By PredictQ Team // Updated: July 2026
Geopolitics markets on Polymarket cost nothing to trade. Zero, maker and taker. Every other category runs on a price-uncertainty curve that peaks at the 50/50 midpoint and falls to almost nothing at the extremes, with rates that vary by category: sports is cheapest, crypto most expensive, and regular politics sits in between (no, politics is no longer free, a detail plenty of 2025-era guides still get wrong).
Map the structure once and you’ll never overpay again. Here’s the full breakdown: the formula, every category rate, what makers earn, funding costs, and how to cut your total trading cost to near zero.
The Formula
Polymarket calculates trading fees as:
fee = shares x category rate x price x (1 - price)
The price x (1 - price) term is the uncertainty multiplier. It maxes out at 0.25 when the price is $0.50 and shrinks toward zero at $0.01 or $0.99. Coin-flip markets pay the most; heavy favorites and longshots pay next to nothing.
The category rate is the variable. Polymarket sets it based on arbitrage risk and liquidity needs per category.
Category Rates (July 2026)
Per 100 shares at the 50-cent peak:
Geopolitics and world events: 0. Completely free for makers and takers.
Sports: 0.03 rate, maxing at $0.75. Sports also carries a 25% maker rebate.
Finance, Politics, Mentions, Tech: 0.04 rate, maxing at $1.00.
Economics, Culture, Weather, Other: 0.05 rate, maxing at $1.25.
Crypto: 0.07 rate, maxing at $1.75. Highest on the platform, because crypto markets are the most exposed to latency arbitrage against spot exchanges.
The exact fee for any trade shows in the trade interface before you submit. Fees are charged when your order matches, and only if you’re the taker.
Worked Examples
Example 1: 1,000 shares of a sports contract at $0.50.
Position: $500
Fee: 1,000 x 0.03 x 0.50 x 0.50 = $7.50
Effective rate: 1.5%
Example 2: 1,000 shares of a sports contract at $0.90.
Position: $900
Fee: 1,000 x 0.03 x 0.90 x 0.10 = $2.70
Effective rate: 0.3%
Example 3: 1,000 shares of a sports contract at $0.99.
Position: $990
Fee: 1,000 x 0.03 x 0.99 x 0.01 = $0.30
Effective rate: 0.03%
Example 4: 1,000 shares of a politics contract at $0.50.
Position: $500
Fee: 1,000 x 0.04 x 0.50 x 0.50 = $10.00
Effective rate: 2%
Example 5: 1,000 shares of a crypto contract at $0.50.
Position: $500
Fee: 1,000 x 0.07 x 0.50 x 0.50 = $17.50
Effective rate: 3.5%
Example 6: 1,000 shares of any geopolitics contract, any price.
Fee: $0
The lesson is the same in every row. Entering at the extremes costs a fraction of entering at 50/50, and category selection matters more than most new traders realize.
Only Takers Pay
Market orders that hit existing liquidity pay the fee. Limit orders that rest on the book and get filled pay nothing, in every category, always. Sell orders don’t incur taker fees either under the current structure.
Fees round to five decimal places, with a floor of 0.00001 USDC, so small trades in lopsided markets frequently round to free.
Maker Rebates
Here’s where Polymarket gets genuinely interesting for active traders. Makers already pay zero. On top of that, Polymarket recycles a share of collected taker fees back to makers, paid out daily: 20% in crypto markets, 25% in most other categories.
Rebates are computed per market, so you’re competing with other makers in that specific market for that market’s pool, with daily payouts and a $1 minimum. There’s also a newer tiered taker rebate program that returns fees to high-volume takers.
For anyone providing liquidity at scale, the math flips: trading stops being a cost center and starts being a revenue stream. The whole structure is engineered to keep books tight and balanced, and it works.
Liquidity Rewards
Beyond rebates, Polymarket runs liquidity reward programs paying additional incentives to orders that keep markets balanced, with rewards weighted toward orders near the midpoint and split across pre-game and live trading in sports. Programs rotate as the platform tunes incentives; current details live in Polymarket’s docs.
Settlement Is Free
No settlement fee. Winning shares pay the full $1.00 with no clip on the way out.
Deposit Costs
Polymarket charges nothing on deposits. What you might pay comes from third parties:
ACH bank transfer (U.S.): free, with a short hold on fresh deposits before they’re withdrawable.
Debit card via MoonPay: the payment processor charges a percentage. That fee belongs to MoonPay, not Polymarket.
USDC on Polygon: gas under a cent. Effectively free.
USDC from other chains: bridge fees, typically $0.50 to $5 depending on the source chain.
Buying USDC on an exchange first: Coinbase, Kraken, and the rest charge their usual 0.5-2%.
Crypto-native and funding often? USDC on Polygon is the cheapest road. ACH user? The platform side costs you nothing.
Withdrawal Costs
Same story in reverse. Polymarket charges zero. ACH withdrawals are free and take a few business days. Crypto withdrawals to a Polygon wallet cost only gas. Bridging to other chains runs the standard $0.50-5. Off-ramping through an exchange costs 0.5-2%, while MoonPay’s convenience off-ramp takes several percent, so route anything meaningful through an exchange instead. Daily withdrawal limits apply to standard accounts, with institutional tiers available on request.
Gas, Briefly
Polymarket runs on Polygon, where transactions cost fractions of a cent and confirm in seconds. The platform sponsors gas for normal trading, so most users never think about it. If you’re moving funds around outside the interface with your own wallet, keep a dollar or two of POL in it for gas and you’re covered.
Cutting Your Total Cost
Trade geopolitics when your edge lives there. Free is free.
Default to limit orders. Makers pay nothing and collect rebates. The savings compound fast.
Prefer entries away from 50/50. The curve means a position at $0.90 costs a small fraction of the same dollars at $0.50.
Never take liquidity in crypto markets if you can help it. The 0.07 rate is the platform’s highest, which makes patience worth the most there.
Fund by ACH or USDC on Polygon, not debit card.
Off-ramp big amounts through an exchange, not MoonPay.
If you make markets, the rebate and liquidity programs can pay for your entire trading operation.
Against the Competition
Taker cost on 100 contracts at a 50/50 price, the most expensive spot on the curve:
Polymarket geopolitics: $0
Polymarket sports: $0.75
Polymarket politics: $1.00
Polymarket crypto: $1.75
Kalshi: $1.75
DraftKings Predictions: $2.00 ($0.02 per contract at mid prices)
OG.com: $2.00 to open ($0.02 per contract, $0 if held to settlement)
FanDuel Predicts: flat 2% on payouts instead of entry
Sportsbooks: roughly 4.5% vig baked into -110 lines
Polymarket sits at or near the bottom of the cost table in every category it lists, and free geopolitics trading has no equal anywhere in the regulated space.
Bottom Line
Polymarket’s 2026 fee model is more intricate than a flat rate, and better for anyone willing to learn it. Geopolitics costs nothing. Makers get paid instead of charged. The curve rewards conviction at the extremes and taxes coin flips, which is how a fee schedule should work.
An hour spent internalizing this math is worth more than most trading tips you’ll ever read. Fees are the one edge nobody can take away from you. Start trading on Polymarket.
Disclosures: PredictQ may receive compensation when readers sign up for platforms through links on this page. Fee information accurate as of July 2026 and subject to change at Polymarket’s discretion. Event contract trading involves substantial risk and is not appropriate for all participants. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Must be 18 or older. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.