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What a German PayPal account costs — and who pays
Written by
Erkan Boga
Erkan Boga is the founder and CEO of qmedia GmbH, the publishing house behind How-to-Germany.com. He established the platform with the clear vision of creating...
Edited by
Sadie Voss
Content Lead & Editor
Sadie Voss is the Lead Editor for How-to-Germany.com. As an expat who carved her own way into Berlin from the United States, Sadie is deeply...
Choose your account type, enter the amount in euros and pick a transaction type — until you pick one, the fee and the remaining amount show 0. The calculator assumes a payment within Germany or the rest of the EEA, with no currency conversion.
- Buyers pay nothing. The seller’s fee is taken from the money that arrives.
- Selling with a personal account costs 2.49% + €0.35. Business accounts pay 2.99% + €0.39 for PayPal Checkout.
- Friends and Family is free in euros within the EEA. To other countries it costs 5%, at least €0.99 and at most €3.99.
- Currency conversion costs extra: PayPal’s exchange rate includes a markup.
- Withdrawing to your bank account is free, even instantly, as long as no currency is converted. To a card it costs 1%, between €0.25 and €10.
How to use the PayPal fee calculator
“Consumer” means a personal account, “Merchant” a business account. A withdrawal asks one more question: to a bank account or to a card.
The results come in three blocks. Basis of calculation shows the fixed fee and the percentage in use. Result shows the PayPal fee and what actually arrives. Add fees for remaining amount works backward: what to ask for so that the amount you entered arrives in full.
That is not the same as adding the fee on top. On a personal account, the fee on €100 is €2.84. Ask for €102.84, and PayPal takes 2.49% of the larger amount plus €0.35 — €2.91 — so €99.93 arrives. The right price is €102.91.1
The “Merchant” option is labeled “Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services”, but it calculates with 2.99% + €0.39. That is the PayPal Checkout rate, for the PayPal button in an online shop and most other business payments. A goods and services payment through “Send money” costs a business account 2.49% + €0.35.2 For that case, choose “Consumer” and “Selling with PayPal”, which uses the same rate.
PayPal fees for German accounts
Payments in euros or Swedish kronor between two accounts in the European Economic Area count as domestic.1 A buyer in France costs a German seller no more than a buyer in Berlin. Switzerland and the UK are not part of the EEA.
| Transaction | Who pays | Personal account | Business account |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paying for a purchase | Nobody | Free | — |
| Goods and services payment via “Send money” | Recipient | 2.49% + €0.35 | 2.49% + €0.35 |
| PayPal Checkout and other commercial payments | Recipient | 2.49% + €0.35 | 2.99% + €0.39 |
| QR code payment | Recipient | 0.5% + €0.10 (up to €10: 1% + €0.05) | 0.9% |
| Surcharge on goods and services payments from outside the EEA | Recipient | UK +1.29%, US and Canada +1.99%, others +2.99% | Checkout: UK +1.29%, others +1.99%; “Send money”: as for personal accounts |
| Friends and Family in euros within the EEA | Nobody | Free | Can’t receive |
| Friends and Family to other countries | Sender or recipient | 5%, min. €0.99, max. €3.99 | Can’t receive |
| Withdrawal to a bank account | Account holder | Free (US bank account: 3%) | Free (US bank account: 3%) |
| Withdrawal to a card | Account holder | 1%, min. €0.25, max. €10 | 1%, min. €0.25, max. €10 |
| Currency conversion | Whoever converts | PayPal rate with a spread | 3% above the base rate |
| Sources: PayPal fee pages for personal and business accounts in Germany (last updated 7 September 2026, checked 21 October 2026). Fees include taxes. “—”: not in the business fee schedule. | |||
Worked examples
Selling a used bike in Germany
You sell your bike for €200 before moving out. The buyer lives in Germany and pays as goods and services.
- Fee: 2.49% of €200 = €4.98, plus €0.35 = €5.33
- Arrives: €194.67
- To net €200, ask for (€200 + €0.35) ÷ 97.51 × 100 = €205.47
If you ship it, the buyer is covered by PayPal’s buyer protection: bicycles count, cars and motorbikes don’t.3
The same sale to a buyer abroad
For a payment in euros from outside the EEA, PayPal adds a surcharge that the calculator leaves out.1 From the UK, the rate is 2.49% + 1.29% = 3.78%: the fee is €7.91 and €192.09 arrives. From Switzerland, it is 2.49% + 2.99% = 5.48%: €11.31, and €188.69 arrives.
A freelancer paid through PayPal Checkout
A freelance designer with a business account bills €1,000, and the client pays with the PayPal button on her website. From the EEA, the fee is €29.90 + €0.39 = €30.29, so €969.71 arrives. From the US, the rate is 2.99% + 1.99% = 4.98%: €50.19, and €949.81 arrives. Had an EEA client used “Send money” as goods and services, the fee would be €25.25.2
Sending €100 to family in the US
Friends and Family abroad costs 5%, which would be €5.00 — but the cap applies, so you pay €3.99.1 The €0.99 minimum applies up to €19.80, the cap from €79.80. If your parents receive dollars, PayPal also converts at its own rate, which includes a markup.4
Friends and Family or Goods and Services?
Friends and Family is for personal payments: your share of the rent, a dinner, a gift. Goods and Services is for anything you buy — the buyer still pays nothing, the seller pays the fee.1
The difference is protection. Friends and Family payments are not covered by PayPal’s buyer protection. With Goods and Services, a buyer whose item never arrives, or is very different from the description, can get the full price and the original shipping back by opening a dispute within 180 days.3
- PayPal forbids sending or requesting Friends and Family for a purchase.5
- Business accounts can’t receive Friends and Family payments.5
- Kleinanzeigen strongly advises buyers against Friends and Family and advance bank transfers, and lists Goods and Services as safe.6 If a stranger insists on Friends and Family, treat it as a red flag.
Selling privately: Kleinanzeigen and eBay
Kleinanzeigen with “Sicher bezahlen”. The buyer pays a service fee of €0.50 + 4.5% — €9.50 on a €200 sale — and the seller pays nothing. The payment provider Adyen holds the money until the buyer confirms receipt, for up to 14 days after shipping. It only works for shipping within Germany.7 On some listings, the buyer can choose PayPal inside “Sicher bezahlen” at no extra cost; the regular buyer protection fee still applies.8
PayPal agreed directly with the seller is not covered by Kleinanzeigen.8 PayPal’s own protection then needs a goods and services payment. If the buyer collects the item in person, “item not received” claims are excluded, except for PayPal QR code payments.3
eBay.de handles the payment itself, and selling within Germany is free for private sellers.9 If you use PayPal mainly to sell, PayPal requires a business account.5
Sending money abroad and currency conversion
The fee. Friends and Family to countries such as the UK, Switzerland, the US or Turkey costs 5%, at least €0.99 and at most €3.99.1 Either the sender or the recipient pays it, never both; usually the sender decides.10
The exchange rate. On a personal account, PayPal converts at its own transaction exchange rate, which includes a spread on top of the base rate.4 PayPal’s fee page doesn’t state that spread as a percentage,1 but PayPal shows you the rate before you confirm.5 Compare it with the mid-market rate in a currency app before you click. When a business account converts its balance, or a seller agrees to carry the conversion, PayPal charges 3% above the base rate instead.1
Euros to an EU account. EU banks must charge the same for a euro payment to another EU country as for a domestic one.11 If domestic transfers are free on your German account, a SEPA transfer to a euro account in Spain or Italy is free too — no PayPal needed.
Other currencies. Compare what arrives: ask your bank, PayPal and money-transfer services such as Wise or Western Union, and count the fee plus the exchange rate.
Paying by card instead. If a shop takes cards directly, your card’s terms apply instead of PayPal’s. In another EU currency, such as Polish złoty, your card provider may charge a conversion fee, but must tell you before you pay.11 Cards without that fee: credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.
Extra costs for business accounts
- Refunds: the customer gets the full amount back, but PayPal keeps the fixed part of the fee.2
- Disputes: €14 when a buyer escalates a claim to PayPal or reverses the payment through their card or bank.2 No standard dispute fee for payments under €28, for cases settled directly with the buyer or decided in your favor.5
- Chargebacks on card payments that don’t run through a PayPal account or guest checkout: €16.2
- Inactivity: up to €10 a year2 after 12 months without use — business accounts only.5
You may not charge customers extra for paying with PayPal, so build the fee into your prices.5 If you lose a buyer protection case, PayPal keeps the fee you paid on the sale.5 Accounts for your business income: business bank accounts in Germany.
Withdrawing money from PayPal
Withdrawals to your bank account are free, standard or instant. To a debit or credit card, the 1% fee is €0.25 on anything up to €25 and €10 from €1,000. A US bank account costs 3%.1 A balance in another currency is converted into euros first.5
What the calculator assumes
- Euros only, within Germany and the EEA: no surcharges from abroad, no fixed fees in other currencies, no currency conversion.
- No Friends and Family payments to other countries.
- Business accounts: PayPal Checkout only. No QR codes, card terminals or other products.
- No refunds, dispute fees, US bank withdrawals or platform fees such as Kleinanzeigen’s.
Results are rounded to the nearest cent; the fee on your PayPal statement is what counts. More calculators: tools for expats in Germany.
What you need to use PayPal in Germany
PayPal takes the money for your payments from a funding source you link: a bank account, or a credit, debit or prepaid card.5 If you live in Germany and link a bank account, you give PayPal a SEPA direct debit mandate to collect from it.5 A euro account with an IBAN is the simplest choice, and withdrawals to it are free.
Advertising notice: provider links in this overview are affiliate links — we receive a commission from the provider for sign-ups made through them.
All three are current accounts you open in an app. More accounts: best bank accounts for expats; step by step: opening a bank account in Germany. A debit card works too, and so does a prepaid card where PayPal accepts it.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, within Germany and for payments in euros to other EEA countries, as long as no currency is converted (as of 7 September 2026). Payments to other countries, for example the UK, Switzerland or the US, cost 5%, at least €0.99 and at most €3.99. Friends and Family payments have no buyer protection and must not be used to pay for purchases.
The seller. Buyers pay nothing when they pay with PayPal, unless a currency is converted. PayPal deducts the fee from the payment the seller receives — for a payment in euros from within the EEA, 2.49% + €0.35 on a personal account and 2.99% + €0.39 for PayPal Checkout on a business account. Payments from outside the EEA carry a surcharge.
On a personal account, a goods and services payment of €100 from within the EEA costs €2.84, so €97.16 arrives. On a business account with PayPal Checkout, the fee is €3.38 and €96.62 arrives. To receive the full €100, ask for €102.91 or €103.48 (rates as of 7 September 2026).
You shouldn’t. PayPal forbids Friends and Family for purchases, and these payments have no buyer protection. Kleinanzeigen strongly advises against them. Pay with “Sicher bezahlen” instead (the buyer pays €0.50 + 4.5%, shipping within Germany only) or with PayPal Goods and Services, where the seller pays the fee.
A Friends and Family payment to a country outside the EEA costs 5% of the amount, at least €0.99 and at most €3.99. Within the EEA, only payments in euros or Swedish kronor count as domestic. If the money is converted, PayPal’s exchange rate adds a markup on top. For euros to an account in another EU country, a normal bank transfer costs the same as a domestic one.
Its own transaction exchange rate: a base rate from the wholesale currency markets plus a spread that PayPal keeps. PayPal’s fee page doesn’t state the spread as a percentage, but PayPal shows you the rate before you confirm a payment. When a business account converts its balance, PayPal charges 3% above the base rate.
Yes. Withdrawals to your bank account are free, standard or instant, as long as no currency is converted. A withdrawal to a debit or credit card costs 1%, at least €0.25 and at most €10; to a US bank account, 3% (as of 7 September 2026).
Not on personal accounts: the inactivity fee doesn’t apply to personal accounts registered in Germany. A business account that has not been used for 12 months can be charged up to €10 a year, or the remaining balance if it is lower.
Sources (as of 21 October 2026)
Sources (as of 21 October 2026)
- PayPal, fees for personal accounts in Germany (in German; last updated 7 September 2026): buying is free; selling 2.49% + €0.35; euro payments within the EEA count as domestic; surcharges for payments from outside the EEA; Friends and Family; currency conversion; withdrawals.
- PayPal, fees for business accounts in Germany (in German; last updated 7 September 2026): PayPal Checkout 2.99% + €0.39; “Send money” for goods and services 2.49% + €0.35; QR codes 0.90%; surcharges; refunds; dispute fee €14; chargeback fee €16; inactivity fee.
- PayPal, Buyer Protection for Germany (English): full price plus original shipping; disputes within 180 days; Friends and Family payments and vehicles other than bicycles are excluded; “item not received” claims for items collected in person are excluded, except QR code payments.
- PayPal Help Center, currency calculator and exchange rates (English): the transaction exchange rate includes a currency conversion spread kept by PayPal.
- PayPal, user agreement for Germany (English): Friends and Family is not allowed for purchases; business accounts can’t receive personal payments; a business account is required to sell mainly; the exchange rate is shown before you pay; funding sources and SEPA direct debit; no surcharging; dispute fee exemptions; fees are not refunded after a lost buyer protection case; withdrawals in other currencies; no inactivity fee on personal accounts registered in Germany.
- Kleinanzeigen Help Center, how to trade safely and how to recognize fraud (both in German): Friends and Family and advance bank transfers advised against; PayPal Goods and Services listed as safe.
- Kleinanzeigen Help Center, “Sicher bezahlen” and buyer protection, and Kleinanzeigen, “Sicher bezahlen” topic page (both in German): service fee €0.50 + 4.5% paid by the buyer, free for sellers, shipping within Germany only, Adyen holds the money for up to 14 days.
- Kleinanzeigen Help Center, paying with PayPal via “Sicher bezahlen” (in German): not available on every listing, no extra fee, the regular buyer protection fee applies; PayPal payments arranged outside “Sicher bezahlen” are not covered.
- eBay.de, fees for private sellers (in German): selling within Germany is free; eBay processes the payments.
- PayPal, send money (in German): international fees are paid by the sender or the recipient, not both; usually the sender decides.
- European Union, Your Europe, payments, transfers and cheques (last checked by the EU on 28 April 2026): euro payments across the EU cost the same as domestic ones (Regulation (EU) 2021/1230); card conversion fees in other EU currencies must be shown before you pay.
Calculator and worked examples: our own calculations with the rates of the PayPal fee pages above, checked on 21 October 2026. PayPal publishes its current fee schedules for Germany in German only.