Polymarket Fees Explained: Per-Category Trading Fees (March 2026)
Polymarket now charges per-category trading fees with rates from 0% (geopolitical) to 1.80% (crypto). Full fee table, formula breakdown, and worked examples for every category.
Polymarket's new fee structure (March 2026)
Polymarket replaced its old 2% profit fee with per-category trading fees effective March 23, 2026. Fees now vary by market category and are charged per trade, not on winnings at settlement. The change applies only to markets deployed on or after the activation date. Pre-existing markets with feesEnabled=false are unaffected.
The new model charges taker fees on both buy and sell orders. Maker orders receive a rebate that varies by category. Geopolitical and world events markets remain completely fee-free.
The fee formula
For every trade on a fee-enabled market:
fee = C × p × feeRate × (p × (1 - p))^exponent
Where:
- C = number of shares (contracts)
- p = price per share (0 to 1)
- feeRate = category-specific rate
- exponent = category-specific exponent (controls how sharply fees drop at extreme prices)
The effective fee rate peaks at p = 0.50 (50% probability) and decreases toward both extremes. This means balanced markets cost more to trade than lopsided ones.
Category fee table
| Category | Fee Rate | Exponent | Peak Effective Rate | Maker Rebate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto | 0.072 | 1 | 1.80% | 20% |
| Sports | 0.03 | 1 | 0.75% | 25% |
| Finance | 0.04 | 1 | 1.00% | 50% |
| Politics | 0.04 | 1 | 1.00% | 25% |
| Economics | 0.03 | 0.5 | 1.50% | 25% |
| Culture | 0.05 | 1 | 1.25% | 25% |
| Weather | 0.025 | 0.5 | 1.25% | 25% |
| Other/General | 0.2 | 2 | 1.25% | 25% |
| Mentions | 0.25 | 2 | 1.56% | 25% |
| Tech | 0.04 | 1 | 1.00% | 25% |
| Geopolitical | — | — | 0% (free) | — |
Categories with exponent = 0.5 (Economics, Weather) have a flatter fee curve — fees stay relatively higher at extreme prices compared to exponent = 1 categories. Categories with exponent = 2 (Other, Mentions) have fees that drop off much faster at extreme prices.
Worked examples
Example 1: 100 shares of a Politics market at $0.50
fee = 100 × 0.50 × 0.04 × (0.50 × 0.50)^1 fee = 100 × 0.50 × 0.04 × 0.25 fee = $0.50 (effective rate: 1.00% of position value)
As a maker with 25% rebate: $0.375
Example 2: 100 shares of a Crypto market at $0.50
fee = 100 × 0.50 × 0.072 × (0.25)^1 fee = 100 × 0.50 × 0.072 × 0.25 fee = $0.90 (effective rate: 1.80%)
As a maker with 20% rebate: $0.72
Example 3: 100 shares of a Sports market at $0.80
fee = 100 × 0.80 × 0.03 × (0.80 × 0.20)^1 fee = 100 × 0.80 × 0.03 × 0.16 fee = $0.384 (effective rate: 0.48%)
Sports markets are the cheapest fee-enabled category. At extreme prices the effective rate drops below 0.20%.
Example 4: 100 shares of an Economics market at $0.50
fee = 100 × 0.50 × 0.03 × (0.25)^0.5 fee = 100 × 0.50 × 0.03 × 0.50 fee = $0.75 (effective rate: 1.50%)
The 0.5 exponent means Economics fees stay higher at extreme prices compared to Politics (exponent = 1), despite the same base feeRate of 0.03/0.04.
Example 5: Geopolitical market — any price
fee = $0.00
Geopolitical and world events markets remain completely free to trade. No taker fee. No maker fee.
How the exponent shapes fee curves
The exponent determines how quickly fees fall off as prices move away from 50¢:
- Exponent = 1 (Crypto, Sports, Finance, Politics, Culture, Tech): Fees scale with p × (1-p). At 90¢, the fee is 36% of its peak value.
- Exponent = 0.5 (Economics, Weather): Fees scale with √(p × (1-p)). At 90¢, the fee is 60% of its peak value. Flatter curve.
- Exponent = 2 (Other, Mentions): Fees scale with (p × (1-p))². At 90¢, the fee is 13% of its peak value. Steeper dropoff.
This matters for trading strategy. On Economics markets, you still pay meaningful fees on 85¢+ contracts. On Mentions markets, fees become negligible at those same prices.
What did not change
Polymarket US still charges a flat 0.10% taker fee per trade with a $0.001 minimum. The per-category model applies only to Polymarket Global.
Pre-existing markets with feesEnabled=false continue to trade with no fees. The new fee structure applies only to markets created on or after March 23, 2026.
CLOB mechanics are unchanged. The order book still operates the same way — makers provide liquidity, takers cross the spread. The difference is that takers now pay the category fee on top of the spread, and makers pay a reduced fee thanks to the rebate.
How Polymarket's CLOB drives your costs
Polymarket runs on a central limit order book (CLOB) built on Polygon. Buyers post bids, sellers post asks, and trades execute when the two sides meet.
Takers place orders that execute immediately against existing orders. They pay the full category fee.
Makers place limit orders that rest on the book. They pay the category fee minus the maker rebate. On Finance markets, makers get a 50% rebate — cutting the effective peak rate from 1.00% to 0.50%.
The spread between the best bid and ask is still your largest cost on most markets. A 3-cent spread on a $0.50 contract costs 6% — far more than any category fee. Use limit orders to avoid crossing the spread.
Hidden cost: USDC conversion and on-ramp fees
Polymarket runs on USDC on the Polygon network. If you start with dollars in a bank account:
- Buy USDC on an exchange (0-0.6% fee)
- Bridge to Polygon ($0.50-$2.00 gas)
- Deposit into Polymarket
- When you withdraw, reverse the process
On a $1,000 deposit with $200 in eventual profits, conversion costs run roughly $10-$11 round-trip (5.4% of profit). Fund in large batches to minimize per-dollar overhead.
Polymarket vs Kalshi at key price points
With the new per-category fees, the comparison depends on category. Here is Politics (feeRate=0.04, exponent=1) vs Kalshi taker (7% × p × (1-p)):
| Entry Price | Polymarket Politics (taker) | Kalshi Taker | Kalshi Maker |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.10 | $0.00036 | $0.01 | $0.01 |
| $0.20 | $0.00128 | $0.02 | $0.01 |
| $0.50 | $0.00500 | $0.02 | $0.01 |
| $0.80 | $0.00512 | $0.02 | $0.01 |
| $0.90 | $0.00324 | $0.01 | $0.01 |
Polymarket Politics is cheaper than Kalshi taker at every price point. Against Kalshi maker, Polymarket is cheaper above ~20¢. For Crypto markets (1.80% peak), Polymarket is still competitive with Kalshi taker near 50¢ but the gap narrows.
For geopolitical markets: Polymarket charges nothing. Kalshi charges its standard formula. If the market exists on both platforms, Polymarket wins on fees unconditionally.
How to minimize your Polymarket fees
-
Use limit orders. Maker rebates cut 20-50% off fees depending on category. On Finance markets, maker orders cost half what taker orders cost.
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Trade liquid markets. The spread is still your largest cost. A 1-cent spread on a $0.50 contract costs 2%. The category fee on Politics at 50¢ costs 1%. Spread > fee.
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Check the category. Sports markets (0.75% peak) cost less than half of Crypto markets (1.80% peak). If the same event trades in multiple categories, the cheaper one saves real money at volume.
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Trade geopolitical markets for zero fees. World events and geopolitical markets remain completely free.
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Trade at extreme prices when possible. Fees drop sharply at prices below 20¢ or above 80¢ on exponent = 1 and exponent = 2 categories.
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Fund in large batches. USDC on-ramp costs are fixed per transaction. Depositing $5,000 once costs the same as depositing $500 ten times.
Frequently asked questions
- What fees does Polymarket charge?
- As of March 2026, Polymarket charges per-category trading fees on new markets. The fee formula is: fee = C × p × feeRate × (p × (1-p))^exponent. Rates range from 0% (geopolitical) to 1.80% peak (crypto). Pre-existing markets and geopolitical/world events markets remain fee-free.
- Is Polymarket cheaper than Kalshi?
- For most categories, yes. Polymarket Politics (1.00% peak) and Sports (0.75% peak) are cheaper than Kalshi taker fees (1.75% peak) at nearly every price point. Crypto (1.80% peak) is comparable. And geopolitical markets on Polymarket are completely free.
- Does Polymarket charge maker and taker fees?
- Both makers and takers pay the category fee, but makers receive a rebate of 20-50% depending on the category. Finance has the largest maker rebate at 50%.
- Do all Polymarket markets have fees now?
- No. Only markets deployed on or after March 23, 2026 with fees enabled. Pre-existing markets with feesEnabled=false are unaffected. Geopolitical and world events markets remain fee-free regardless of deployment date.
- What are the hidden costs on Polymarket?
- Beyond category fees: bid-ask spread on the order book (1-8 cents per contract), USDC on-ramp and off-ramp fees ($5-$10 per round trip), and price impact slippage on large orders in thin markets.