Polymarket fees explained (2026): taker fees by category, Polymarket US’s new schedule and how to pay less

Polymarket charges a fee only when your order is a taker, one that fills straight away against someone else's order. Limit orders that rest on the book pay nothing and can earn rebates. The fee follows the same curve on both of Polymarket's platforms: it is largest at 50¢ and shrinks towards 1¢ and 99¢. What changes is the rate: by category on the global site, and one standard rate on Polymarket US, which moved to a new schedule on 19 October 2026.

As of 23 October 2026, from Polymarket's documentation and fee schedules. The order ticket shows the exact fee before you confirm.

Polymarket fees at a glance

How the fee formula works

On both platforms the fee is:

Fee = rate × number of shares × price × (1 − price)

Price × (1 − price) is largest at 50¢ (0.25) and smallest near the edges (0.09 at 10¢ or 90¢), so a trade at 30¢ costs the same in dollars as one at 70¢. On the global site fees are rounded to five decimal places, with a minimum of 0.00001 USDC; on Polymarket US they are rounded to the nearest cent.

Only takers pay. If you place a limit order below the best ask (or above the best bid) and it waits on the book until someone trades against it, you are the maker and pay nothing (limit order vs market order).

Global taker fees by category

A combo pays the combo rate whatever its legs are. Markets with a 0% fee, including temporary fee holidays, pay no maker rebate either.

Polymarket US fees (from 19 October 2026)

Polymarket US, the CFTC-regulated exchange for Americans, adopted a new exchange-wide schedule at 1 p.m. Eastern on Monday 19 October 2026:

• Standard taker fee: 0.0695 × contracts × p × (1 − p). At 50¢ that is $1.74 per 100 contracts, almost exactly Kalshi's $1.75.
• Table tennis: a higher rate of 0.10.
• Combos: contracts × p × [0.0695 × (1 − p) + 0.06 × (1 − p)⁴], with no maker rebate.
• Charged at the trade. No fee on cancelled or expired orders; fees and rebates are rounded to the nearest cent.

Maker rebates on Polymarket US

Makers pay nothing, and high-volume makers get money back, set by the previous calendar month's maker volume:

Taker rebates on Polymarket US

Takers get a share of their fees back each week, set by the previous month's taker volume:

For the rest of October 2026, tiers use the higher of your September volume or four times your volume from 12 to 18 October; from 1 November they follow the monthly rule.

Worked examples

• Politics, global site. You buy 200 shares at 40¢ with a market order: 0.04 × 200 × 0.4 × 0.6 = $1.92 on an $80 stake. If it wins you collect $200, with no fee on settlement.
• Sports, global site. 500 shares at 80¢: 0.05 × 500 × 0.8 × 0.2 = $4.00 on $400.
• Polymarket US. 100 contracts at 30¢: 0.0695 × 100 × 0.3 × 0.7 = $1.4595, rounded to $1.46.
• Polymarket US, large trade. 1,000 contracts at 50¢: the taker pays $17.38; a top-tier maker on the other side receives $2.60.
• Limit order that rests and fills later: $0.

Why fees hurt most on long shots

In dollars the fee peaks at 50¢. As a share of what you pay, it does the opposite: the fee per share divided by the price is rate × (1 − price), so it climbs towards the full rate as the price falls.

A 5¢ crypto long shot bought with a market order costs about 6.7% in fees; a 95¢ favourite costs 0.35%. If you like cheap contracts, limit orders matter even more (expected value calculator).

Costs that are not fees

• The spread. Buying at the ask and selling at the bid costs the gap between them, often more than the fee on thin markets (slippage, volume and spread).
• Slippage. A large market order walks up the book.
• Getting money in and out of the global site. Polymarket charges nothing, but card on-ramps such as MoonPay, exchanges and blockchain networks can (how to deposit on Polymarket, withdrawals).

Polymarket vs Kalshi fees

At 50¢ per 100 contracts: Kalshi takers pay $1.75 (Kalshi fees), Polymarket US takers $1.74, and the global site $1.00 (politics) to $1.75 (crypto), or nothing on geopolitics. Makers pay nothing on Polymarket, while Kalshi charges makers a quarter of the taker rate on some markets. The side-by-side tables are in Polymarket fees vs Kalshi fees.

How to pay less on Polymarket

1. Use limit orders and let them rest: makers pay nothing and can earn rebates.
2. Earn liquidity rewards by resting orders close to the midpoint (Polymarket rewards).
3. Mind the category. The same trade costs 75% more in crypto (0.07) than in politics (0.04), and nothing in geopolitics.
4. Avoid market orders on long shots, where the fee is the biggest share of the stake.
5. Trade size into liquidity, not into a thin book.

Polymarket fees: frequently asked questions

Does Polymarket charge fees?
Yes, on taker orders: a category rate on the global site (0.04 to 0.07, zero for geopolitics) and 0.0695 on Polymarket US, times shares × price × (1 − price).

Does Polymarket charge a fee to withdraw?
No Polymarket fee, but blockchain networks, exchanges and card processors may charge their own.

Are there fees on winnings?
No. Settlement is free; a winning share pays $1.

Why was I charged a fee on a limit order?
Because it was priced to cross the spread and filled immediately, which makes it a taker order.

What is the Polymarket US fee?
Since 19 October 2026: 0.0695 × contracts × price × (1 − price), at most $1.74 per 100 contracts at 50¢, with volume rebates for active traders.

Keep reading

• Polymarket fees vs Kalshi fees
• How Polymarket makes money
• Polymarket rewards explained
• Limit order vs market order
• How to deposit on Polymarket