PayPal US fees used in this calculator
| Payment type | Rate |
|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout / PayPal button, guest checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 |
| Pay with Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 |
| Invoicing | 3.49% + $0.49 |
| Standard credit and debit card payments | 2.99% + $0.49 |
| Goods and services (send / receive money) | 2.99% + $0.49 |
| QR code payments | 2.29% + $0.09 |
| International commercial transaction | +1.50% |
Source: PayPal’s US merchant fee page, checked on the date at the top of this page. PayPal changes rates periodically, and negotiated or micropayment pricing is different — always confirm against your own account.
How the fee is calculated
- Fee = amount × percentage + fixed fee
- You receive = amount − fee
- Amount to charge to receive X = (X + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percentage)
Example: a $100 PayPal Checkout payment costs 100 × 3.49% + $0.49 = $3.98, so you receive $96.02. From an international buyer the rate becomes 4.99% and the fee $5.48.
The fixed fee matters most on small orders
| Order | Fee (3.49% + $0.49) | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| $5 | $0.66 | 13.3% |
| $20 | $1.19 | 5.9% |
| $50 | $2.24 | 4.5% |
| $200 | $7.47 | 3.7% |
If your average order is small, a minimum order value or selling in multi-packs often saves more than switching processors.
PayPal vs other processors
The table under the calculator compares the same payment on Stripe, WooPayments and Square at their standard US online rates. For card payments PayPal’s standard card rate is close to the others; the PayPal button itself costs more but can lift conversion because shoppers don’t have to type card details. Many stores offer both. See the Stripe fee calculator or the general credit card processing fee calculator.