Fee estimator
What do you lose to fees?
Enter what you bill and see what wires, PayPal and Payoneer take from it each year.
24 invoices a year, $60,000 billed
Context only. It doesn't change the math.
Lost each year on a bank wire
$2,640
$110.00 per $2,500 invoice, 4.4% of everything you bill
Per invoice
$110.00
Per year
$2,640
Five years at this volume
$13,200
US banks charge $35–50 to send; each correspondent takes $15–30; the FX spread runs 2–4%.
Lost per year, method by method
Fasset Business is not included in this comparison. Its pricing is published per plan on the pricing page.
World Bank average cost for US → Pakistan: 2.14% (2023)
Estimates from published pricing and World Bank data, on the assumptions shown. Fees, rates and your own volume will change the result. Educational only, not financial advice.
Anatomy
Where the money goes
A wire looks like one payment; it's really a relay. US banks charge $35–50 to send an international wire, and the money then passes through one or more correspondent banks, each taking $15–30 on the way. When it lands, the receiving bank adds an FX markup of 2–4% inside the exchange rate, and often waives the visible receiving fee entirely, because the spread pays for it several times over.
PayPal charges by percentage instead: 4.49% plus $0.49 to receive an international commercial payment, then a conversion spread of 3–4% when the balance leaves USD, roughly 7–8% of the invoice all in. Payoneer looks cheaper because its price is invisible: up to 2% above the mid-market rate, baked into the withdrawal rather than itemised. And across every channel the World Bank measures, sending money internationally cost an average of 6.49% of the amount sent in Q1 2025, with banks the most expensive route at an average of 9.5%.
None of these numbers appear on an invoice. They appear as the gap between what your client paid and what your account received.
Sources: World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide, Q1 2025; NerdWallet and Experian wire-fee surveys; PayPal and Payoneer published pricing. Compiled July 2026.
Compare
The honest comparison
The same $2,500 invoice, five ways home. Fasset's own pricing is published per plan and is not modelled here.
| Method | How it charges | Cost on a $2,500 invoice | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWIFT wire | $35–50 to send, $15–30 per correspondent bank, 2–4% FX markup on arrival | $110.00 | 4.4% |
| PayPal | 4.49% + $0.49 to receive, then a 3–4% conversion spread | $200.24 | 8.0% |
| Payoneer | Up to 2% above mid-market, priced inside the withdrawal rate | $50.00 | 2.0% |
| Typical remittance | World Bank global average: 6.49% of the amount sent | $162.25 | 6.5% |
| Wise for reference | Upfront fee at the mid-market rate, roughly 0.6–1.3% ($6.29 fee on $1,000 to PKR) | ≈$24.00 | ~1.0% |
| Fasset Business | Published per-plan pricing, see the pricing page | Not included in this comparison | |
Costs computed from the same benchmark assumptions the calculator uses: midpoint fees and spreads from published pricing, July 2026. The wire is modelled on the receiving side: the sending bank's $35 to $50 is paid by your client and is not counted. Your bank, corridor and amount will move the exact figure.
Questions
Transfer fees, briefly
Why does my bank say the wire is free?
Because the visible fee is not where the money is made. Many receiving banks waive the incoming wire fee and take 2–4% inside the exchange rate instead. On a $2,500 invoice that spread is worth $50–100, several times the fee they waived.
The wire isn't free; the price has been moved somewhere it doesn't show up on the statement.
What's an FX markup?
The gap between the mid-market exchange rate (the rate banks trade at with each other) and the rate you're actually given when your dollars are converted. A bank quoting 2–4% below mid-market keeps that slice on every conversion. It usually does not appear as a line item, which is why it persists.
Is PayPal really that expensive for freelancers?
At list price, yes. Receiving an international commercial payment costs 4.49% plus $0.49, and converting the balance adds a 3–4% spread on top, roughly 7–8% of the invoice all in.
And PayPal doesn't natively pay out in Pakistan or Bangladesh, so freelancers there route through workarounds that add their own cost.
What does the World Bank data actually measure?
Remittance Prices Worldwide tracks the total cost of sending money across hundreds of corridors: the upfront fee plus the exchange-rate margin, measured on standard amounts. The global average was 6.49% of the amount sent in Q1 2025, with banks the most expensive channel at an average of 9.5%.
The corridor averages shown under the comparison are the 2023 World Bank figures for the US to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt.
How does Fasset avoid the correspondent chain?
By settling in USDT instead of routing dollars through correspondent banks, then converting at the mid-market rate plus a conversion fee shown before you confirm. Fasset's pricing is published per plan on the pricing page and is not modelled in this calculator. USDT is issued by a third party, and how closely it tracks the dollar depends on that issuer.
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