Fee Calculator
Calculate fee amount from total or from net amount.
Fee amount
3,000
Net amount
97,000
Total amount
100,000
Fee calculator
Works out fee amount and net amount.
From either gross (before fee) or net (after fee) and a fee percentage, you can get fee amount, net, or gross.
- Gross-based: 1,000,000 at 10% fee → fee 100,000, net 900,000.Use for platform fees, transfer fees, or seller payouts.
- Net-based: find the gross needed so that after fee you receive a given net.E.g. 10% fee, net 900,000 → gross 1,000,000.
- Fee
- A fee is a charge for a transaction or service. It may be a percentage of the amount or a fixed sum.
- Net amount
- Net amount is what you actually receive after taxes, fees, or deductions—e.g. take-home pay or proceeds after a platform fee.
Getting the direction of a fee calculation right
If a 10% fee is deducted and you need 900 to land in your account, what should the gross be? 990 is the intuitive answer and it is wrong. The answer is 1,000.
Two directions, two formulas
Going from gross to net is easy: take 10% off 1,000 and you get 900.
The reverse trips people up. To end up with 900 you need 900 ÷ 0.9 = 1,000, not 900 × 1.1 = 990. Invoice 990 and the fee leaves you with 891.
Why it has to be division
The fee is calculated on the gross amount. The net is 90% of the gross, so recovering the gross from the net means dividing by 0.9.
Multiplying by 1.1 adds 10% of the net instead. Ten percent of 900 is 90, but the fee actually deducted is 10% of 1,000, which is 100. That 10 gap is exactly what leaves you short.
When several fees apply
A 10% platform fee plus a 3% payment processing fee is not automatically 13%. It depends on what each is calculated on.
If both apply to the gross, 13% is right. If the second applies to what remains after the first, the combined effect is 0.9 × 0.97 = 0.873, or 12.7%. This is exactly why contracts need to state what each percentage is a percentage of.
Fees and sales tax
Fees are often themselves subject to sales tax or VAT. A 10% fee plus 10% tax on that fee removes 11% overall, not 10%.
Whether the fee is charged on the pre-tax or tax-inclusive amount also changes the result. On a 1,100 transaction that includes 100 of tax, a fee charged on the 1,000 base is 100, while a fee on the full 1,100 is 110.
Working backwards to a target
When the net figure is fixed, gross = net ÷ (1 − fee rate).
A contractor who needs 3,000 after a 3.3% withholding must invoice 3,000 ÷ 0.967 ≈ 3,102. Adding 3.3% instead gives 3,099, which falls about 3 short. The gap scales with the amount, so on larger contracts it stops being trivial.
| What you want | Formula |
|---|---|
| Gross → fee | gross × 0.1 |
| Gross → net | gross × 0.9 |
| Net → gross | net ÷ 0.9 (multiplying by 1.1 is wrong) |
| Gross needed for a net of 900 | 1,000 |
| Using 900 × 1.1 instead | 990 → net of only 891 |
Frequently asked questions
- What gross gives me a net of 900 after a 10% fee?
- 1,000, calculated as 900 ÷ 0.9. Using 900 × 1.1 = 990 leaves you with 891 once the fee is deducted.
- Why can't I just multiply by 1.1?
- The fee is a percentage of the gross, but multiplying by 1.1 adds a percentage of the net. Different base, different answer.
- Do a 10% and a 3% fee add up to 13%?
- Only if both are charged on the gross. If the second applies after the first is deducted, the combined effect is about 12.7%.
- How do I gross up for withholding tax?
- Divide the target net by 1 minus the rate. For 3,000 net after 3.3% withholding, invoice 3,000 ÷ 0.967 ≈ 3,102.
- Is sales tax charged on the fee itself?
- Frequently yes. A 10% fee with 10% tax on it removes 11% in total. Check whether quoted fees are inclusive or exclusive of tax.