Payment fee calculator for freelancers
What PayPal, Stripe, Payoneer, Wise or a bank transfer keeps from your invoice, and what to invoice so you still receive the full amount.
Last updated 14 October 2026
Rates used (US price sheets, Sept 2026)
What the fee is made of
Every provider quotes a headline rate, and almost nobody pays only that. Three pieces stack:
- The percentage of the amount. PayPal 3.49%, Stripe 2.9%, Payoneer up to 3.99% for card payments, 1% for bank debits.
- The fixed fee per transaction: $0.49 on PayPal and Payoneer, $0.30 on Stripe. Invisible on a $5,000 invoice, 10% on a $5 one.
- The surcharges. Another 1.5% when the client or their card is in a different country (PayPal and Stripe), and a currency conversion margin when the money lands in a currency other than your account's: about 3% on PayPal, 1% on Stripe, up to 2% on Payoneer, and a fraction of a percent on Wise.
On a $1,000 invoice from a client in another country, paid in their currency, PayPal keeps roughly $80. Stripe about $54. A Wise local account, about $5. The difference across a year of invoices is a month's rent.
What to invoice to receive a round number
Fees are taken from the amount paid, so to receive 1,000 you have to invoice a bit more than 1,000 plus the fee. The maths: invoice = (target + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − total percentage). Switch to "I want to receive this amount" and the calculator does it. Before you add it to the invoice, check whether surcharging is allowed where you are: card surcharges are limited or banned for consumer cards in the EU, the UK and several US states, and PayPal does not allow them in its own rules. Pricing the fee into your rate is always allowed.
The cheap way, in order
- Domestic bank transfer in your own currency. Free almost everywhere. Put the details on every invoice and make it the first option.
- Local receiving account abroad (Wise, Payoneer, Revolut Business). The US client pays a US transfer to US account details, free for them, free for you; you pay only a small margin to convert, if you convert at all.
- Card through Stripe when the client insists on paying by card. Cheaper than PayPal and the client does not need an account.
- PayPal when the client already lives there. Convenient, and the most expensive of the four once conversion is involved.
Where the defaults come from
- PayPal: US merchant fees, last updated 1 September 2026. Checkout and invoicing 3.49% + $0.49; card without account 2.99% + $0.49; international commercial transactions +1.5%; currency conversion 3%.
- Stripe: US pricing, 2.9% + $0.30 per card payment, +1.5% international cards, +1% currency conversion; Invoicing 0.4% per paid invoice.
- Payoneer: fees page, 1 January 2026. Up to 3.99% + $0.49 for card payments, 1% for US ACH and EU/UK bank payments, free from another Payoneer account, withdrawal with conversion up to 2% on common routes.
- Wise: business receiving fees. Free for domestic USD, EUR and GBP transfers into local account details, $6.11 per USD wire; conversion from about 0.3% depending on the pair (0.5% used here).
- SWIFT wire: the receiving bank's inbound wire fee, typically $15 to $25 in the US and €5 to €20 in the EU; $20 used here. The sending bank and intermediaries may deduct more before it arrives.
Questions people ask
How much does PayPal take from a $1,000 invoice?
On PayPal's US price sheet (September 2026) an invoice paid through PayPal Checkout costs 3.49% plus $0.49, so $35.39 on $1,000 and you receive $964.61. If the client is in another country add 1.5% ($15), and if the payment arrives in a different currency PayPal keeps about 3% more on the conversion. A $1,000 invoice from an overseas client paid in another currency can cost around $80.
Is Stripe cheaper than PayPal for freelancers?
Usually yes for card payments. Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9% plus $0.30 against PayPal Checkout's 3.49% plus $0.49. Both add 1.5% for international cards; Stripe adds 1% for currency conversion, PayPal about 3%. Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice on top. Stripe needs a business setup and a checkout page or invoice link; PayPal needs only an email address, which is why clients still ask for it.
What is the cheapest way for a freelancer to get paid?
A local bank transfer in your own currency, which is free on both sides in most countries, or a Wise or Payoneer local receiving account if the client is abroad. Those let a US, UK or EU client pay a domestic transfer and you receive it at no fee, with only a small conversion margin if you move it to your own currency. Card and PayPal payments are convenient for the client and cost you 3 to 5 percent.
Can I charge the client the PayPal or Stripe fee?
Adding a surcharge to a card or PayPal payment is restricted in many places, including several US states, the EU and the UK for consumer cards, and PayPal's own rules. The usual approach is to price it in: work out the amount that nets what you want and invoice that, or offer bank transfer as the default and PayPal or card as the convenient option. The "I want to receive" mode of this calculator gives you the grossed-up amount.
Why is the fee higher than the headline percentage?
Three things stack on top of the headline rate: a fixed fee per transaction (PayPal $0.49, Stripe $0.30, Payoneer $0.49 for cards), which matters on small invoices; an international surcharge of 1.5% when the payer or their card is in another country; and a currency conversion margin when the money arrives in a currency other than your account's. On PayPal that margin is about 3%, which is often the biggest part of the total.
Are these the fees in my country?
The defaults are the providers' US price sheets. Rates differ by country and by account: Stripe in the UK and EU starts at 1.5% plus a small fixed fee for local cards, PayPal's domestic rates are different in each country, and Wise's conversion fee depends on the currency pair. Every rate in this calculator is editable, so put in the numbers from your own account to get your exact figure.
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