How to Calculate Stripe & PayPal Fees (Net↔Gross)

Stripe & PayPal Fee Calculator: A Practical Guide

Use this guide to understand payment processor fees, choose the correct mode (Net→Gross or Gross→Net), and avoid undercharging clients.

Why fees matter

Every card transaction is reduced by two components: a percentage and a fixed amount. When you charge 100.00 with a fee of 2.90% + 0.30, your net is not 97.10 because the fixed part also applies. For subscriptions, small fixed fees accumulate and affect margins. A calculator ensures quotes are consistent, transparent, and profitable.

Two modes you will use daily

  • Gross → Net: You enter the amount you plan to charge. The tool subtracts the fee and shows what you will receive.
  • Net → Gross: You enter the amount you want to receive. The tool solves for the price you must charge so that, after the fee, the target net remains intact.

Typical presets

Rates vary by market and change occasionally. Common starting points are Stripe US 2.9% + 0.30 and PayPal US 3.49% + 0.49. Merchants with custom pricing should overwrite the numbers. Regions such as the UK or EU often use slightly different fixed fees and percentage bands.

Examples

Suppose you need 100.00 net using PayPal US at 3.49% + 0.49. The Net→Gross equation is gross = (net + fixed) / (1 - percent). With numbers that becomes (100 + 0.49) / (1 - 0.0349) = 104.12. Total fees equal 4.12 and the effective rate is 3.96% because % is applied to the gross, not the net. If you instead charge 100.00 and use Gross→Net, the net becomes 100 - (100 * 0.0349 + 0.49) = 95.61.

How to use the calculator efficiently

  1. Select the mode that matches your goal.
  2. Choose a provider and region to autofill starting rates.
  3. Adjust percentage and fixed fee to your account.
  4. Click Calculate to update Gross, Total Fees, Net, and Effective %.
  5. Use Copy Link or Share to send a prefilled URL to colleagues or clients.
  6. Press Print to archive a quote as PDF.

SEO and analytics tips

Add internal links to this tool from your pricing pages and FAQs. Use descriptive anchor text like “calculate Stripe fees”. Track the calculate_fees event in Google Analytics to measure engagement and RPM. Keep the article in English if your target is US and other English-speaking markets.

Compliance and privacy

This tool performs all calculations in the browser. It does not store personal data or send it to third parties. Rates are provided as examples and should be verified with your processor.

For a live demo, visit the calculator and experiment with different combinations to understand the real impact of fees on your business.