Payment fees
PayPal Fee Calculator UK
PayPal charges 2.9% + 30p on standard UK domestic commercial payments — so a £100 payment costs £3.20 in fees and lands £96.80 in your balance. Enter any amount below for the exact fee and your effective rate in pounds, or use reverse mode to work out what to charge to receive a set amount.
How much does PayPal charge in the UK?
For a standard commercial payment from a UK buyer, PayPal charges 2.9% + 30p per transaction. The fee on £100 is £3.20, on £500 it is £14.80, and on £20 it is £0.88. Payments from buyers outside the UK cost more, because an international fee is added and currency conversion may apply.
How it works
PayPal’s UK commercial fee follows the same structure as its US fee — a percentage of the payment plus a fixed amount in the transaction currency — but at a lower percentage. If you were looking for a PayPal fees calculator for the UK, or for PayPal UK charges in general, this is the standard maths:
PayPal fee = payment amount × 2.9% + 30pYou receive = payment amount − PayPal feeThe rate applies to domestic commercial transactions: website checkout, PayPal invoices and card payments processed by PayPal for a UK business account. Reverse mode rearranges it — charge = (amount you want + 30p) ÷ (1 − 0.029) — for quotes and invoices where a round amount has to arrive.
Rates used by this calculator
| Transaction type | PayPal UK rate | Fee on £100 |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial transaction — UK buyer | 2.9% + 30p | £3.20 |
Source: PayPal’s official UK merchant fees page (paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/merchant-fees). International transactions attract an additional international fee and, where relevant, PayPal’s currency conversion rate — see the limitations below. Last verified: November 2026
Worked examples
Example 1 — a £100 payment from a UK customer
| Payment amount | £100.00 |
| PayPal fee (2.9% + 30p) | £3.20 |
| You receive | £96.80 |
| Effective fee rate | 3.20% |
Example 2 — a £500 invoice paid through PayPal
| Payment amount | £500.00 |
| PayPal fee (2.9% + 30p) | £14.80 |
| You receive | £485.20 |
| Effective fee rate | 2.96% |
Example 3 — you need exactly £100 to arrive (reverse mode)
| You should charge | £103.30 |
| PayPal fee (2.9% + 30p) | £3.30 |
| You receive | £100.00 |
| Effective fee rate | 3.19% |
When these fees apply — and the limitations
This calculator uses PayPal’s standard UK domestic commercial rate. It does not cover:
- International payments — a buyer outside the UK adds an international commercial fee on top of the standard rate.
- Currency conversion — if a payment arrives in dollars or euros and is converted to pounds, PayPal applies its own exchange rate including a conversion margin.
- Refunds — the original transaction fee is not returned when you refund a buyer.
- Disputes and chargebacks, which carry their own separate fees.
Confirm the current figures on PayPal’s own UK merchant fees page before relying on them for pricing decisions.
Comparing your options
For PayPal vs Stripe in the UK, Stripe is the cheaper of the two on standard rates: 1.5% + 20p against PayPal’s 2.9% + 30p, which is £1.70 against £3.20 on a £100 payment. Many UK shops still offer both, because the PayPal button converts well with buyers who prefer not to enter card details. Compare your own numbers in the Stripe fee calculator UK.
Frequently asked questions
How much does PayPal take from £100 in the UK?
On a standard domestic commercial payment, PayPal takes £3.20 from £100 — 2.9% (£2.90) plus the 30p fixed fee — leaving you £96.80. The effective rate falls as payments get bigger: on £500 the fee is £14.80, an effective 2.96%.
Is PayPal cheaper in the UK than in the US?
Yes, slightly. The UK domestic commercial rate is 2.9% + 30p, while the US standard commercial rate is 3.49% + $0.49. On a payment of 100 in local currency, the UK fee is 3.20 against 3.98 in the US — one reason the country you are paid in matters as much as the platform.
What does PayPal charge for receiving money from abroad in the UK?
More than the domestic rate. An international commercial fee is added on top of the 2.9% + 30p, and if the payment is converted from another currency into pounds, PayPal’s conversion rate — which includes a margin over the market exchange rate — applies as well. Check the international section of PayPal’s UK merchant fees page for the current percentages for your buyer’s country.
Can I pass the PayPal fee on to my UK customers?
Not as a PayPal surcharge: PayPal’s user agreement does not allow sellers to add a surcharge specifically for paying by PayPal, and UK consumer law also restricts card surcharging. The normal approach is to set prices that already absorb the fee — the reverse mode above works out the price that leaves you a target amount after PayPal’s deduction.
How do I work out the PayPal UK fee by hand?
Multiply the payment by 0.029 and add £0.30. For £100: £100 × 2.9% = £2.90, plus 30p, is a £3.20 fee and a £96.80 payout. To work backwards from an amount you want to receive, add 30p, divide by 0.971, and round up to the next penny.
Read the guide: How Much Does PayPal Charge? Every Fee Explained — every fee in plain English, including the UK rate of 2.9% + 30p.
Related calculators
Estimates only. Platforms can change their fees at any time; always confirm the rate on the platform’s own pricing page before making pricing decisions. ToolFees is not affiliated with the platform named on this page.