PayPal international transaction fees depend on the seller’s account market and the payment route. For a US merchant, PayPal currently adds 1.50 percentage points to the applicable domestic commercial rate. For a UK merchant, the addition is 1.29 points when the sender is in the EEA and 1.99 points for other international markets.
A currency-conversion spread is a separate cost. It applies only when PayPal converts currencies, so an international transaction can have a cross-border fee without an FX charge—or both costs can apply to the same payment.
Last verified: August 29, 2026, against PayPal’s published US and UK merchant and consumer fee pages. The examples use standard public rates and exclude account-specific pricing, charity or micropayment rates, live exchange-rate movements, and separately agreed fees.
PayPal international fees: quick answer
| Seller and route | International rate before FX | Fee on 100 | Seller receives |
|---|---|---|---|
| US direct Goods & Services | 4.49% | $4.49 | $95.51 |
| US PayPal Checkout | 4.99% + $0.49 | $5.48 | $94.52 |
| US standard card payment | 4.49% + $0.49 | $4.98 | $95.02 |
| UK commercial payment from EEA sender | 4.19% + £0.30 | £4.49 | £95.51 |
| UK commercial payment from other international sender | 4.89% + £0.30 | £5.19 | £94.81 |
There is no single worldwide “PayPal international fee.” A seller registered in another market must use that market’s PayPal fee page, not the US or UK figures above. For a market-by-market starting point, compare our guide to PayPal fees by country.
Sending money personally is different: a US personal international transfer has a 5% international fee with a $0.99 minimum and $4.99 maximum. The UK rate is 5% with a £0.99 minimum and £2.99 maximum. US card-funded personal payments can also have the applicable domestic card-funding fee, and currency conversion can apply in either market.
PayPal International Fee Calculator
The calculator starts with a US merchant receiving an international PayPal Checkout payment. Change the merchant market, payment route, sender group, and received currency to match the transaction.
Estimate the fee, net amount, or the minimum amount to request. Choose the merchant market and the way the customer pays for a more relevant result.
- Payment amount
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- Percentage fee
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- International add-on
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- Fixed fee
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- Estimated total fee
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- Effective fee rate
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The result estimates the commercial receiving fee. It does not fetch a live exchange rate or predict PayPal’s currency-conversion spread. Check the conversion rate shown during the transaction when PayPal will convert money.
What makes a PayPal transaction international?
PayPal defines a transaction as international when the sender and receiver are registered with or identified by PayPal as residents of different markets. A different currency alone does not define the transaction as cross-border.
- International without conversion: a US seller receives USD from a buyer registered in another market. The international addition can apply even though no currency is converted.
- Conversion without an international seller fee: a buyer pays in a currency different from the currency in which the product is listed, even if the merchant transaction itself is otherwise domestic.
- Both costs: the buyer and seller are in different markets and PayPal also converts the payment or account balance.
For UK fee purposes, transactions among the United Kingdom, Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man are treated as domestic. Other market groupings can vary, so PayPal’s own account identification controls.
PayPal cross-border fee vs currency conversion fee
- Base commercial rate: determined by how the customer pays—such as direct Goods and Services, Checkout, card, or invoice.
- International percentage addition: added when the sender and receiver are in different PayPal markets, subject to PayPal’s market groupings and route rules.
- Currency conversion: an exchange-rate spread added only if PayPal converts currency. This is separate from the transaction fee.
Some routes also have a fixed fee based on the currency received. The correct formula is therefore not simply “transaction amount × one international percentage.”
US PayPal international transaction fees
For a US merchant, PayPal adds 1.50 percentage points to the applicable domestic commercial rate when receiving an international commercial transaction. The resulting standard rates differ by payment route.
| US receiving route | Domestic rate | International rate | $100 fee / net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Goods & Services | 2.99% | 4.49% | $4.49 / $95.51 |
| PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout / Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 | 4.99% + $0.49 | $5.48 / $94.52 |
| Standard credit or debit card | 2.99% + $0.49 | 4.49% + $0.49 | $4.98 / $95.02 |
| Pay Later | 4.99% + $0.49 | 6.49% + $0.49 | $6.98 / $93.02 |
| All other commercial transactions | 3.49% + $0.49 | 4.99% + $0.49 | $5.48 / $94.52 |
For example, an international US Checkout payment of $500 has an estimated fee of $25.44: $500 × 4.99% = $24.95, plus $0.49. The estimated net is $474.56. A $500 direct G&S payment instead has a $22.45 fee and a $477.55 net because that route uses 4.49% without a fixed fee.
See the PayPal Goods and Services fee guide for the direct G&S rules, or the PayPal Invoice Fee Calculator when the payment starts with an invoice.
UK PayPal international transaction fees
For a UK merchant, the standard international addition depends on the sender’s PayPal market: 1.29 percentage points for the EEA and 1.99 points for all other international markets. A typical PayPal-account payment for goods, services, or a money request falls under “All Other Commercial Transactions.”
| UK route and sender | Rate when GBP is received | £100 fee | £100 net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial payment, EEA sender | 4.19% + £0.30 | £4.49 | £95.51 |
| Commercial payment, other international sender | 4.89% + £0.30 | £5.19 | £94.81 |
| Qualifying card-funded payment without a PayPal account, EEA sender | 2.49% + £0.30 | £2.79 | £97.21 |
| Qualifying card-funded payment without a PayPal account, other international sender | 3.19% + £0.30 | £3.49 | £96.51 |
A UK merchant receiving £500 through a standard PayPal commercial payment from outside the EEA would pay an estimated £24.75 and receive £475.25. A separate 1.29% EEA service fee may apply only to merchants with a separate PayPal agreement; do not add it to a standard example unless the account’s agreement shows it.
Upcoming UK pricing: From October 1, 2026, a UK merchant may contact PayPal to request enrolment in an optional tiered plan for domestic commercial transactions. The tier is based on eligible commercial-transaction volume in the previous calendar month: £0–£4,000 at 2.90% + fixed fee; more than £4,000–£8,000 at 2.40% + fixed fee; and more than £8,000 at 2.10% + fixed fee. PayPal’s notice does not itself publish the resulting international totals. Check PayPal’s policy update, final fee table, and the pricing assigned to the account after the effective date.
PayPal currency conversion fees
PayPal does not present currency conversion as a second ordinary transaction percentage deducted from every international payment. Instead, the transaction exchange rate includes a spread applied to and retained on the base exchange rate. The final converted amount depends on the currencies, direction, live base rate, and the rate disclosed for that transaction.
| Published conversion scenario | Current standard spread |
|---|---|
| US: paying for goods or services in a currency different from the listing currency | 4.00%, or another amount disclosed during the transaction |
| US: other currency conversions | 3.00%, or another disclosed amount |
| UK: converting a business balance or a transaction where the receiver bears conversion | 3.00% above the base exchange rate |
| Other UK conversion situations | Use the rate disclosed by PayPal’s Currency Converter or during the transaction |
Do not automatically add 3% or 4% to the commercial fee example. If USD is sent to a US merchant and remains USD, no conversion is needed. If PayPal converts the same payment to another currency, use the displayed exchange rate to determine the delivered amount.
Fixed fees depend on the currency received
On payment routes that include a fixed fee, PayPal uses the received currency—not simply the seller’s home currency or the buyer’s country.
| Currency received | US merchant fixed fee | UK merchant fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| USD | $0.49 | $0.30 |
| GBP | £0.39 | £0.30 |
| EUR | €0.39 | €0.35 |
| CAD | C$0.59 | C$0.30 |
| AUD | A$0.59 | A$0.30 |
| JPY | ¥49 | ¥40 |
Who pays PayPal’s international and conversion fees?
- Commercial receiving fee: normally deducted from the seller or recipient, including the international percentage addition.
- Buyer’s purchase: PayPal generally does not charge the buyer a purchase transaction fee when no currency conversion is involved.
- Buyer-side conversion: the buyer can bear the exchange-rate spread when paying in a different currency from the listed currency.
- Seller-side conversion: the recipient can bear conversion when PayPal converts the received payment, business balance, or withdrawal.
The party shown the conversion rate should review it before completing the transaction. Card issuers and banks can also have their own foreign-transaction or conversion terms, which are outside PayPal’s receiving fee.
Sending personal payments internationally
Personal transfers are payments to friends or family without an underlying purchase, donation, or other commercial transaction. They use PayPal’s consumer fee table, not the merchant rates above. Friends and Family must not be used to pay for goods or services.
| Sender market and funding | International personal fee | Fee on 100 before FX |
|---|---|---|
| US: PayPal balance or bank account | 5%; minimum $0.99, maximum $4.99 | $4.99 |
| US: card | 5%; minimum $0.99, maximum $4.99, plus the applicable domestic card-funding fee | $4.99 international fee, plus card-funding fee |
| UK: personal international transfer | 5%; minimum £0.99, maximum £2.99 | £2.99 |
If the sender pays in one currency and the recipient receives another, PayPal’s conversion rate can add a separate FX cost. The fee cap does not cap the exchange-rate spread. Availability, funding methods, and market groupings can also differ by account.
How much should a seller request to receive a target amount?
For a percentage rate plus a fixed fee, a useful estimate is:
Gross amount ≈ (target net + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − percentage rate)
| Target net | International route | Estimated amount to request |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | US direct G&S at 4.49% | $104.70 |
| $100 | US Checkout at 4.99% + $0.49 | $105.77 |
| £100 | UK commercial, EEA sender at 4.19% + £0.30 | £104.69 |
| £100 | UK commercial, other international sender at 4.89% + £0.30 | £105.46 |
This calculation is for setting a general price or invoice total. It is not permission to impose a separate PayPal surcharge. See the manual PayPal fee calculation guide for rounding and reverse-calculation details.
Practical ways to control international payment costs
- Identify the payment route first. Checkout, direct G&S, cards, and invoices have different base rates.
- Separate cross-border from FX. Ask whether the sender is international and whether any currency will actually be converted.
- Compare the displayed conversion. Review PayPal’s transaction rate and any available card or bank terms before choosing who converts.
- Avoid unnecessary double conversion. Confirm the invoice currency, settlement currency, and withdrawal currency before accepting payment.
- Do not assume holding a currency removes fees. It can defer conversion, but the international receiving fee still applies and conversion may occur later.
- Build processing costs into consistent pricing. Do not label a separate charge as a PayPal fee without checking PayPal’s agreement and applicable law.
- Never use Friends and Family for a sale. Personal payments are not a legitimate way to avoid commercial fees and are excluded from Purchase Protection.
Freelancers can use our PayPal fees for freelancers guide for quoting, invoicing, and recordkeeping practices. Sellers needing a wider product comparison can use the PayPal business fees guide.
Refunds on international PayPal transactions
PayPal does not add a separate fee merely for issuing a full or partial commercial refund, but the original fees paid to receive the transaction are not returned under the current US and UK merchant tables. If currency conversion or a later reversal is involved, the exchange rate used at that time can also affect the amount returned or debited.
PayPal international transaction fees: FAQs
How much does PayPal charge for an international transaction?
It depends on the seller’s market and the payment route. A US merchant generally adds 1.50 percentage points to the domestic commercial rate. A UK merchant generally adds 1.29 points for an EEA sender or 1.99 points for another international sender. A fixed fee and currency conversion may also apply.
What is PayPal’s US cross-border commercial fee?
The current standard addition is 1.50 percentage points for international commercial transactions. It is added to the base rate for the route used.
What is PayPal’s UK international commercial fee?
The current standard addition is 1.29 percentage points for an EEA sender and 1.99 points for other international markets. UK, Guernsey, Jersey, and Isle of Man transactions are treated as domestic among those markets.
Does PayPal charge currency conversion on every international payment?
No. Conversion applies only when PayPal converts one currency to another. An international payment received and held in the same currency can still have the international receiving fee without an FX spread.
How much is the PayPal international fee on $100?
For a US international direct G&S payment, the fee is $4.49 and the net is $95.51. For US PayPal Checkout, the fee is $5.48 and the net is $94.52. These examples assume USD is received and no conversion occurs.
Can I avoid PayPal international fees by receiving the same currency?
Receiving and holding the same currency may avoid an immediate conversion, but it does not remove the international commercial fee. A conversion spread may still apply later when the balance is converted or withdrawn.
Does the calculator include PayPal’s live exchange rate?
No. It estimates the published commercial receiving fee. PayPal’s live conversion rate must be checked in the transaction or Currency Converter.
How much does PayPal charge to send money internationally?
For a US personal international transfer, the international fee is 5% with a $0.99 minimum and $4.99 maximum; a card-funded payment can also have the domestic card-funding fee. For a UK personal international transfer, it is 5% with a £0.99 minimum and £2.99 maximum. Currency conversion can be separate.
Official sources and review notes
- PayPal US merchant fees — updated July 15, 2026.
- PayPal UK merchant fees — updated July 15, 2026.
- PayPal US consumer fees — updated May 19, 2026.
- PayPal UK consumer fees — updated January 22, 2026.
- PayPal UK policy updates — scheduled October 2026 pricing noted above.
- PayPal US User Agreement and UK User Agreement.
PayFeeCalc is an independent fee-estimation resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by PayPal. PayPal’s terms, market classification, account pricing, and transaction exchange rate control. This page is informational and is not legal, tax, or financial advice.