Polymarket Fees Explained (With a Fee Calculator)
Polymarket's fee answer is no longer simply “zero.” See which Predictions markets charge takers, how the curved formula works, and what spread still costs.
Polymarket Predictions charges a taker fee on some market categories. Makers are not charged that trading fee. Geopolitical and world-event markets are currently fee-free, while enabled categories use a curved formula that costs the most around 50¢ and less near 0¢ or $1.
The old internet answer — “Polymarket has no trading fees” — has retired without updating its LinkedIn.
Affiliate disclosure: Business Dog may earn money if you open or use Polymarket through a qualifying link here. That does not change the math, the verdict, or the price you see. Yes, this link can make us money.
Official fee parameters verified 2026-08-12. Fees are per-market and can change; confirm the live market before trading.
Makers are not charged this Predictions fee. Taker fees peak around 50¢ and shrink toward 0¢ or $1 because the formula includes p × (1 − p).
What is the current Polymarket Predictions fee formula?
Official documentation gives this formula:
fee = C × feeRate × p × (1 − p)
Where:
Cis the number of shares traded;feeRateis the category parameter;pis the share price expressed from 0 to 1.
Fees are charged in USDC at match time and rounded to five decimal places. The minimum charged fee is 0.00001 USDC; anything smaller rounds to zero.
Current category parameters verified August 12, 2026:
| Category | Taker fee parameter | Maker fee |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto | 0.07 | 0 |
| Sports | 0.05 | 0 |
| Economics, culture, weather, other/general | 0.05 | 0 |
| Finance, politics, mentions, tech | 0.04 | 0 |
| Geopolitics / world events | 0 | 0 |
These are not flat percentages of trade value. A 0.07 parameter does not mean “7% of what you spend.” The p × (1 − p) term bends the fee.
Why is the fee highest around 50¢?
At 50¢, p × (1 − p) is 0.5 × 0.5 = 0.25, its maximum. At 10¢ it is 0.1 × 0.9 = 0.09. The fee is symmetric: 30¢ and 70¢ produce the same dollar fee for the same number of shares and category rate.
For 100 crypto-market shares at 50¢:
100 × 0.07 × 0.50 × 0.50 = $1.75
The trade value is $50, so the fee is 3.5% of that value in this exact example. At 90¢:
100 × 0.07 × 0.90 × 0.10 = $0.63
That symmetry is why CowDog's accounting department cannot replace the formula with “price times vibes.”
Maker, taker, market order: which one are you?
A maker adds a resting order to the book. A taker removes resting liquidity by matching immediately with an existing order.
All Polymarket orders are technically limit orders, but an order priced to execute immediately behaves like a market order and is a taker. A limit order can still be a taker if its price crosses the current book. The label on the button matters less than whether your order rests or matches.
Current Predictions fees charge takers, not makers. That does not make maker execution free in every economic sense: an unfilled order has opportunity cost, and adverse selection is the polite financial phrase for “the market ran away immediately after filling you.”
What costs money besides the displayed fee?
The bid-ask spread
If the best bid is 46¢ and the best ask is 50¢, crossing in and immediately crossing out loses the spread even before a fee. Learn the order-book mechanics in how Polymarket actually works.
Slippage
A large order may consume several prices. The top ask describes the first available shares, not necessarily every share you want.
Deposit and withdrawal intermediaries
Polymarket's documentation says it does not charge a Polymarket deposit or withdrawal fee, but an intermediary such as an exchange, payment provider, or bridge may charge. Network and routing conditions can also matter. Check the actual quote shown during your flow.
The cost of being wrong
It remains undefeated.
Do Combos have a separate fee formula?
Combos are quote-driven multi-leg positions. The price you receive through the RFQ process is an executable package price from a market maker. Do not take a difference between simple multiplied probabilities and the quoted price and automatically label it “fee.” Correlation, spread, liquidity, quote protection, and the market maker's risk all sit inside the comparison.
Use the Polymarket Combo calculator to compare an entered quote with an independence benchmark. It labels the difference in probability points because “edge” would be a conclusion the calculator has not earned.
Are Perps fees the same?
No. Polymarket Perps calculates each fill fee from absolute notional — price times quantity — multiplied by an account's maker or taker rate. That rate depends on trailing 30-day Perps volume. The top maker tier currently receives a rebate.
Predictions and Perps also have separate referral programs. If a site treats their fee tables or referral codes as interchangeable, close the tab before it starts explaining liquidation.
Is Polymarket free to trade?
Some Predictions markets are fee-free, but current official documentation enables taker fees across several categories. Even on a fee-free market, spread and slippage can affect the result.
Does a limit order always avoid the taker fee?
No. A limit order that immediately crosses and matches the book takes liquidity. To be a maker, the order must rest rather than execute against an existing order.
Why doesn't the fee equal the category parameter times my trade value?
Because the official formula uses share count and multiplies by p × (1 − p). The category figure is a formula parameter, not a flat percentage of trade value.
Can this calculator guarantee the fee on my order?
No. It applies the official schedule snapshot verified on the visible date. Polymarket determines fees per market at match time; always check current market details and trade history.
The fee is one number. The spread, depth, rule, and price you chose remain the rest of the invoice. It's just business.
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This article is educational and satirical content from Business Dog. It is not financial, legal, or tax advice. It's just business.