PayPal charges a different rate depending on how a customer pays — Checkout, a QR code, Pay Later, an invoice or a donation each carry their own percentage and fixed fee. A PayPal fee calculator covering all six types answers two questions: the fee on a sale, and the price that nets a target amount after fees.
The fixed fee separates cheap and expensive payment types
Every domestic PayPal payment type except the QR code option charges the same 0.49 USD fixed fee, so that flat amount is the main thing separating a cheap payment from an expensive one when the sale itself is small. As the sale price climbs, the percentage rate does more of the work and the fixed fee fades into the background. A QR code payment breaks this pattern with its own lower fixed fee of 0.09 USD, on top of its own lower rate.
The international surcharge stacks on any commercial rate
An international commercial transaction adds 1.50% on top of whichever domestic rate applies — Checkout, Standard card, QR code, Pay Later or Invoicing. A QR code payment starts from a lower base rate, so the same addition lands on a smaller number than it would on a Pay Later transaction. Donations use their own separate 1.50% international fee line instead of this addon.
Working backward from the amount you want to keep
Quoting a round number to a client only works if PayPal's cut comes out of that number, which usually means the merchant absorbs the fee instead of the client. Solving in the other direction — starting from the amount that should land in the account and working out what to charge — keeps the merchant's target intact regardless of which payment type the client uses. The math uses the same rate and fixed fee as the forward direction, just rearranged to solve for the sale price instead of the fee.
A freelancer invoicing a $1,000 sale who needs the full amount to land after fees should charge more than that sale price, not less — the FAQ below already gives PayPal Checkout's exact number for a $1,000 sale. Quoting the round number and quietly eating the fee cuts the freelancer's take by the same amount PayPal collects. Backing into the higher charge only makes sense when the client will not balk at a slightly higher, non-round invoice total; a repeat client on a fixed monthly retainer is a better candidate for it than a one-time buyer comparing quotes across freelancers.
What decides which PayPal rate you pay
How the customer pays. Checkout, a QR code, Pay Later, an invoice and a donation each carry their own rate — check the calculator row for the type in question before quoting a price.
Whether the transaction is domestic or international. An international commercial transaction adds 1.50% on top of the domestic rate for that same payment type.
Which direction you need to solve. Finding the fee on a known sale price and finding the sale price that nets a known amount use the same rate and fixed fee, just rearranged.
FAQ
How much of a sale does PayPal Checkout's fee take?
A $10 sale costs $0.84 in PayPal Checkout fees. A $100 sale costs $3.98. A $1,000 sale costs $35.39. A $10,000 sale costs $349.49. The fixed 0.49 USD fee is a bigger share of the total on the smallest sale.
What should I charge on PayPal Checkout to net a specific amount?
Charging a customer $10.87 nets a $10 sale after PayPal Checkout's fee. Charging $104.12 nets a $100 sale. Charging $1,036.67 nets a $1,000 sale. Charging $10,362.13 nets a $10,000 sale.
Which PayPal payment type charges the lowest rate?
A QR code payment through a third-party integrator charges 2.29% plus 0.09 USD, the lowest combination of the six types in this calculator. PayPal Pay Later charges the most, at 4.99% plus 0.49 USD.
Is the fixed fee the same for every PayPal payment type?
No. The fixed fee is 0.49 USD for Checkout, Standard card, Pay Later, Invoicing and Donations, but only 0.09 USD for a QR code payment through a third-party integrator — the one exception among the six types in the calculator.
Before you rely on these numbers
PayPal's fee page also lists separate rates for three cases this calculator does not cover. A micropayment has its own pricing — if a sale is small enough to qualify, check PayPal's micropayment table instead of this calculator. A sale settled in a currency other than USD follows a different rate — check PayPal's page for that currency. A chargeback or dispute carries its own fee, separate from the payment-type rates above.
The worked fee and charge-to-net figures in the FAQ use PayPal Checkout's rate; select another row in the calculator above for the other five payment types' numbers.
Sources
Gathered with AI assistance; every figure was checked against the linked provider page and signed off by Seonrye Kim.
