How are PayPal fees worked out?
Most PayPal fees have two parts: a percentage of the payment and a fixed fee that depends on the currency you receive ($0.49 for US dollars, £0.30 for pounds). On a $100 PayPal Checkout payment that is 3.49% of $100 plus $0.49: $3.98, so you receive $96.02.
The percentage depends on how you are paid. In the US: card payments 2.99%, Pay Later 4.99%, Venmo 3.49%, QR code 2.29% + $0.09, and an invoice paid by bank 1% (at most $10). PayPal’s US table lists goods and services payments at 2.99% with no fixed fee.
What if the buyer is in another country?
PayPal adds a surcharge: 1.5% in the US. In the UK it is 1.29% for a buyer in the EEA and 1.99% for anywhere else. If PayPal also converts the currency, it keeps a conversion spread of about 3%.
How do I work out what to charge?
Switch the calculator to “what to charge” and type the amount you want to end up with. It finds the price that leaves exactly that after fees. By hand: add the fixed fee to the amount you want, then divide by one minus the rate. To receive $100.00 at 3.49% + $0.49, ask for (100 + 0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0349), which rounds to $104.12.
What changed for UK sellers in October 2026?
From 1 October 2026 PayPal UK charges 3.9% + fixed fee on Buy Now Pay Later payments, and offers an optional tiered plan you have to ask for: 2.9% up to £4,000 of sales the month before, 2.4% from £4,000 to £8,000, and 2.1% above £8,000.