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Current fees at a glance
| Category | Taker rate | Maker fee | Max fee for 100 shares at 50¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto | 0.07 | 0 | 1.75 USDC |
| Sports | 0.05 | 0 | 1.25 USDC |
| Economics | 0.05 | 0 | 1.25 USDC |
| Culture | 0.05 | 0 | 1.25 USDC |
| Weather | 0.05 | 0 | 1.25 USDC |
| Other / General | 0.05 | 0 | 1.25 USDC |
| Finance | 0.04 | 0 | 1.00 USDC |
| Politics | 0.04 | 0 | 1.00 USDC |
| Mentions | 0.04 | 0 | 1.00 USDC |
| Tech | 0.04 | 0 | 1.00 USDC |
| Geopolitics | 0 | 0 | 0 USDC |
Polymarket’s documentation also lists a maker-rebate percentage by category, but a possible rebate is not a reduction to assume when estimating one order. The practical question is first whether your order takes existing liquidity and which fee parameters apply to that market.
How the fee is calculated
The published formula is:
fee = shares × fee rate × price × (1 − price)
At 50¢, price × (1 − price) equals 0.25, its maximum. That is why the dollar fee peaks at an even-looking market and falls symmetrically toward 1¢ or 99¢. Polymarket says fees are rounded to five decimal places; a calculated fee smaller than 0.00001 USDC rounds to zero.
Worked examples
100 crypto shares at 50¢: 100 × 0.07 × 0.50 × 0.50 = 1.75 USDC. The trade value is 50 USDC; the fee is 1.75 USDC.
100 politics shares at 60¢: 100 × 0.04 × 0.60 × 0.40 = 0.96 USDC. A 40¢ price would produce the same 0.96 USDC fee.
100 sports shares at 10¢: 100 × 0.05 × 0.10 × 0.90 = 0.45 USDC.
In our view, the useful number is not a generic “Polymarket fee percentage.” It is the fee for the actual market, order type, price and share count you are considering. Use the Fee Calculator for an estimate, then check the market before acting.
Maker or taker: who pays?
A taker accepts liquidity that is already available and pays the applicable fee. A maker leaves liquidity that is matched later and Polymarket says makers are never charged fees. An order type label alone does not settle this: a limit order priced to execute immediately can still take liquidity.
Do not confuse the displayed probability with your execution price. The displayed value can differ from the available bid or ask. Read How to Read a Market Page before treating a screen price as your final all-in cost.
Deposit and withdrawal costs
Polymarket says it does not charge a platform fee to deposit or withdraw USDC. That is not the same as saying every transfer is free: an exchange, payment provider or network may charge separately. Keep those charges separate from the trading fee above.
Bottom line
Current published taker rates are 0.04, 0.05 or 0.07 by category, with a zero rate for geopolitics. For 100 shares at 50¢, that means 1.00, 1.25 or 1.75 USDC respectively. Makers pay no published trading fee; deposit and withdrawal platform fees for USDC are stated as zero, while third-party costs can remain.
Related guides and tools
Estimate a fee before you act
Enter a share count, price and rate in the local Fee Calculator, then compare the result with the current market details.
Availability and eligibility depend on your location.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest Polymarket taker fee?
For 100 shares at a 50¢ price, the current published maximum is 1.75 USDC for crypto markets. The formula means the dollar fee falls as the share price moves away from 50¢.
Do makers pay Polymarket trading fees?
No. Polymarket’s current documentation says makers are never charged fees. Whether an order is a maker order depends on whether it rests in the book rather than taking available liquidity immediately.
Are geopolitical markets fee-free?
Polymarket currently lists geopolitical and world-events markets as fee-free. Check the current market details rather than assuming another topic is treated the same way.
Are deposits and withdrawals free?
Polymarket says it does not charge a platform fee to deposit or withdraw USDC. A payment provider, exchange or network can still charge its own fee.
Why is my fee not a fixed percentage of my trade value?
The fee uses shares, category rate and price × (1 − price). It peaks at 50¢ and is symmetric: with the same shares and rate, 30¢ and 70¢ produce the same dollar fee.