Polymarket US fees and offerings: what trading actually costs
Polymarket US is the CFTC-regulated exchange Polymarket built for American traders. Makers trade free, takers pay by category, and the books are younger than the fee schedule suggests.
River Markets·Updated August 9, 2026·4 min read
Polymarket US is the CFTC-regulated US exchange Polymarket launched after acquiring the licensed exchange QCEX in July 2025. It relaunched for US traders in December 2025, dropped its waitlist in May 2026, and trades in US dollars rather than USDC.
The market board mirrors much of the global Polymarket lineup: sports, politics, economics, crypto, culture, and mention markets, now inside a US regulatory wrapper.
0%
Maker fee, with volume rebates above $250,000 in monthly taker volume
4–7%
Taker rate by category, applied to price × (1 − price)
Jul 1, 2026
Effective date of the current exchange-wide fee schedule
Makers pay nothing. Takers pay by category, with fees peaking at a 50¢ price:
Polymarket US taker fees by category (effective July 1, 2026)
Category
Taker rate
Max per 100 contracts at 50¢
Geopolitics
0%
Free
Politics, finance, tech, mentions
4%
$1.00
Sports, economics, culture, weather, other
5%
$1.25
Crypto
7%
$1.75
Taker fee per 100 contracts at a 50¢ price
By category, makers always pay $0
GeopoliticsFree$0
Politics & tech$1.00
Sports & economics$1.25
Crypto$1.75
Rates from the exchange-wide schedule effective July 1, 2026. High-volume takers earn weekly rebates.
What Polymarket US offers
US regulatory status. CFTC-licensed via the QCEX acquisition, open to US persons.
US dollar accounts. No stablecoin or wallet setup required.
Familiar board. The Polymarket market lineup, from sports to mention markets.
Maker-friendly schedule. Zero maker fees, plus weekly rebates for high-volume takers.
API access. Programmatic trading and market data.
Watch the depth, not just the fees
Polymarket US had a competitive fee schedule and a competitive displayed price in our live 50,000-contract case study: its top ask was just one cent above Kalshi's. But the book was young and thin. Filling the full order would have walked the price 3.62¢ above the displayed ask, by far the most expensive route all-in. On newer venues, depth is the number to check before the fee schedule.
Sources and important notes
Fee figures reflect published venue fee schedules as of August 2026: the Kalshi fee schedule, Polymarket's Fee Structure V2 (effective March 30, 2026), and the Polymarket US fee schedule (effective July 1, 2026). All fees follow the form contracts × rate × price × (1 − price) and are rounded per venue rules. Depth and slippage figures come from River's July 28, 2026 order-book capture described in our execution case study. Schedules change; always confirm with the venue before trading. River Markets is not affiliated with these venues. This page is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.
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