The short version
Gift cards are free. Cash payouts cost 5%. Crypto costs 1%. The fee covers what the payment provider charges us to move the money - it is not a margin on your earnings, which is exactly why gift cards, where no such cost exists, carry nothing at all.
| Payout method | Fee | Minimum fee |
|---|---|---|
| Gift cards | None | - |
| PayPal, Cash App, bank transfer (USD) | 5% | $0.25 |
| Cash payouts in EUR / GBP | 5% | $0.50 |
| Prepaid Visa / Mastercard | No percentage | $0.25 |
| Cryptocurrency | 1% | - |
The part most people miss: the minimum fee
The 5% has a floor. If 5% of your withdrawal works out to less than $0.25, you are charged $0.25 anyway - and $0.50 on payouts denominated in euros or pounds.
On a $10 PayPal withdrawal this changes nothing: 5% is $0.50, comfortably above the floor. On a $2 withdrawal it matters a lot. 5% would be $0.10, but you pay $0.25, which is an effective rate of 12.5%.
| You withdraw | Fee charged | Effective rate | You receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | $0.25 | 12.5% | $1.75 |
| $5.00 | $0.25 | 5.0% | $4.75 |
| $10.00 | $0.50 | 5.0% | $9.50 |
| $50.00 | $2.50 | 5.0% | $47.50 |
Note where the two rules meet: at $5.00 the percentage and the floor are identical. Below that you are effectively paying more than 5%, above it you are paying exactly 5%. If you cash out to PayPal, batching your withdrawals into fewer, larger requests is simply cheaper - one $20 payout costs $1.00, while ten $2 payouts cost $2.50 for the same money.
Want to pay nothing? Choose a gift card. There is no percentage and no minimum fee, so $1.00 of balance becomes $1.00 of gift card. Crypto at 1% is the cheapest cash-equivalent option, though it has its own $2.50 minimum.
Minimums, and how the fee interacts with them
Two separate limits apply to cash payouts, and it is the second one that trips people up:
- $1.00 minimum withdrawal - you cannot request less than this.
- $1.00 minimum net - the amount that actually reaches you, after the fee, must also be at least $1.00.
Because the fee comes out of the middle, the real floor for a USD cash payout is $1.25: the $0.25 minimum fee leaves exactly $1.00. For EUR or GBP payouts it is $1.50. Request $1.10 and it will be refused, not because your balance is short but because $0.85 would land on the other side. Cryptocurrency has its own separate minimum of $2.50, checked before the 1% is taken.
See minimum withdrawal amounts for the per-method figures.
You always see the fee first
Before you confirm anything, the withdrawal dialog on the cashout page shows three lines: the amount you requested, the fee being deducted with its percentage, and the exact net amount you will receive. Nothing is deducted after the fact and no provider adds a second charge on arrival.
If a withdrawal is rejected, the fee is not kept - the full gross amount goes back to your balance. See what to do if your withdrawal was rejected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PayPal charge me again at their end?
No. The payout arrives as a full amount into your PayPal balance. The 5% we deduct is what covers the provider cost - there is no second fee waiting for you.
Why do gift cards have no fee when PayPal does?
Because the fee exists to cover a real cost, and issuing a gift card code does not carry one. We do not charge a fee where we are not paying one.
Is the fee taken from my balance or from the payout?
From the payout. Your balance is reduced by the full amount you requested, and the recipient receives that amount minus the fee. The summary screen shows both numbers before you confirm.
Can I be charged a fee twice on one withdrawal?
No. Exactly one fee applies per request - either the percentage or the minimum, whichever is larger, never both added together.
For the full walkthrough of requesting a payout, read how to cash out on Shark Earnings.
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