Calculating maker and taker fees is straightforward once you understand the formula. Both fees are expressed as a percentage of the trade value and are applied at the moment of execution.
The Basic Formula
Fee = Trade Value × Fee Rate
For example, if you execute a $10,000 trade and the taker fee is 0.50%, your fee is $10,000 × 0.005 = $50. If instead you used a maker order with a 0.30% fee, the cost drops to $30 — a saving of $20 on a single trade.
A Practical Example
Suppose a crypto exchange charges 0.60% for takers and 0.40% for makers on monthly trading volumes under $10,000. A trader buys one Ethereum (ETH) at a current market price of $4,500 using a market order. As a taker, they pay 0.60% of $4,500, which equals $27.00 in fees. Had they placed a limit order at $4,450 instead and waited for the price to drop, the maker fee of 0.40% on $4,450 would be only $17.80 — saving $9.20 on that one trade.
On high-volume accounts, even a small difference in fee rate compounds into significant savings over time.
Volume Tiers
Most exchanges use a tiered fee structure where your 30-day trading volume determines your fee rate. Higher monthly volumes unlock lower maker and taker rates. For example:
- Under $10,000/month: Maker 0.40%, Taker 0.60%
- $10,000–$50,000/month: Maker 0.25%, Taker 0.40%
- Over $50,000/month: Maker 0.15%, Taker 0.25%
Rounding and Minimum Fees
Some exchanges round fees to the nearest cent or apply a minimum fee per trade regardless of size. Always check the specific fee schedule on your chosen exchange before placing large trades.
Very useful explanation. I switched to Post Only mode on Binance after reading something similar and my monthly fee spend dropped noticeably.
Great breakdown of how maker and taker fees work. Using limit orders has definitely helped me reduce costs.
This is the clearest explanation of the maker-taker model I have come across. The table comparing order types is especially helpful.
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