Polymarket US fees explained: what you pay on each trade

How the taker fee works

Polymarket US uses one formula for standard markets:

Fee = Θ × C × p × (1 − p)

• C is the number of contracts.
• p is the trade price, from $0.01 to $0.99.
• Θ (theta) is 0.0695 for standard markets.

The part p × (1 − p) is what makes the fee move with price. At 50 cents it is 0.25, its highest value. At 10 cents or 90 cents it is only 0.09. So you pay the most on a coin-flip market and the least on a near-certain or very unlikely outcome. Fees are rounded to the nearest cent (Polymarket US uses banker's rounding: halves round to the even cent).

Two exceptions are listed in the same schedule: Table Tennis markets use a higher taker coefficient of 0.10 ($2.50 per 100 contracts at 50 cents), and combo trades use their own fee curve.

Worked examples

Here is what a new trader would pay on a few common trades. Each contract pays $1 if you are right.

You spend	Price	Contracts	Taker fee	Paid out if right	Profit if right, after fee
$10	25¢	40	$0.52	$40	$29.48
$25	10¢	250	$1.56	$250	$223.44
$50	50¢	100	$1.74	$100	$48.26
$20	80¢	25	$0.28	$25	$4.72

If you are wrong, the contracts pay nothing and you lose what you spent plus the fee.

Selling also counts. If you sell before the market settles and your sell order fills straight away, it is a taker order and the same formula applies.

Maker orders and rebates

A maker order is one that rests on the book until someone else trades against it, for example a limit order below the current price.

• Maker fee: none.
• Maker rebate: only from $10 million of maker volume in the previous calendar month (Tier 2, 0.0035), rising to 0.0104 at $200 million or more. Below $10 million there is no rebate.
• Taker rebate: a share of the taker fees you paid, from 3% at $250,000 of monthly taker volume up to 30% at $50 million or more. Below $250,000 there is no rebate.

For almost every new trader, the practical rule is simple: taker orders pay the fee, maker orders pay nothing, and rebates don't apply yet.

How to keep fees low

1. Use limit orders when you are not in a hurry. A resting order pays no fee if it fills as a maker.
2. Know that 50-cent markets cost the most per contract. The same number of contracts at 20 or 80 cents costs about 36% less in fees.
3. Work it out before you trade. Use the formula above, or the per-price table on Polymarket US's fee schedule.

Deposits and withdrawals are a separate topic: see our Polymarket deposit guide and Polymarket withdrawal guide.

Polymarket US offer

New users can get Polymarket US's welcome offer: Deposit $10 get a $25 Trading Bonus! Valid in 48 states + D.C. (not Nevada or Michigan). Code WIN, or sign up through our link. We recommend 21+.

Claim the Polymarket US offer (opens in a new tab)

18+ Only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss can occur. See polymarket.com/tos for more information. The Polymarket US App serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated exchange and clearing organization.

Sources

Polymarket US Documentation, Fee Schedule (docs.polymarket.us/fees), effective October 19, 2026, checked October 27, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does Polymarket US charge a fee on every trade?

Only on taker orders, the ones that fill straight away against an existing order. Orders that rest on the book and fill later (maker orders) pay no fee.

How much is the Polymarket US fee at 50 cents?

About $1.74 per 100 contracts, the highest point on the schedule. At 10 or 90 cents the same 100 contracts cost about $0.63.

Do I pay a fee when I sell?

Yes, if the sell order fills straight away it is a taker order and the same formula applies.

Can new traders get fee rebates on Polymarket US?

Not at first. Maker rebates start at $10 million and taker rebates at $250,000 of volume in the previous calendar month, so most new traders pay the standard taker fee and no maker fee.