What PayPal Business Account Fees Look Like
PayPal's fee page is a menu of separate products, each with its own rate. Here is what it says each one costs.
PayPal business account fees are not one rate. PayPal's fee page is a menu of separate products, and each product has its own price. A sale through PayPal Checkout, a typed-in card, and a tap on a reader in your shop all cost different amounts. Here is what PayPal's own fee page says, sorted by how the money actually arrives.
How PayPal defines what it charges for
PayPal's fee page calls a transaction to buy or sell goods or services a commercial transaction. It says a commercial transaction happens when you accept the User Agreement to buy or sell goods or services. Any other commercial type of transaction counts too.
The page splits transactions by where the two parties live. A transaction counts as domestic when sender and receiver both live in the same market. A transaction counts as international when sender and receiver live in different markets. Some markets are grouped together when PayPal figures international transaction rates. The page may refer to two-letter market codes throughout.
One more thing to know up front: the rates published on the page apply to PayPal accounts of United States residents.
The core commercial transaction rates
PayPal's fee page puts standard credit and debit card payments at 2.99% plus a fixed fee. PayPal Checkout and PayPal Guest Checkout run 3.49% plus a fixed fee. Pay with Venmo runs at 3.49% plus a fixed fee as well.
The fixed fee for commercial transactions received in US dollars is 0.49 USD. That flat piece matters most on small tickets. On a $5 sale, 49 cents is a tenth of the money before the percentage even starts.
The international surcharge and currency conversion
International commercial transactions add a 1.50% fee to the domestic rate.
Currency conversion carries its own cost. PayPal's fee page says disbursements involving a currency conversion by PayPal also include a currency conversion spread. A currency conversion and its spread may apply when you take money out of PayPal.
Invoicing and Pay Later
PayPal's fee page gives domestic invoicing transactions through PayPal Pay Later options a standard rate of 4.99% plus a fixed fee. International invoicing adds an extra 1.50% fee for all payment types.
Two invoicing add-ons have their own prices. The Invoice Subscription Service costs 14.99 USD per month. The Invoicing Subscription service is priced at 14.99 USD per month. Pay by Bank through an invoicing transaction is charged 1% capped at $10.00 per transaction.
PayPal's own card payment services
PayPal's fee page puts its domestic Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments rate at 2.89% plus a fixed fee. Its domestic Virtual Terminal rate runs 3.39% plus a fixed fee. Its domestic ACH Services rate is 0.80%, capped at $5.00 per transaction.
The monthly fee is no fee for Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments and ACH Services.
In-person selling with PayPal Point of Sale
For sales at a counter, PayPal's fee page says PayPal Point of Sale card present transactions cost 2.29% + 0.09 USD. Manual card entry transactions cost 3.49% + 0.09 USD.
PayPal's business fees page says use of PayPal Point of Sale is subject to eligibility, application, and approval by PayPal. Not every business that applies is approved to use it.
Optional add-on services
PayPal's fee page lists a shelf of optional services, each priced on its own. The Recurring Billing optional service costs 10.00 USD per month. The Recurring Payment Tool optional service costs 30.00 USD per month. The Fraud Protection Advanced optional service costs 0.07 USD per transaction. The Account Updater optional service runs 0.25 USD per update. The Network Tokenization optional service costs 0.15 USD for each token issued. The Smart Retries optional service costs 0.6% each time it saves a failed transaction. The 3D Secure Advanced optional service costs 0.03 USD per lookup.
Two more services sit at the bottom of the list. The Account Monitoring Service has a 29.95 USD set up fee and 19.95 USD per month. The Buyer Authentication Service costs 10.00 USD per month and 0.10 USD per transaction.
Gateway products: Payflow Pro and Payflow Link
PayPal's fee page says a Payflow Pro transaction costs 0.10 USD and a Payflow Link transaction costs 0.10 USD. PayPal's business fees page lists a monthly fee of 25.00 USD for Payflow Pro and no monthly fee for Payflow Link. Its Recurring Billing Service costs 10.00 USD monthly for both Payflow Pro and Payflow Link.
The same page says its Fraud Protection Services Basic Package has no monthly fee while the Advanced Package costs 10.00 USD monthly.
Other business money movement
PayPal's fee page says a Bill Pay for Business Accounts Transaction is when you use the service to send funds to your Payees. Funding one carries a processing fee rate of 2.9% plus a Fixed Fee.
Disbursements to a PayPal Wallet, Venmo, or PYUSD carry no fee. The fixed fee for a Wire Transfer disbursement in US dollars is 20.00 USD.
For E-check funded payments, PayPal's fee page says it applies the fee you agreed to pay, up to a monetary cap.
What to check before relying on any number
Several of these products are not open to everyone. PayPal's fee page says use of its online payment services is subject to eligibility, application, and approval by PayPal. The PayPal Business Debit MasterCard needs eligibility, application, and approval by PayPal. You must also accept the terms. Approved rates apply to certain payment types subject to the User Agreement. Capitalized terms in the online payment services section are defined in the PayPal Online Payment Services Agreement. That agreement spells out what each one means.
PayPal Balance is a balance holding account. Its fees are in the PayPal Balance Terms and Conditions, not on the main fee page.
Published prices change. Check each number against PayPal's own fee page on the day you sign up. If you sell in person, compare the Point of Sale rates to another company's reader. Use your typical ticket, the way we do in a forty dollar sale at the counter. Do you pay extra to move money faster? That fee belongs in the comparison too. See paying to be paid tonight.