Polymarket Fees Explained: The Taker Formula by Category (October 2026)
Polymarket charges fees only to takers — the side that fills against a resting order — using one formula: fee = shares × feeRate × p × (1 − p). The fee peaks at 50¢ probability and shrinks toward both extremes: on 100 shares it costs $1.75 in crypto markets, $1.25 in sports and economics, $1.00 in politics, finance, tech and mentions — and exactly $0 in geopolitics. Makers never pay.
What is the fee formula?
fee = C × feeRate × p × (1 − p)Where C = shares traded and p = share price. Because of the p × (1 − p) term, the dollar fee is symmetric around 50¢: a trade at 30¢ costs the same as one at 70¢.
Taker fee rates by category:
| Category | Taker rate | Fee per 100 shares at 50¢ |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto | 0.07 | $1.75 |
| Sports | 0.05 | $1.25 |
| Economics / Culture / Weather / Other | 0.05 | $1.25 |
| Finance / Politics / Mentions / Tech | 0.04 | $1.00 |
| Geopolitics | 0 | $0 — fee-free |
What does this mean for a real trade?
On 100 shares at 50¢ ($50 trade value) in a crypto market: $1.75 — about 3.5% of the trade value. At 20¢ the same market costs $1.12 on $20 — 5.6%. The percentage burden is highest near the extremes, which is exactly where lottery-ticket buyers congregate. Pricing an edge into those trades requires the fee in the model.
| Price | Crypto fee (100 sh) | Politics fee (100 sh) |
|---|---|---|
| $0.10 | $0.63 | $0.36 |
| $0.50 | $1.75 | $1.00 |
| $0.90 | $0.63 | $0.36 |
Fees are rounded to 5 decimal places; the smallest chargeable fee is 0.00001 USDC — tiny trades near the extremes may round to zero.
Who pays and who earns?
- Makers (resting orders): zero fees, always
- Makers additionally earn daily rebates from the taker-fee pool
- Takers pay at match time — you do not include fee info in orders
Maker rebate share of taker fees by category:
| Category | Maker rebate |
|---|---|
| Crypto | 20% |
| Sports | 15% |
| Finance / Politics / Economics / Culture / Weather / Tech / Mentions / Other | 25% |
Rebates are paid daily in pUSD straight to your wallet; a minimum of $1 accrued rebate is required for payout. Your share competes only with other makers in the same market, weighted by the same fee curve.
Are deposits and withdrawals charged?
Polymarket itself charges nothing to deposit or withdraw USDC — though intermediaries (Coinbase, MoonPay, bridges) charge their own costs, and blockchain gas applies to on-chain transfers.
How are perps fees different?
Polymarket Perps run a separate, volume-tiered schedule: base tier 0.0400% taker and 0.0125% maker on notional, down to 0.0200% taker with a −0.0050% maker rebate at the $1B 30-day-volume tier. Spot event markets use the formula above; perps use flat notional rates.
FAQ
Q: Does Polymarket charge trading fees? A: Yes — a taker fee on most market categories since 2026, calculated as shares × feeRate × p × (1 − p) at match time. Geopolitics and world-event markets are fee-free.
Q: What is the maximum Polymarket fee? A: $1.75 per 100 shares in crypto markets at the 50¢ price point. Politics, finance, tech and mentions peak at $1.00; sports and economics at $1.25.
Q: Do makers pay fees on Polymarket? A: Never. Makers pay zero and instead earn a daily rebate — 15-25% of the taker fees their liquidity generates, paid in pUSD.
Q: Why is the fee the same at 30¢ and 70¢? A: The p × (1 − p) term is symmetric around 0.5, making the dollar fee identical at mirror-image prices — 3.3¢ on 100 shares at 30¢ equals the fee at 70¢ in any category.
Q: Are there fees to deposit or withdraw? A: Not from Polymarket. Third-party services (exchanges, card processors, bridges) and network gas may add their own costs.
Sources
Disclaimer
Not financial advice. Educational purposes only. Updated October 2026.
