimator helps you project your total monthly and annual PayPal fees based on your average transaction size and transaction volume — an eye-opening exercise for many business owners. The Fee Comparison tab shows all payment types side by side for a given amount, making it easy to identify the cheapest option for your use case. Whether you are a freelancer setting your rates, a nonprofit managing donation processing costs, an e-commerce seller evaluating payment options, or simply someone who occasionally sends money via PayPal, this calculator gives you everything you need to make informed decisions and keep more of your money.

Understanding PayPal Fees

How to Use the PayPal Fee Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions