PayPal Fees for Sellers
PayPal's US merchant fee schedule: the Checkout rates online sellers actually pay, plus Expanded Checkout, Pay Later, in-person and Virtual Terminal rates — from PayPal's official fees page.
PayPal merchant fees (US)
PayPal does not have one single fee — the rate depends on how the buyer pays. For online sellers the two rates that matter are the PayPal Checkout rates below; our calculator covers both of them, forward and in reverse (find the price you need to charge). Rates are from PayPal's official US business fees page, last verified in October 2026.
| Transaction type | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout — pay with PayPal or Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 | The rate most sellers mean by “the PayPal fee” — the standard commercial transaction rate. |
| PayPal Checkout — pay by debit or credit card | 2.99% + $0.49 | Guest card checkout processed through PayPal Checkout. |
| Expanded Checkout — cards, Apple Pay and more | From 2.89% + $0.29 | PayPal publishes this as a starting-at rate; your actual rate can vary. |
| Pay Later | 4.99% + $0.49 | Transactions paid with PayPal Pay Later. |
| In person — card present or QR code | 2.29% + $0.09 | In-person acceptance with a card reader or QR code. |
| In person — card keyed in | 3.49% + $0.09 | Card numbers typed in manually for an in-person sale. |
| Virtual Terminal | 3.39% + $0.29 | Phone and mail orders entered into PayPal Virtual Terminal. |
International payments: receiving an international payment carries additional fees on top of the rates above. Those surcharges were not part of this verification, so we do not quote them here — check PayPal's official Merchant Fees page for the current figures for your country before pricing international orders.
Official sources
Every rate on this page comes from the platform's own official pages — no third-party fee guides:
How we verify & limitations
Rates on SellKitHub live in one central data file. Each rate carries its official source and was last verified in October 2026; the whole schedule is re-verified quarterly, and any change is recorded in our fee change log. The calculator models the two PayPal Checkout rates; Expanded Checkout, Pay Later, in-person and Virtual Terminal rates are listed here for reference.
Frequently asked questions
What is PayPal's fee for goods and services in 2026?
3.49% + $0.49 per transaction when the buyer pays with PayPal or Venmo through PayPal Checkout — the rate usually meant by “the PayPal fee”. If the buyer pays by debit or credit card through PayPal Checkout instead, the rate is 2.99% + $0.49.
Why do some calculators show 2.99% as the PayPal fee?
2.99% + $0.49 is PayPal's published rate for card-funded PayPal Checkout transactions. The 3.49% + $0.49 rate applies when the buyer pays with their PayPal balance or Venmo. Both are official rates — they apply to different payment methods.
Does PayPal charge more for international payments?
Yes — international transactions carry additional fees beyond the domestic rates on this page. We do not publish those figures because they were not covered by our verification of PayPal's fee pages; check PayPal's official Merchant Fees page for the current surcharges.
How much do I need to charge to receive a set amount after PayPal fees?
Because the fee includes a fixed $0.49, you cannot just add the percentage. The amount to charge is (amount you want + $0.49) ÷ (1 − the rate) — our PayPal calculator's reverse mode does this for both Checkout rates.