Polymarket charges a small taker fee on most markets, with rates that vary by category. Geopolitical and world events markets are fee-free. As of April 2026, Polymarket uses a simplified fee formula with no exponent — just a category-specific fee rate applied to shares, price, and uncertainty.
Here’s everything you need to know about how much it costs to trade on Polymarket. You can also use our free fee calculator to calculate the exact fee on any trade.
Fee Overview by Category
| Category | Taker Fee Rate | Maker Fee Rate | Maker Rebate | Max Fee (100 shares) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports | 0.03 | 0 | 25% | $0.75 |
| Politics | 0.04 | 0 | 25% | $1.00 |
| Finance | 0.04 | 0 | 25% | $1.00 |
| Tech | 0.04 | 0 | 25% | $1.00 |
| Mentions | 0.04 | 0 | 25% | $1.00 |
| Economics | 0.05 | 0 | 25% | $1.25 |
| Culture | 0.05 | 0 | 25% | $1.25 |
| Weather | 0.05 | 0 | 25% | $1.25 |
| Other / General | 0.05 | 0 | 25% | $1.25 |
| Crypto | 0.072 | 0 | 20% | $1.80 |
| Geopolitics | 0 | 0 | — | $0.00 |
Key takeaway: Geopolitics markets are completely free to trade. Sports markets are the cheapest fee-bearing category (max $0.75 per 100 shares), while crypto markets are the most expensive ($1.80). Most categories fall between $1.00 and $1.25.
Fees only apply to markets deployed on or after the activation date. Pre-existing markets are unaffected. Markets with fees have feesEnabled set to true on the market object.
This table is also a market-maker’s opportunity map. Every taker fee listed above funds the Maker Rebates Program — 25% of all fees collected (20% on Crypto) gets paid back to makers daily. If you’re placing limit orders, you pay zero fees AND collect a share of what takers pay. See our market-making guide for how to turn this into a real strategy.
How Polymarket Fees Are Calculated
Polymarket uses a simple formula that makes fees proportional to uncertainty:
fee = C × feeRate × p × (1 - p)Where:
- C = number of shares traded
- feeRate = category-specific rate (see table above)
- p = price of the shares (between 0.01 and 0.99)
What This Means in Practice
The dollar fee is highest at $0.50 (maximum uncertainty) and decreases symmetrically toward the extremes ($0.01 or $0.99). A trade at 30¢ incurs the same dollar fee as a trade at 70¢. This makes intuitive sense — you pay more to trade uncertain outcomes and less to trade near-certainties.
Example: Buying 100 shares of a sports market
| Share Price | Trade Value | Fee (PUSD) |
|---|---|---|
| $0.01 | $1.00 | $0.03 |
| $0.05 | $5.00 | $0.14 |
| $0.10 | $10.00 | $0.27 |
| $0.15 | $15.00 | $0.38 |
| $0.20 | $20.00 | $0.48 |
| $0.25 | $25.00 | $0.56 |
| $0.30 | $30.00 | $0.63 |
| $0.35 | $35.00 | $0.68 |
| $0.40 | $40.00 | $0.72 |
| $0.45 | $45.00 | $0.74 |
| $0.50 | $50.00 | $0.75 |
| $0.55 | $55.00 | $0.74 |
| $0.60 | $60.00 | $0.72 |
| $0.65 | $65.00 | $0.68 |
| $0.70 | $70.00 | $0.63 |
| $0.75 | $75.00 | $0.56 |
| $0.80 | $80.00 | $0.48 |
| $0.85 | $85.00 | $0.38 |
| $0.90 | $90.00 | $0.27 |
| $0.95 | $95.00 | $0.14 |
| $0.99 | $99.00 | $0.03 |
The fee in PUSD peaks at 50% probability ($0.75) and decreases symmetrically toward both extremes.
Maker vs. Taker Fees
Polymarket distinguishes between makers and takers:
- Takers are orders that execute immediately against existing book orders. Market orders are always takers. A limit order priced aggressively enough to cross the spread and fill immediately is also a taker. Takers pay the full fee.
- Makers are limit orders that sit on the order book and get filled by someone else. Makers pay zero fees.
Maker Rebates Program
On top of paying no fees, makers are also rewarded through the Maker Rebates Program. A percentage of collected taker fees is redistributed daily to market makers as PUSD incentive payments:
| Category | Max Taker Fee (100 shares) | Maker Fee | Rebate Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports | $0.75 | $0 | 25% |
| Politics | $1.00 | $0 | 25% |
| Finance | $1.00 | $0 | 25% |
| Crypto | $1.80 | $0 | 20% |
| Culture | $1.25 | $0 | 25% |
Most categories offer a 25% rebate share, meaning a quarter of all taker fees collected are paid out to makers. Crypto markets offer 20%.
How to Place Maker Orders
To qualify as a maker, place limit orders instead of market orders. A limit order specifies the exact price you’re willing to pay or sell at. If your order doesn’t fill immediately and sits on the order book, you’re a maker.
How Fees Are Collected
- Buy orders: Fees are collected in shares (you receive slightly fewer shares than if there were no fee)
- Sell orders: Fees are collected in PUSD (you receive slightly less PUSD)
- Fees are rounded to 5 decimal places — the smallest possible fee is 0.00001 PUSD
- Very small trades near extreme prices may incur no fee at all
How Polymarket Fees Compare
| Platform | Typical Fee Range | Model |
|---|---|---|
| Polymarket | $0.75 – $1.80 per 100 shares (geopolitics: free) | Category-based, varies by price |
| Kalshi | Varies by market | Per-contract model |
| PredictIt | 5% on profits + 10% on withdrawals | Fixed percentage |
| Traditional sportsbooks | 5% – 15% margin (vig/juice) | Built into odds |
| Stock brokers | $0 – $0.65/contract | Per-trade or per-contract |
Polymarket’s fees are among the lowest in both the prediction market and betting industries. Even the highest max fee ($1.80 per 100 shares on crypto) is dramatically cheaper than traditional betting platforms.
Tips to Minimize Fees
- Trade geopolitics markets — These are completely fee-free
- Use limit orders — Maker orders pay zero fees and also earn rebate payments from the Maker Rebates Program
- Trade sports markets — Sports has the lowest taker fee rate (0.03) of any fee-bearing category
- Trade near the extremes — Buying shares priced near $0.01 or $0.99 incurs minimal fees
- Avoid crypto markets for large taker orders — Crypto has the highest fee rate (0.072), so limit orders are especially valuable there
Deposit and Withdrawal Fees
Deposits: Polymarket does not charge deposit fees. However, you’ll pay blockchain gas fees when transferring crypto, which vary by network:
- Ethereum: Higher gas fees (minimum $10 deposit)
- Polygon, Solana, Base, Arbitrum, and others: Lower gas fees (minimum $3 deposit)
Withdrawals: Polymarket does not charge withdrawal fees. Standard blockchain gas fees apply.
Currency conversion: When you deposit any of the 22 supported tokens (USDC, ETH, BTC, SOL, etc.), Polymarket automatically converts them to PUSD — its own dollar-pegged stablecoin and the trading currency on the platform. The conversion uses market rates with standard DEX spreads (USDC sits closest to par, since both are 1:1 with USD).
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- All Learning Articles — Browse every educational article
- What Is Polymarket? — Full platform overview
- How Prediction Markets Work — Understand the mechanics behind prediction trading
- How to Sign Up for Polymarket — Step-by-step account creation
- How to Deposit on Polymarket — Fund your account
- How to Trade on Polymarket — Place your first trade and understand order types
- How to Withdraw from Polymarket — Cash out with minimal fees
- Polymarket vs Kalshi — See how fees compare across platforms
- Polymarket Review 2026 — Our full review after 3 years of trading
- Is Polymarket Available in Your Country? — Check your access status
- Fee Calculator — Calculate fees for any trade instantly