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Are PayPal Fees Tax-Deductible?

If you use PayPal for business transactions on a regular basis, you’re probably curious about whether or not the fees are tax-deductible. Let’s see what we can find out!


As an electronic alternative to conventional paper methods like checks and money orders, PayPal, which was founded in 1998 as Confinity, is an American multinational financial technology firm that operates an online payments system in most countries that permit online money transfers.

Are PayPal Fees Tax-Deductible?Pin

The service is used by all kinds of people, whether it’s to pay for goods and services or send cash gifts to friends and family.

The firm charges a fee for its services as a payment processor to online retailers, auction sites, and a wide range of other commercial clients. If you’re on the business end of this transaction, you’re probably wondering whether or not the fees encountered are tax-deductible, as over a tax year the cost of these fees can grow quite substantially.

Is It Possible To Claim Tax Back On PayPal Fees?

The good news is that all of the fees you incur as a consequence of using PayPal for your company transactions are tax-deductible.

This is critical information for freelancers and small companies that accept payments for goods and services via PayPal. When you receive money using PayPal, fees are deducted from your payment, thus this might save you a lot of money each year.

Credit card convenience fees are deductible by businesses since they are an essential expense of conducting business. If you take payments using PayPal, you may deduct the costs, regardless of how much or how little business you’ve done on the site over the year. Wait until the end of the year to print out your account history to record such costs.

What Fees Does PayPal Have?

PayPal’s transaction processing fees vary from 1.9 % to 3.5 % of the transaction amount, plus a set cost of 5 cents to 49 cents. The amount you pay is determined by the PayPal product you use.

Although it may not seem to be a significant sum, a $10 transaction will cost you between $2 and $3.99. These costs may eat up a significant portion of your revenue over the course of a year.

PayPal is quite open about its charges. The complete cost structure is available on their website’s ”Merchant Fees’ page.

Because clarity can be complicated, here’s a clear compiled list of PayPal’s current fees:

Standard PayPal

  • Digital payments – 3.49% plus a 49 cent transaction fee
  • Credit and debit card payments – 2.99% plus a 49 cent transaction fee
  • Sending and receiving money for goods and services – 2.89% plus a 49 cent transaction fee
  • Donations – 2.89% plus a 49 cent transaction fee
  • Alternative payment methods – 2.59% plus a 49 cent transaction fee
  • Charitable transactions – 1.99% plus a 49 cent transaction fee

PayPal Here

  • Card or QR code – 2.7% and no fee
  • Keyed – 3.5% plus a 15 cent transaction fee

Zettle

  • Card or QR code – 2.29% plus a 9 cent transaction fee
  • Keyed – 3.49% plus a 9 cent transaction fee

QR Code Transactions

  • Under $10 – 2.4% plus a 5 cent transaction fee
  • Over $10 – 1.9% plus a 10 cent transaction fee

Online Card Payment Services

  • Virtual terminal – 3.09% (3.5% for American Express) – plus a 49 cent transaction fee and a $30 monthly fee
  • Payments advanced – 2.89% plus a 49 cent transaction fee and a $5 monthly fee
  • Payments pro – 2.89% plus a 49 cent transaction fee and a $30 monthly fee
  • Advanced credit or debit card – 2.59% (3.5% for American Express) plus a 49 cent transaction fee

There are additional fees for online card payment services not stated here. Chargeback Protection, for instance, might help you save money. If you aren’t in a high-risk industry, the extra for Advanced Fraud Protection, for example, may be worth it. Keep track of these expenses since they may quickly add up.

Your default rate with PayPal is 2.99% plus $0.49 per transaction when you join up. Advanced Credit/Debit Card Payments has a lower per-transaction cost of 2.59% + $0.49 and Chargeback Protection. However, keep in mind that greater features come at a cost, negating any savings. Consider the benefits vs the expenses.

There will be extra per-transaction charges and expenses for international transactions. All rates and fees are listed on PayPal’s Merchant Fee page.

How Do PayPal’s Competitors Fees Compare?

PayPal certainly isn’t the only service of this type on the web. Stripe and Square are the most well-known “wallet” apps, although Google Pay is also now worth mentioning owing to some of their most recent feature additions.

In terms of rates and fees, Stripe and Square seem to be more competitive than PayPal. Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents for a transaction, whereas Square charges 2.6% plus 10 cents. Keep in mind, however, that PayPal, Stripe, and Square each have their own set of applications. You’ll have to weigh the advantages of each against the features your business need, such as website and point-of-sale integration.

There are people out there that are still sceptical of a lot of things online, especially if they’ve been a victim of cybercrime before. They’ll only trust a brand as recognisable as PayPal.

One of PayPal’s best features is how easy it is to make payments to all kinds of people and businesses. Combining the service’s ease of use with its reputation can certainly see your company’s sales conversions and profitability improve as a result of this.

Google Pay’s fees have placed them in a position to really make PayPal’s executives a little nervous. Using Google Pay’s services is free for businesses and there are no fees if your customer pays with a bank account using Google Pay. However, if your customer makes a purchase using a credit card linked to their Google Pay account, your business may be charged a transaction fee.

Jake McEvoy

Jake is a professional copywriter, journalist, and life-long fan of technology. He covers news and user guides for KnowYourMobile.

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