PayPal International Fee Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate the fees you might incur when sending money internationally via PayPal. Please note that PayPal's fee structure can be complex and vary by country, currency, and transaction type. This calculator provides an estimate based on common fee structures for a sender in the US.
Understanding PayPal International Fees
Sending money internationally through PayPal involves various fees that can impact the total cost of your transaction. These fees are generally categorized based on the transaction type, the funding source, and the recipient's country or region.
Key Fee Components:
- Base Percentage Fee: This fee is typically applied when you use a credit or debit card to fund a personal payment (Friends & Family). If you use your PayPal balance or linked bank account for personal payments, this fee is usually waived. For Goods & Services payments, the recipient typically pays the base percentage fee.
- Fixed Fee: A small fixed amount is often added to transactions funded by credit or debit cards. This fixed fee varies by currency. For USD transactions, it's commonly $0.30.
- International Percentage Fee: This is an additional percentage charged specifically for sending money to a different country. The exact percentage can vary significantly depending on the sender's and recipient's countries. Our calculator uses common ranges for different regions.
- Currency Conversion Fee: This is often the most overlooked fee. When you send money in one currency and the recipient receives it in another, PayPal applies an exchange rate that includes a margin (a spread) above the wholesale exchange rate. This can add an additional 3% to 4% (or more) to the cost of your transaction, even if other fees are low or zero. This calculator does not account for the currency conversion spread, as it requires real-time exchange rates.
Friends & Family vs. Goods & Services:
- Friends & Family (Personal Payments): These are intended for sending money to people you know, like family or friends.
- If funded by PayPal Balance or Bank Account: Usually no fee for the sender, though currency conversion fees still apply if different currencies are involved.
- If funded by Credit or Debit Card: The sender typically pays a fee, which includes a base percentage, a fixed fee, and an international percentage fee. This calculator primarily estimates fees for this scenario from the sender's perspective.
- Goods & Services (Commercial Payments): These are for buying or selling items or services.
- The recipient (seller) typically pays the fees, which include a base percentage and a fixed fee. An international fee may also apply if the sender and recipient are in different countries. The sender usually does not pay fees for Goods & Services transactions unless they explicitly choose to cover them.
How Our Calculator Works:
This calculator focuses on estimating the fees a sender would pay for an international transaction, particularly for Friends & Family payments funded by a credit or debit card. It also provides an estimate for the international percentage fee based on the recipient's region.
Assumptions:
- The transaction is initiated from the US in USD.
- Base Credit/Debit Card Fee: 2.9% + $0.30 (for sender-paid fees).
- International Percentage Fees (additional):
- Canada / Europe: 1.5%
- Australia / Asia: 2.0%
- Other International: 2.5%
- If funded by PayPal Balance/Bank Account for Friends & Family, the calculator assumes 0% fees for the sender (excluding currency conversion).
- The calculator does NOT include the currency conversion spread, which is an additional cost if the recipient receives money in a different currency.
Example Scenarios:
Let's look at some examples using the calculator's logic:
Example 1: Sending $200 to Europe (Friends & Family, Credit Card)
- Amount to Send: $200.00
- Recipient's Region: Canada / Europe
- Funding Source: Credit / Debit Card
- Base Percentage Fee (2.9% of $200): $5.80
- International Percentage Fee (1.5% of $200): $3.00
- Fixed Fee: $0.30
- Total Fees: $9.10
- Total Cost to Sender: $209.10
- Net Amount Received by Recipient (before currency conversion): $200.00
Example 2: Sending $500 to Australia (Friends & Family, PayPal Balance)
- Amount to Send: $500.00
- Recipient's Region: Australia / Asia
- Funding Source: PayPal Balance / Bank Account
- Base Percentage Fee: $0.00
- International Percentage Fee: $0.00
- Fixed Fee: $0.00
- Total Fees: $0.00
- Total Cost to Sender: $500.00
- Net Amount Received by Recipient (before currency conversion): $500.00
- Note: Currency conversion fees would still apply if the recipient receives AUD.
Always check PayPal's official fee pages for the most accurate and up-to-date information, as fees can change.
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function calculatePayPalFees() {
var transactionAmountInput = document.getElementById("transactionAmount");
var transactionAmount = parseFloat(transactionAmountInput.value);
if (isNaN(transactionAmount) || transactionAmount <= 0) {
document.getElementById("paypalResult").innerHTML = "Please enter a valid transaction amount.";
return;
}
var recipientRegion = document.getElementById("recipientRegion").value;
var fundingSource = document.querySelector('input[name="fundingSource"]:checked').value;
var basePercentage = 0;
var fixedFee = 0;
var internationalPercentage = 0;
// Determine base fees based on funding source (for sender-paid fees, e.g., F&F with card)
if (fundingSource === "credit_debit_card") {
basePercentage = 0.029; // 2.9%
fixedFee = 0.30; // $0.30
}
// If fundingSource is "balance_bank", basePercentage and fixedFee remain 0 for sender.
// Determine international percentage based on recipient region
if (fundingSource === "credit_debit_card") { // International fee also applies if funded by card
if (recipientRegion === "canada_europe") {
internationalPercentage = 0.015; // 1.5%
} else if (recipientRegion === "australia_asia") {
internationalPercentage = 0.020; // 2.0%
} else if (recipientRegion === "other_international") {
internationalPercentage = 0.025; // 2.5%
}
}
// If fundingSource is "balance_bank", internationalPercentage remains 0 for sender.
var totalPercentage = basePercentage + internationalPercentage;
var percentageFee = transactionAmount * totalPercentage;
var totalFees = percentageFee + fixedFee;
var totalCostToSender = transactionAmount + totalFees;
var netAmountReceived = transactionAmount; // Assuming sender pays fees, recipient gets full amount before conversion
var resultHTML = "
Calculation Results:
";
resultHTML += "Amount to Send:
$" + transactionAmount.toFixed(2) + "";
resultHTML += "Base Percentage Fee (" + (basePercentage * 100).toFixed(1) + "%):
$" + percentageFee.toFixed(2) + "";
if (internationalPercentage > 0) {
resultHTML += "International Percentage Fee (" + (internationalPercentage * 100).toFixed(1) + "%):
$" + (transactionAmount * internationalPercentage).toFixed(2) + "";
}
resultHTML += "Fixed Fee:
$" + fixedFee.toFixed(2) + "";
resultHTML += "
Total Estimated Fees: $" + totalFees.toFixed(2) + "";
resultHTML += "
Total Cost to Sender: $" + totalCostToSender.toFixed(2) + "";
resultHTML += "Net Amount Received by Recipient (before currency conversion):
$" + netAmountReceived.toFixed(2) + "";
resultHTML += "
Note: This estimate does not include potential currency conversion fees if the recipient receives a different currency.";
document.getElementById("paypalResult").innerHTML = resultHTML;
}