PayPal fees in 2026: how PayPal calculates them
Every commercial payment costs a percentage of the amount plus a fixed fee per payment, rounded to the cent.
Fee = amount × rate + fixed fee
| Fee type | Rate | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout, US | 3.49% | $0.49 |
| PayPal Checkout, Germany | 2.99% | €0.39 |
| Goods and services, Germany (direct payment) | 2.49% | €0.35 |
If the buyer pays from abroad, PayPal adds a surcharge to the rate. In the US that is 1.50% on all international commercial payments. In Germany, euro payments from within the EEA count as domestic (+0%); buyers in the UK add 1.29% and the rest of the world 1.99% on Checkout. Goods and services payments in Germany have their own table: +1.99% for the US and Canada, +2.99% for the rest of the world.
Examples
- $100 via US PayPal Checkout: $3.49 + $0.49 = $3.98 fee, $96.02 arrives.
- $20 via US PayPal Checkout: $0.70 + $0.49 = $1.19 fee. That is already 5.95% of the amount, because the fixed fee weighs more on small payments.
- €100 via PayPal Checkout in Germany: €2.99 + €0.39 = €3.38 fee, €96.62 arrives.
The smaller the basket, the more expensive PayPal gets in relative terms. If your store sells many low-priced items, build the fee into your prices or set a minimum order value.
Working backwards: what to charge
If a set amount has to arrive, adding 3.49% is not enough, because the fee is charged on the higher amount. The right formula is:
Amount = (amount you want + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − rate)
For $100 via US Checkout: (100 + 0.49) ÷ 0.9651 = $104.12. Switch the calculator above to “What to charge” and it does this for you.
Refunds still cost you the fee
In the US, PayPal keeps the whole fee when you refund a payment, in full or in part: on a refunded $100 order you are out $3.98. In Germany, PayPal returns the percentage part and keeps only the fixed fee (€0.39 on Checkout). With 1,000 orders a month and a 10% return rate, that is 100 fees a month spent on refunds alone, and one more reason to prevent returns that did not need to happen.
Build the fee into your prices, then check what an order still leaves with the profit margin calculator.