Free tool
PayPal fee calculator for the UK
A £100 UK sale at PayPal's standard rate costs £3.20 and leaves £96.80. Work out your own fee by payment type and buyer.
- Fee
- £3.20
- You keep
- £96.80
- Charge to keep the full amount
- £103.30Fee on that charge: £3.30
- Share lost to the fee
- 3.2%
- You keep: £96.80
- PayPal fee: £3.20
How this was worked out
- All other commercial transactions is 2.9% + £0.30.
- The percentage part: 2.9% of £100.00 is £2.90, rounded half up to the smallest unit.
- Add the fixed fee: £2.90 + £0.30 = £3.20.
- The fee is £3.20, so you keep £100.00 - £3.20 = £96.80.
- To keep the full £100.00, charge £103.30: the fee on that is £3.30, which leaves £100.00.
How the UK fee is worked out
A UK seller on PayPal pays a share of each payment plus a fixed amount in pence. On the standard rate that is 2.9% + £0.30, so a £100 payment loses £3.20 and leaves £96.80. The calculator rounds the share to the nearest penny first, then adds the fixed fee.
In symbols:
fee = round(amount x rate) + fixed
keep = amount - fee
charge to keep a target T = the smallest c where c - fee(c) >= TWhat each payment type costs on £50
| Payment type | Rate | Fee on £50 | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| All other commercial transactions | 2.9% + £0.30 | £1.75 | £48.25 |
| Card payment without a PayPal account | 1.2% + £0.30 | £0.90 | £49.10 |
| QR code payment, £10.01 and above | 1.5% + £0.10 | £0.85 | £49.15 |
| QR code payment, £10.00 and below | 2% + £0.05 | £1.05 | £48.95 |
| Buy now pay later (excludes PayPal Credit) | 3.9% + £0.30 | £2.25 | £47.75 |
| Advanced credit and debit card payments (blended pricing) | 1.2% + £0.30 | £0.90 | £49.10 |
| Micropayments, domestic | 5% + £0.05 | £2.55 | £47.45 |
| Micropayments, international | 6% + £0.05 | £3.05 | £46.95 |
Why small UK payments lose a bigger share
The £0.30 fixed fee does not shrink with the sale. On a £1 sale the standard fee is £0.33, or 33.0% of the sale; on £250 it falls to 3.0%.
| Payment | Standard fee | Share lost | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1.00 | £0.33 | 33.0% | £0.67 |
| £2.00 | £0.36 | 18.0% | £1.64 |
| £5.00 | £0.45 | 9.0% | £4.55 |
| £10.00 | £0.59 | 5.9% | £9.41 |
| £25.00 | £1.03 | 4.1% | £23.97 |
| £50.00 | £1.75 | 3.5% | £48.25 |
| £100.00 | £3.20 | 3.2% | £96.80 |
| £250.00 | £7.55 | 3.0% | £242.45 |
QR code payments and the £10 line
QR code sales have their own two rates, so the amount decides which one applies. The table sets each QR payment beside the standard rate on the same amount.
| Payment | QR rate applied | QR fee | Standard fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| £5.00 | 2% + £0.05 | £0.15 | £0.45 |
| £10.00 | 2% + £0.05 | £0.25 | £0.59 |
| £10.01 | 1.5% + £0.10 | £0.25 | £0.59 |
| £20.00 | 1.5% + £0.10 | £0.40 | £0.88 |
| £50.00 | 1.5% + £0.10 | £0.85 | £1.75 |
Buyers outside the UK
The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (Guernsey, Jersey, Man) are treated as domestic. An EEA buyer adds 1.29% to the percentage, and any other buyer adds 1.99%. The fixed fee stays at £0.30.
| Buyer location | Percentage | Fee on £100 | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man | 2.9% | £3.20 | £96.80 |
| EEA | 4.19% | £4.49 | £95.51 |
| Any other market | 4.89% | £5.19 | £94.81 |
The tiered rate plan
PayPal offers a tiered plan on request. The rate for a month follows the eligible commercial volume received in the month before, so a seller moves down a band as the shop grows. The fixed fee is unchanged.
| Previous month volume | Percentage | Fee on £100 | Fee on £1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £4,000 | 2.9% | £3.20 | £29.30 |
| £4,000 to £8,000 | 2.4% | £2.70 | £24.30 |
| More than £8,000 | 2.1% | £2.40 | £21.30 |
Micropayments for very small sales
The micropayments rate (5% + £0.05) suits sales near the low end. It costs less than the standard rate up to £12.09 and more from £12.10. PayPal sets it by application, and once approved it covers every commercial payment received.
Three worked UK examples
| Case | Fee | You keep | Charge to keep the full amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| £250 from a buyer in the EEA, standard rate | £10.78 | £239.22 | £261.25 |
| £8 QR code payment | £0.21 | £7.79 | £8.21 |
| £40 sale on the micropayments rate | £2.05 | £37.95 | £42.16 |
The first line shows the EEA surcharge: on £250 the fee is £10.78. The last line shows why micropayments stop paying off, since £40 is above the £12.10 crossover and the fee is £2.05 where the standard rate would take £1.46.
Edge cases worth knowing
- Card chargebacks outside a PayPal account carry a settlement fee of £14.00 on top of the sale being reversed.
- The international surcharge does not apply to the micropayments rows, which have their own international rate of 6%.
- American Express cards on the advanced card product have a separate rate that this tool does not model.
- Rates apply to PayPal accounts registered in the UK, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. Other markets have their own tables, for example the PayPal fees for Canada and PayPal fees for Australia pages.
Questions
How much does PayPal take from a £100 payment in the UK?
On the standard commercial rate of 2.9% + £0.30, PayPal takes £3.20 and you keep £96.80. An EEA buyer adds 1.29% and takes the fee to £4.49; a buyer elsewhere adds 1.99% and takes it to £5.19.
Why does a £10 QR code payment cost a different rate from £10.01?
PayPal prices QR code payments in two bands. At £10.00 and below the rate is 2% + £0.05; from £10.01 it is 1.5% + £0.10. On £10.00 the fee is £0.25, and on £10.01 it is £0.25.
What should I charge so I keep a full £100 after the fee?
On the default settings, charge £103.30. The fee comes off the charge, not off your target, so the calculator searches for the smallest charge whose net is still £100.00 instead of adding £3.20 to the price.
Is the micropayments rate cheaper for small sales?
Up to £12.09 it is. Micropayments cost 5% + £0.05, against 2.9% + £0.30 on the standard rate, so the fixed fee is lower and the percentage is higher. At £12.10 the micropayment fee is £0.66 against £0.65. The rate is by application and then covers every commercial payment you receive.
How does the tiered rate plan change the fee?
It is optional and on request. The percentage is set by the previous calendar month's eligible volume: 2.9%, then 2.4%, then 2.1% as volume rises. On a £100 payment the fee is £3.20, then £2.70, then £2.40 across those bands. The calculator uses the standard rate, so use the table for the tiers.
What happens if I convert the payment into another currency?
PayPal states a conversion rate of 3% on top of the base exchange rate when a business balance is converted. Switching the conversion option on for a £100 standard payment lifts the percentage to 5.9% and the fee to £6.20.
Related tools
Compare against the US PayPal fee calculator, or see PayPal fees for Canada and PayPal fees for Australia. If you process with Stripe or Square instead, the Stripe fee calculator and Square fee calculator run the same sums.
Sources
- PayPal merchant fees, United Kingdom: read on 19 Oct 2026. PayPal prints "Last Updated: 1 October 2026" on the page.