How Crypto Trading Fees Are Calculated: Spot, Futures, Funding

A trading fee is the trade value times the fee rate. On spot, the trade value is price × quantity: at Binance's regular 0.1%, buying 8,000 USDT of BTC costs 8 USDT worth of fee, taken from the BTC you receive. On futures, the trade value is the position's notional value: at the regular USDⓈ-M taker rate of 0.05%, opening 10,000 USDT of notional costs 5 USDT. Leverage changes the notional value, not the rate, and neither funding nor withdrawal fees are trading fees, so rebates do not cover them (Binance, Bybit and WEEX official guides, checked 2026-10-22).

This guide takes the four charges one at a time (spot fees, futures fees, funding and withdrawal fees), works an example for each, and then shows how a rebate lowers what you actually pay. Fees are charged on the trade value, not on the margin you put up, and that is the most common mistake.

Quick answer

• Spot fee = fill price × filled quantity × fee rate; Binance takes it from the asset you receive.
• Futures fee = position notional × fee rate, charged once to open and once to close.
• Leverage: with the same margin, higher leverage means a larger notional and a larger fee; the rate stays the same.
• Funding = notional × funding rate, paid between longs and shorts; it is not a fee the exchange collects.
• Withdrawal fee: a flat amount per withdrawal that depends on coin and network, not on how much you send.
• After a rebate: fee paid = fee × (1 − rebate), and only trading fees count.

Regular-user rates (2026-10-22)

A maker order rests on the book until someone fills it; a taker order fills at once, and market orders are always taker. More in maker vs taker fees. The full comparison across exchanges is in lowest fee crypto exchange 2026.

How spot fees are calculated

Formula: fee = fill price × filled quantity × fee rate. Binance's help center says trading fees "are always charged in the asset you receive": buy BTC and the fee is in BTC, sell BTC for USDT and the fee is in USDT. Paying fees in BNB takes 25% off (Binance spot fee FAQ, updated 2026-01-06).

Example: buy 8,000 USDT of BTC, then sell it

• Buy: market-buy 0.1 BTC at 80,000 USDT, taker 0.1%. Fee = 0.1 × 0.1% = 0.0001 BTC (about 8 USDT), so you receive 0.0999 BTC.
• Sell: sell the 0.0999 BTC at 82,000 USDT for 8,191.8 USDT. Fee = 8,191.8 × 0.1% = 8.1918 USDT, so you receive 8,183.61 USDT.
• Round trip: about 16.19 USDT, or 0.2% of the money traded. Paying in BNB takes 25% off each side, about 12.14 USDT in total.

The same buy filled as a resting limit order on OKX (maker 0.08%) costs 0.00008 BTC. MEXC's BTCUSDT spot maker rate is 0%, so a resting order there pays nothing.

How futures fees are calculated

Formula: fee = position notional × fee rate, where notional = contract quantity × fill price. Binance's example: opening 1 BTC of USDⓈ-M futures at 10,104 USDT with a 0.05% taker fee costs 10,104 × 0.05% = 5.052 USDT; at 0.02% maker, an 11,104 USDT position costs 2.2208 USDT (Binance futures fee FAQ, updated 2026-05-01). WEEX puts it plainly: fees are calculated on the position value and are not related to leverage, and unfilled or cancelled orders cost nothing (WEEX fee guide).

Leverage changes the notional

If the closing price differs from the opening price, the closing fee uses the notional at close; the table assumes the price stays put. The rate is 0.05% in every row; what changes is the size of the position your margin supports. At 50x with one round trip a day, fees alone take 5% of your margin each day.

Closing, stop orders and liquidation

Market closes and market take-profit or stop-loss orders are taker fills. On a forced liquidation, the exchange charges the closing fee and may charge other liquidation-related fees under its own rules, which differ from one exchange to the next. A full open-and-close example is in perpetual fees after rebate.

Funding is not a trading fee

Perpetual contracts settle funding at fixed intervals. Binance explains: funding = position notional × funding rate; when the rate is positive, longs pay shorts, and when negative, shorts pay longs; Binance charges no fee on funding; the default interval is every 8 hours (00:00, 08:00 and 16:00 UTC), shortened to 1 or 4 hours in extreme markets; and you pay or receive funding only if you hold a position at settlement (Binance funding rate FAQ, updated 2026-03-06).

Example: a 10,000 USDT long at a 0.01% funding rate pays 1 USDT per settlement. Held for three days, that is nine settlements and 9 USDT, more than the 5 USDT opening fee. Funding changes daily, can be positive or negative, and is outside any rebate; the arbitrage case is worked through in the real cost of funding rate arbitrage.

How withdrawal fees work

A withdrawal fee is a flat amount per withdrawal that depends on coin and network, not on how much you send, so small withdrawals pay the most in percentage terms. USDT withdrawal fees from official APIs on 2026-10-22:

Figures in USDT. Sources: Bitget, KuCoin, HTX currency APIs. Withdraw 100 USDT from KuCoin over TRC20 and 98.01 USDT arrives, a 1.99% cost; on 1,000 USDT the same fee is 0.199%. Every exchange and network compared: USDT withdrawal fee comparison.

How a rebate changes what you pay

A rebate returns a fixed share of the trading fee you actually paid: fee paid = fee × (1 − rebate). It does not change the rate shown on the order form; the money comes back afterwards. Funding, withdrawal fees and liquidation-related fees are outside the rebate.

Example: one month of futures trading

500,000 USDT of futures notional a month, all taker:

On the same 500,000 USDT, Binance with the 40% rebate costs 100 USDT less a month, or 1,200 USDT a year. Automatic rebates go straight back to your exchange account. Fee Otter's extra rebate is settled daily after the 16:00 (UTC+8) refresh and paid on request as on-chain USDT on BEP20, minimum 1 USDT, with the 0.015 USDT network fee paid by you. Settlement details: how fee rebates are settled.

Exchanges set exceptions: MEXC API orders earn no rebate, Binance pays no commission on invitees at VIP3 or above, and a zero-fee fill (such as a MEXC BTCUSDT spot maker order) leaves nothing to return. Pionex's rebate does cover bot and arbitrage trades.

Work it out yourself

1. 1

   Find your rate

   check the maker and taker rates on the exchange's My Fee Rate page or the order form; a VIP tier or platform-token discount lowers them.
2. 2

   Find the trade value

   on spot it is price × quantity; on futures it is the notional, which equals margin × leverage.
3. 3

   Multiply by the rate

   on futures, count opening and closing separately; market orders use taker, resting orders use maker.
4. 4

   Subtract the rebate

   fee × (1 − rebate) is what you pay.
5. 5

   Add the rest

   funding while the position is open, and withdrawal fees, sit outside these steps.

Service regions

Every exchange restricts some countries or regions, and futures are closed in some countries; Bybit's fee table says actual rates may vary by region. Read the user agreement and restricted-region list before signing up; country overview in crypto exchange licenses by country.

Risks

Knowing the fees lets you pay less, but it does not make trading profitable. Higher leverage scales both fees and losses with the notional, and margin can be lost quickly. Exchanges set and change their own rates; the order form and your trade history are the final word.

FAQ

How are crypto trading fees calculated?

Fee = trade value × fee rate. On spot the trade value is price × quantity; on futures it is the position notional. Binance charges regular users 0.1% on spot and 0.05% taker on USDⓈ-M futures.

Are futures fees charged on margin?

No, on notional. 500 USDT of margin at 20x is a 10,000 USDT position, and a 0.05% taker open costs 5 USDT.

Does leverage raise the fee rate?

The rate stays the same and the notional grows. WEEX states that fees are calculated on position value and are not related to leverage; with the same margin, more leverage means a bigger fee.

Is funding a trading fee, and is it rebated?

No. Funding passes between longs and shorts, and Binance says it charges no fee on it. Rebates apply only to trading fees, so funding is not rebated.

Which asset is the spot fee taken from?

On Binance, the asset you receive: buy BTC and the fee is in BTC, sell BTC and it is in USDT. With BNB fee payment turned on, the fee comes out of BNB at 25% off.

What do I pay after a rebate?

Fee × (1 − rebate). Binance's 0.05% futures taker rate with a 40% rebate is 0.03% effective: a 10,000 USDT fill costs 5 USDT, and 2 USDT comes back.

Pairs that charge no fee at all are listed in zero-fee crypto exchanges; platform-token discounts and rebates together are worked out in Binance fee calculator.

Rates are regular-user rates read from each exchange's official pages and public APIs on 2026-10-22; prices in the examples are assumptions. Actual rates and rebates are those shown by the exchange and the Fee Otter platform. This article is information, not investment advice.