Worked examples: how fees change your take-home amount

Each example shows the arithmetic so you can check the results independently.

Example 1: A $100 PayPal Checkout payment

At 3.49% plus $0.49, the percentage charge is $100 × 0.0349 = $3.49. Add the $0.49 fixed component to get $3.98. The seller keeps $100 − $3.98 = $96.02 before other business costs.

Example 2: Receiving $100 net

For the same Checkout rate, solve gross × (1 − 0.0349) − $0.49 = $100. The unrounded gross is ($100 + $0.49) ÷ 0.9651, approximately $104.12. Rounding and the processor's cent-level rules may shift the final cent; our calculator checks the rounded candidate so the estimated net meets the target.

Example 3: Why a $5 sale is different

At 3.49% + $0.49, the percentage fee on $5 is about $0.17; the fixed component adds $0.49, giving an estimated total of $0.66 and net of $4.34. The effective fee is about 13.2% of the sale—much higher than on a $100 sale. For businesses eligible for special micropayment pricing, the economics may differ.

Example 4: One hundred $35 transactions

At 3.49% + $0.49, a $35 transaction incurs approximately $1.71 in processing fees. For 100 transactions, that's about $171 in fees on $3,500 gross receipts. This is why comparing fixed fees matters when evaluating many smaller orders.

Example 5: International Checkout payment

For an applicable $100 international commercial Checkout payment, the 1.50% additional charge raises the illustrative percentage to 4.99%. Add $0.49 to $4.99 for a total estimated $5.48, leaving $94.52. This does not include potential currency conversion.

When these examples will not match your statement

PayPal may round components or apply account-specific rates and other charges. These examples assume USD, standard US commercial payment methods, and no refunds, disputes, sales tax, platform fees, or currency exchange. Try your own numbers.