PayPal has a dozen different prices depending on how you get paid. Here's every one, what triggers it, and what it costs on real payments.
As a freelancer, PayPal is often the first thing a client asks about — it's familiar, it's quick, and almost everyone already has an account. What's less obvious is that PayPal has a dozen different prices depending on how the client pays, where they live, and how you move the money out. This guide puts every fee in one place with real numbers, using PayPal's own published US rates (checked October 2026).
Most sellers only ever deal with the first two rows. The rest depend on which PayPal products you use.
| How you get paid | US fee | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 | Customer pays with a PayPal button on your site, or pays a PayPal invoice |
| Goods and Services (G&S) | 2.99% | Someone sends you money from their PayPal account for something you sold |
| Standard card payments | 2.99% + $0.49 | Customer pays by card through PayPal's standard card checkout |
| Advanced card payments | 2.89% + $0.49 | Card fields built into your own checkout (PayPal's advanced integration) |
| Pay with Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 | Customer pays with Venmo at checkout |
| QR code payments | 2.29% + $0.09 | In-person payments via PayPal/Venmo QR code |
| Pay Later | 4.99% + $0.49 | Customer uses PayPal Pay in 4 / Pay Monthly |
| International payment | +1.5% | Buyer is in a different country from you |
| Currency conversion | 4% spread | PayPal converts the payment into your currency |
Here's what each option costs in practice, with Stripe's standard US rate (2.9% + 30¢) alongside for comparison:
| Payment | PayPal Checkout | PayPal G&S | Stripe |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.84 (8.40%) | $0.30 | $0.59 |
| $25 | $1.36 (5.44%) | $0.75 | $1.03 |
| $50 | $2.24 (4.48%) | $1.50 | $1.75 |
| $100 | $3.98 (3.98%) | $2.99 | $3.20 |
| $250 | $9.22 (3.69%) | $7.48 | $7.55 |
| $500 | $17.94 (3.59%) | $14.95 | $14.80 |
| $1,000 | $35.39 (3.54%) | $29.90 | $29.30 |
Two things jump out. Checkout is the most expensive of the three at every amount. And G&S is slightly cheaper than Stripe on smaller payments because it has no fixed fee, but Stripe catches up above about $333. Try your own numbers in the PayPal fee calculator.
This is where PayPal gets costly for freelancers with overseas clients. Two charges stack on top of the normal fee:
A worked example: a client in the UK pays a US freelancer a $1,000 invoice through PayPal.
| Step | Cost |
|---|---|
| Standard Checkout fee (3.49% + $0.49) | $35.39 |
| International fee (1.5%) | $15.00 |
| Total if the client pays in USD | $50.39 |
| If the client pays in GBP and PayPal converts it | ≈ another $40.00 hidden in the exchange rate |
That's why it often pays to invoice in your own currency, or to hold foreign currency in your PayPal balance instead of converting every payment. Our PayPal international fee calculator works this out for any amount.
Sending money to friends and family inside the US is free when it's paid from a bank account or PayPal balance. If the sender uses a credit or debit card, they pay 2.9% + $0.30. Sending to someone in another country costs 5% (minimum $0.99, maximum $4.99).
It's tempting to ask a client to use Friends and Family to skip the fee — don't. It breaks PayPal's terms for business payments, gives neither of you any protection if something goes wrong, and can get your account limited. Use Goods and Services or an invoice instead and build the fee into your price.
A standard transfer to your bank is free (as long as no currency conversion is involved) and takes one to a few business days. If you want it immediately, PayPal charges for an instant transfer: 1.5% for business accounts (minimum $0.50) and 1.75% for personal accounts ($0.25 minimum, $25 maximum). On a $2,000 business withdrawal that's $30 — worth it in an emergency, expensive as a habit.
PayPal doesn't charge you to issue a refund, but it doesn't give back the fees from the original payment either. Refund a $100 Checkout payment in full and you're down $3.98.
Disputes cost more. PayPal lists a $15 dispute fee for standard sellers ($30 for high-volume sellers), and a $20 fee for chargebacks on card payments. Clear descriptions, tracking for physical goods and quick replies to unhappy customers are the best ways to avoid them.
PayPal sets prices per country. These are the standard domestic rates for commercial payments, plus what's added for foreign buyers:
| Your country | Domestic rate | Foreign buyers | Conversion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 USA | 3.49% + $0.49 (Checkout) · 2.99% (G&S) | +1.5% | 4% |
| 🇬🇧 UK | 2.9% + £0.30 | +1.29% EEA · +1.99% other | 3% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 2.9% + CA$0.30 | +0.8% US · +1% other | 4% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 2.9% + A$0.30 | +1% | 3% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 2.99% + €0.39 (Checkout) · 2.49% + €0.39 (G&S) | +0% EEA · +1.29% UK · +1.99% other | 3% |
| 🇫🇷 France | 2.9% + €0.35 | varies by buyer region | 3% |
Outside the US, PayPal is usually noticeably more expensive than Stripe for standard card payments — for example £3.20 vs £1.70 on a £100 UK payment. See the full Stripe vs PayPal comparison.
Enter the amount and country to see exactly what PayPal will take — and what to charge so you receive the full amount.
Open PayPal Fee Calculator →Sources: PayPal merchant fee pages for the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and France, and the US consumer fees page. Checked October 2026; PayPal may show different rates during a transaction.