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Polymarket fees: what you actually pay per trade

The official fee table by category, the exact formula, why makers pay nothing, and worked examples with real numbers.

By Matías MardonesUpdated on October 25, 20265 min read

The essentials

  • Only takers pay fees: those who accept an order already in the book. Makers, who place an order and wait, never pay.
  • The fee depends on the market category and the price you trade at. It peaks when the price is 0.50 and is almost zero near 0 or 1.
  • Geopolitics markets have no fee.
  • Depositing and withdrawing USDC carries no Polymarket fee, although the exchange or bridge you use may charge its own.

The formula

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

Where “shares” is the number of contracts, “rate” is the category rate and “price” is the contract price, between 0 and 1. The fee is charged when the order fills.

Official table by category

Category Taker rate Fee per 100 shares at 0.50
Crypto 0.07 1.75 USDC
Sports 0.05 1.25 USDC
Economics 0.05 1.25 USDC
Culture 0.05 1.25 USDC
Weather 0.05 1.25 USDC
Combos 0.05 1.25 USDC
Other / General 0.05 1.25 USDC
Politics 0.04 1.00 USDC
Finance 0.04 1.00 USDC
Tech 0.04 1.00 USDC
Mentions 0.04 1.00 USDC
Geopolitics 0 0

Source: Polymarket’s official fee documentation, reviewed in October 2026. Check each market’s own fee schedule before trading.

Three worked examples

Example 1. You buy 100 “Yes” contracts in a football market at 0.50. Fee: 100 × 0.05 × 0.5 × 0.5 = 1.25 USDC. You pay 50 USDC for the contracts plus 1.25 in fees.

Example 2. Same market, but you buy at 0.90 because the result is almost decided. Fee: 100 × 0.05 × 0.9 × 0.1 = 0.45 USDC. The more extreme the price, the lower the fee.

Example 3. Instead of taking the book price, you place a limit order at 0.48 and wait for someone to fill it. You are a maker: fee 0. The gap between 1.25 and 0 is why frequent traders almost always use limit orders.

Does Polymarket charge fees on winnings?

No. The official fee documentation describes one trading fee: the taker fee, charged when a trade matches. It lists no charge on profits or on redeeming winning shares. When a market resolves, each winning share is redeemable for 1 USD (resolution docs).

Two costs can still touch your winnings. If you sell before resolution by accepting an order in the book, that sale is a taker trade and pays the usual fee. And taxes on profits depend on your country, not on Polymarket; see the Polymarket taxes guide.

Where the fees go

They fund two programs. The maker rebate program pays out daily to those who provide liquidity with limit orders. The taker rebate program works by tiers, but Polymarket does not publish the details on its fees page, so do not count on it when you work out what trading costs you.

How to pay less without doing anything clever

The fee depends on three things you partly control: how you enter the market, at what price and in which category.

  • Trade as a maker. Place a limit order and wait for someone to fill it, and you pay nothing. The cost is time: your order may never fill, or the price may move away. The limit orders guide walks through it.
  • Watch the price, not just the rate. Because of the formula, buying at 0.10 or 0.90 costs far less than buying at 0.50. For instance, 100 crypto contracts at 0.10 cost 100 × 0.07 × 0.1 × 0.9 = 0.63 USDC, against 1.75 at 0.50.
  • Compare categories. Same size, same price: a politics market (0.04) charges less than a crypto one (0.07). Geopolitics charges nothing.

Before sending a large order, run the numbers in the fee calculator: pick the category, price and size, and it shows what you would pay as a taker and as a maker.

Rounding and currency

The fee is rounded to five decimal places and taken at the moment of the match, from the same balance you trade with (pUSD, which is how Polymarket shows the USDC you deposited).

Fees that are not Polymarket’s

  • Buying USDC on your exchange: every exchange and payment method has its own rate. Check yours before buying.
  • Sending USDC on Polygon: exchanges usually charge a per-network withdrawal fee; pick Polygon so it reaches your deposit address.
  • Cashing out to your bank: depends on the exchange you send USDC to and how you convert it to your currency.

The biggest cost is rarely Polymarket’s fee. It is usually the currency conversion and the exchange’s own charges. The steps for each leg are in how to deposit on Polymarket and how to withdraw from Polymarket.

Frequently asked questions

Does Polymarket charge to deposit or withdraw?

No. Deposits and withdrawals carry no Polymarket fee. Whatever you pay at those steps is charged by the exchange, card processor or bridge you use.

Why did I pay a fee on a limit order?

A limit order is only a maker order if it rests in the book. If your price crosses an order that is already there, it fills at once and counts as a taker trade.

Does Polymarket take a cut of my winnings?

No. Polymarket’s fee docs list no fee on profits or on redeeming winning shares, which pay 1 USD each. You only pay the taker fee when you trade by accepting an existing order.

Can the rates change?

Yes. This table matches the official documentation as reviewed in October 2026. Before trading, check the fee shown on each market’s page.

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