Guide

How Much Does PayPal Take From a $100 Payment?

By the Tools Kit team at QANEN · updated 1 October 2026 · figures verified against published sources on that date

On a domestic US sale paid through PayPal Checkout, PayPal takes $3.98 from $100 — 3.49% ($3.49) plus the $0.49 fixed fee — and you receive $96.02. International payments add 1.50% (fee: $5.48), and a currency conversion adds roughly 3–4% more. The figures below use PayPal's own US fee schedule (page-stamped September 1, 2026; re-checked 1 October 2026) and match the PayPal fee calculator line for line.

How the $100 fee is calculated, step by step

Percentage: $100 × 3.49% = $3.49
Fixed fee (US dollars received): $0.49
Total fee: $3.49 + $0.49 = $3.98
You receive: $100.00 − $3.98 = $96.02

One nuance buyers of fee guides miss: the schedule also lists Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services at 2.99% with no fixed fee — on $100 that is a $2.99 fee and $97.01 received — but it applies to that specific flow, not to standard checkout buttons, so plan around the flow your buyers actually use. The full rate-by-flow breakdown is in PayPal Fees 2026: Every Rate After the August Change.

PayPal fees on common amounts (US, domestic Checkout)

Buyer pays	PayPal fee	You receive	Effective rate
$10.00	$0.84	$9.16	8.39%
$20.00	$1.19	$18.81	5.94%
$30.00	$1.54	$28.46	5.12%
$50.00	$2.24	$47.77	4.47%
$100.00	$3.98	$96.02	3.98%
$250.00	$9.22	$240.79	3.69%
$500.00	$17.94	$482.06	3.59%
$1,000.00	$35.39	$964.61	3.54%
$5,000.00	$174.99	$4,825.01	3.50%

Why the $0.49 makes small payments expensive

Look at the effective-rate column: it slides from 8.39% on $10 to 3.50% on $5,000. The percentage never changes — that fixed $0.49 is the whole story. If you sell $15 items, PayPal is effectively a 6.8% tax before you pay for a label; if you invoice $2,000 projects, it's 3.51%. Sellers of low-value items usually do better consolidating into one payment (shipping and tax included) than processing ten separate $12 transactions.

If the $100 is international — or converted

Scenario (US receiving $100)	Fee	You receive
Domestic	$3.98	$96.02
Payer in another country (+1.50%)	$5.48	$94.52
Another country and PayPal converts it (~4% spread)	$9.48	$90.52

That third row — where the same $100 becomes $90.52 — is why "3.49%" quoted alone misleads on cross-border sales. The conversion spread is not printed on PayPal's schedule pages; the figure follows PayPal's own long-standing description of ~3–4% above the base rate, and your actual rate is shown in the transaction details. Toggling both switches in the calculator keeps the estimate honest.

Want to receive $100? Charge $104.12

Grossing up is the reverse question and a common trap: adding 3.49% + $0.49 to $100 gives $103.98 — which nets only $99.63. The correct math is (100 + 0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0349) = $104.12. The calculator's "I need to receive" mode does this for every market, currency and toggle combination — including the international-and-converted case ($110.42 to net $100).

Outside the US

UK merchant accounts: up to 2.9% + £0.30 on a standard domestic commercial transaction, so £100 → £96.80, with cross-border additions of 1.29% (EEA) or 1.99% (most other markets). Fixed fees for other receiving currencies differ too (€0.39, ¥49, C$0.59, A$0.59). Switch the market and currency in the tool, or enter your negotiated rate in custom mode. The pillar guide PayPal Fees 2026 covers every rate on the schedule — and why most online calculators are still running pre-August-2026 numbers. If the payment is one leg of a marketplace sale, check the Etsy or eBay calculator too — processing stacks with platform fees.

Frequently asked questions

How much does PayPal take from a $100 payment?

For a domestic US sale paid through PayPal Checkout: $3.98 (3.49% = $3.49, plus the $0.49 fixed fee), and you receive $96.02. If the payer is in another country, add 1.50% — the fee becomes $5.48 and you receive $94.52.

How much does PayPal take from a $1,000 payment?

Domestically: 3.49% of $1,000 is $34.90, plus $0.49 fixed — a total fee of $35.39, leaving you $964.61. That is an effective 3.54%, which is about as good as the standard US rate gets, because the fixed fee spreads out.

How much will I receive from $100 on PayPal in the UK?

From a UK merchant account, a standard domestic commercial transaction is charged up to 2.9% plus £0.30 depending on the method — on £100 that is £3.20, so you receive £96.80.

What should I charge so I receive $100 after PayPal fees?

About $104.12. Gross-up formula: (100 + 0.49) ÷ (1 − 0.0349) = $104.12, which leaves exactly $100 after 3.49% + $0.49. The calculator's "I need to receive" mode does this for any amount, market and fee stack.

Does PayPal charge more on small payments?

Yes — proportionally. The $0.49 fixed fee is a bigger share of a small payment: a $10 sale costs 8.39% all-in, a $30 sale costs 5.12%, and a $100 sale costs 3.98%. The percentage itself never drops below 3.49% (domestic Checkout), but the effective rate approaches it only as amounts grow.

Is the fee different if the buyer pays with a card or Pay Later?

The rate depends on the payment flow, not the card brand: PayPal Checkout and Guest Checkout are 3.49% + fixed, standard card payments run 2.99% + fixed, and Pay Later transactions are 4.99% + fixed on the US business schedule. On $100 that is $3.98, $3.48 and $5.48 respectively, before any international or conversion charges.

Sources & verification. All US percentages and fixed fees: PayPal's business fee schedule (paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees, page-stamped "Last Updated: September 1, 2026", re-checked 1 October 2026). UK: PayPal's UK merchant fee page, page-stamped "Last Updated: 15, July 2026". The conversion spread follows PayPal's published description (~3–4% above base rate) rather than the schedule page and is marked as estimated in the tool. Individual account rates vary — confirm against your own agreement for anything material.

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