TikTok Shop Fee Calculator
Work out TikTok Shop's referral fee and your creator affiliate commission on an order, then see your payout, profit, margin and the price you need to break even. Starts from TikTok's published US referral rates, which you can edit to match Seller Center.
How TikTok Shop fees work for US sellers
TikTok Shop's main platform charge is a referral fee on each completed order. TikTok describes it as covering all TikTok Shop fees apart from shipping and tax, so there's no separate payment processing charge stacked on top. The fee is the category's referral rate multiplied by customer payment + platform discount − tax. Platform discounts are the discounts TikTok funds itself, and they're added back, so they don't lower your fee. Discounts you fund reduce what the customer pays, and therefore the fee.
TikTok's published US category table puts most categories at 6%. Selected jewelry categories (diamond, gold, jade, platinum and carat gold, and ruby, sapphire and emerald) pay 5%. Pre-owned categories pay 5% and collectibles 6%, and in both, any portion of a sale above $10,000 pays 3%. TikTok's US Seller Terms say the fee is calculated on the total amount a buyer pays for each purchase, which points to buyer-paid shipping being included, so the calculator includes it by default and lets you switch it off.
A few other rules affect what you keep. If an order is cancelled, returned or refunded, TikTok refunds the referral fee minus a refund administration fee of 20% of that fee, capped at $5 per SKU. Sellers whose business registration address is in Texas or West Virginia have paid sales tax on referral fees since November 1, 2025. TikTok has also offered new-seller promotions: its 2024 terms gave a 3% rate for 30 days to sellers who made a first sale within 60 days of onboarding.
A note on rate changes: some seller blogs report that TikTok raised the standard US referral rate to 8% in August 2026. TikTok hasn't published this: when we checked its official Seller University pages in September 2026, the latest category table still showed 6%. The calculator therefore defaults to the published 6%. For the standard category, a Use 8% button next to the rate shows what the reported rate would do to your numbers, and Use 6% switches back. The rate box is always editable, and your settlement statements in Seller Center show the rate actually applied to your orders, so enter that number for accurate results.
| Fee | Rate | Charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee, most categories | 6% | Customer payment + platform discount − tax |
| Referral fee, selected jewelry | 5% | Same base |
| Referral fee, pre-owned | 5%; 3% on the portion over $10,000 | Same base |
| Referral fee, collectibles | 6%; 3% on the portion over $10,000 | Same base |
| Creator affiliate commission | The rate you set | The item's actual paid price |
| Refund administration fee | 20% of the referral fee, max $5 per SKU | Cancelled, returned or refunded orders |
Creator affiliate commissions
If creators promote your products through TikTok Shop's affiliate program, you pay them a commission at a rate you set. TikTok calculates it on the item's actual paid price, deducts it from your settlement, recalculates it if the order is partly refunded and pays nothing on a full refund. The calculator applies your rate to the item price, not to shipping. At the double-digit rates many sellers offer, the commission can cost more than the referral fee, so model it before you invite creators.
How to use this TikTok Shop fee calculator
Pick your category. The referral rate fills in with TikTok's published rate, and you can overwrite it with the rate from your Seller Center statements or, in the standard category, switch between the published 6% and the reported 8% with one click. Enter the item price the buyer pays after any discounts you fund, and the shipping charged to the buyer, or 0 if you offer free shipping. Leave the shipping switch on to charge the referral fee on buyer-paid shipping, or turn it off if your statements show it isn't included. Add your creator affiliate commission rate if the sale came through a creator.
Then enter your costs: the item cost, the shipping label you pay and other costs such as packaging, creator samples averaged across orders, or ad spend. The results show each fee, total fees as a share of revenue, your net payout, profit, margin and ROI, plus the break-even price and the price needed for your target margin.
Worked example: a $25 item with free shipping
With the default numbers, a $25 item in a standard category sells with free shipping through a creator on a 10% commission. The item costs $6, the shipping label $5 and packaging $1, so costs total $12.
- Referral fee: 6% × $25.00 = $1.50
- Creator affiliate commission: 10% × $25.00 = $2.50
- Total fees: $4.00, or 16.0% of revenue
Your net payout is $21.00 and profit is $9.00, a 36.0% margin and a 150.0% ROI on the $6 item cost. The break-even price is $14.29, and a 20% margin needs a price of $18.75.
Click Use 8% to model the unconfirmed 8% rate, and the referral fee becomes $2.00 and total fees $4.50. Profit drops to $8.50, the break-even price rises to $14.64 and the 20%-margin price to $19.36. If you instead charge $20 plus $5 shipping, the referral fee stays $1.50 because it's based on the $25 the buyer pays, but the commission falls to $2.00 because it's calculated on the item price, so profit rises to $9.50.
Pricing tips for TikTok Shop sellers
- Model the commission before you set it. Every percentage point of commission comes straight out of your margin. Use the target margin field to see the price a given rate requires.
- Check flash deals and coupons against break-even. Seller-funded discounts lower the price you should enter, and a deep promotion on a low-priced item can push it below break-even once the label and commission are counted.
- Plan for returns. On a refund you lose shipping and packaging plus the administration fee, so products with high return rates need more margin.
- Price shipping deliberately. Charging shipping separately doesn't change the referral fee when shipping is in its base, but it can lower creator commission, which is calculated on the item's paid price.
- Count samples. Free samples sent to creators are real costs. Spread their cost over the orders you expect and add it to other costs.
Common mistakes
- Using an old promotional rate, or another marketplace's percentage, instead of the rate on your settlement statements.
- Leaving out creator commissions on affiliate orders.
- Assuming TikTok-funded discounts lower your fee. They're added back to the fee base.
- Forgetting shipping labels when you offer free shipping.
- Assuming refunds cost nothing. The referral fee refund is reduced by the administration fee, and postage you paid usually isn't recovered.
- Treating net payout as profit before subtracting product, shipping and packaging costs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the TikTok Shop referral fee in the US?
TikTok's published US category table sets the referral fee at 6% for most categories, 5% for selected jewelry categories, 5% for pre-owned items and 6% for collectibles, with 3% on any portion of a pre-owned or collectible sale above $10,000. Some seller blogs report that the standard rate rose to 8% in August 2026, but TikTok has not published that, so confirm the rate on your orders in Seller Center and enter it in the calculator.
How is the TikTok Shop referral fee calculated?
TikTok calculates it as the referral rate multiplied by the customer payment plus any platform discount, minus tax. Discounts funded by TikTok are added back, so they do not reduce your fee, while discounts you fund lower the customer payment and therefore the fee.
Is shipping included in the TikTok Shop referral fee?
TikTok's US Seller Terms describe the fee as calculated on the total amount a buyer pays for each purchase, which would include shipping the buyer pays. Some guides describe it differently, so the calculator includes buyer-paid shipping by default and gives you a switch to leave it out. Check a settled order in Seller Center to see which matches your statements.
How does creator affiliate commission affect my profit?
The commission is the rate you set for creators multiplied by the item's paid price, and it is deducted from your settlement when a creator drives the sale. It is recalculated if the order is partly refunded and is zero on a full refund. Enter your commission rate to see its effect on payout, margin and break-even price.
Does TikTok keep the referral fee if an order is refunded?
Mostly not. When an order is cancelled, returned or refunded, TikTok refunds the referral fee minus a refund administration fee of 20% of that referral fee, capped at $5 per SKU. No administration fee applies to creator sample orders or eligible automatic cancellations before shipment.
Did TikTok Shop raise its referral fee to 8% in 2026?
Some seller blogs report that the standard US rate rose to 8% in August 2026, but TikTok has not published this. When we checked its official Seller University pages in September 2026, the latest category table still showed 6%. The calculator defaults to 6% and offers a Use 8% button so you can see the difference. Check your Seller Center statements for the rate actually applied to your orders and enter that number.
Sources
Fees last checked: September 2026. Rates and rules on this page come from TikTok Shop's official fee pages:
Last updated: September 2026 · How we calculate
BriskToolbox provides estimates for general information only and is not financial or business advice. Referral rates were checked against TikTok Shop's published US fee pages in September 2026 and can change — verify the rate on your orders in Seller Center and consult a qualified professional before making pricing decisions.