Polymarket Fees and Withdrawal: What You Actually Lose
The full Polymarket fee table for 2026, USDC deposits and withdrawals, and a comparison with Kalshi and bookmakers. Sources checked on October 5, 2026.
Polymarket charges a fee only to the taker — the one who fills someone else's order immediately — and only in some categories: sports 0.05, crypto 0.07, politics and finance 0.04, geopolitics 0. The fee is 0.05–0.07 × contracts × price × (1 − price): on 100 contracts at $0.50 that is $1.25–$1.75. The platform itself charges nothing on USDC deposits or withdrawals, and its relayer covers network gas; the rest of the facts below come from the exchanges' schedules checked on October 5, 2026.
Polymarket fees by category
| Category | Taker coefficient | 100 contracts at $0.50 | Maker rebate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports | 0.05 | $1.25 | 15% |
| Crypto | 0.07 | $1.75 | 20% |
| Politics, finance, tech, mentions | 0.04 | $1.00 | 25% |
| Economics, culture, weather, other | 0.05 | $1.25 | 25% |
| Geopolitics and world events | 0 | $0 | none |
A maker pays nothing, and the platform returns part of the collected taker fees to market makers daily. Hence the first way to pay less: place a limit order that rests in the book instead of crossing the spread.
How the fee is calculated
The formula is symmetric around 50%: coefficient × contracts × price × (1 − price). So the fee peaks at $0.50 and falls toward the edges — a contract at $0.10 and at $0.90 costs the same and less than one at $0.50.
| Contract price | Polymarket (sports), 100 units | Kalshi, 100 units |
|---|---|---|
| $0.10 | $0.45 | $0.63 |
| $0.30 | $1.05 | $1.47 |
| $0.45 | $1.24 | $1.74 |
| $0.50 | $1.25 | $1.75 |
| $0.70 | $1.05 | $1.47 |
| $0.90 | $0.45 | $0.63 |
For arbitrage this means the fee takes a visible share of the profit. Example: 108 contracts at $0.45 (a leg of $48.6) at a surebet ROI of 8.0% pay a Kalshi fee of $1.88, and ROI drops to 6.1%. On Polymarket in sports the same size would cost $1.34. How this fits into the trade is in the article how to arbitrage Polymarket and Kalshi.
Deposits: getting money in
Deposits and withdrawals are in USDC on the Polygon blockchain. Polymarket charges no fee of its own for either, and the platform's relayer covers network gas, so you don't need to hold POL in your wallet. You pay only what the sender charges: your wallet or exchange for the transfer and, if you fund by card, a payment service like Coinbase or MoonPay. Their percentage is not published on Polymarket's fee page — work it out from the provider's own schedule.
Kalshi next to it
| Parameter | Polymarket | Kalshi |
|---|---|---|
| Currency and network | USDC on Polygon | US dollars, bank account |
| Taker fee | 0.04–0.07 × C × price × (1 − price) | 0.07 × C × price × (1 − price) |
| Cap per 100 contracts | $1.75 (crypto) | $1.75 |
| Maker | 0 + rebate | 0 on standard markets; 0.0175 × C × price × (1 − price) on some series |
| ACH / bank deposit | not applicable | no fee |
| Card deposit | via a third-party service | up to 2% |
| Withdrawal | no platform fee, gas covered by the relayer | ACH free; crypto and card at the provider's rate |
| KYC | global venue — wallet and email; US version — full verification | required at sign-up |
Kalshi trade math is easy to do yourself: 100 contracts at $0.50 cost $1.75 in fees, at $0.30 — $1.47, at $0.10 — $0.63, while a contract settling at $1 or $0 is not charged a fee.
What this means for bets and surebets
An exchange fee is not the same as a bookmaker margin. The margin is built into the odds and paid on every bet; the exchange fee is paid only by the one who fills an order immediately, and only on an executed trade. That is why an exchange is cheaper when you enter with a limit order and hold the contract to settlement: there is no fee for holding or for settlement. Selling a contract before the match ends is a second trade and a second fee. The exchange-versus-bookmaker comparison covers when each is better.
Jurisdiction and access
Polymarket Global is unavailable in 39 countries, including Russia (help.polymarket.com, checked October 5, 2026); access for US residents runs through a separate regulated venue with full verification. Kalshi requires identity verification and restricts event-contract trading in a list of jurisdictions that also names Russia (Member Agreement, checked October 5, 2026). Check availability before building a strategy.
FAQ
Does Polymarket charge a withdrawal fee?
No. The platform charges nothing on USDC deposits or withdrawals, and its relayer covers network gas. You only pay the sender or a payment service for the transfer.
How much is the Polymarket fee in sports?
A taker fee at a coefficient of 0.05: 100 contracts at $0.50 cost $1.25. A maker pays nothing and earns a rebate.
Which is cheaper — Polymarket or Kalshi?
The formula is the same, but Polymarket's coefficient in sports is 0.05 versus Kalshi's 0.07, so on equal markets the fee is lower. The full breakdown is on the page about surebets with prediction markets.
Is KYC required?
Global sign-up on Polymarket runs through a wallet and email (docs.polymarket.com/polymarket-101); Polymarket US and Kalshi require verification (docs.polymarket.us/learn/get-started/signup, kalshi.com/market-integrity/kyc-surveillance).