FinToolSuite

Remittance Calculator

Updated April 17, 2026 · Utilities · Educational use only ·

The real cost of sending money abroad.

Calculate true remittance cost with fees and FX markup. Free educational calculator with the math explained step by step.

What this tool does

This tool calculates true cost of international money transfers including fixed fee, percentage fee, and FX markup.


Enter Values

Formula Used
Fixed fee
Amount
Percent fee
FX markup

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Disclaimer

Results are estimates for educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

International money transfer costs combine fixed fees, percentage fees, and FX markups. Traditional banks charge 5-10% total; services like Wise or Remitly charge 1-3%. On 500 transfer, that's 25-50 difference. This calculator quantifies true cost.

500 transfer, 5 fixed fee, 1% percentage, 0.5% FX markup: 12.50 total cost (2.5%). Per year at 12 transfers: 150. Switching to cheaper service saving 1% saves 5/transfer, 60/year.

Use for any international transfer decision. Compare Wise vs bank vs Western Union on identical transfer. Factor in all three cost components - fixed fees hurt small transfers; percentage fees hurt large; FX markups are often invisible.

A worked example

Try the defaults: amount sent of 500, fixed fee of 5, percentage fee of 1%, fx markup of 0.5%. The tool returns 12.50. You can adjust any input and the result updates as you type — no submit button, no reload. That's the real power here: seeing how sensitive the output is to one or two assumptions.

What moves the number most

The result responds to Amount Sent, Fixed Fee, Percentage Fee, FX Markup %, and Transfers per Year. Not every input has equal weight. Flip one at a time toward extreme values to feel which ones move the needle most for your situation.

The formula behind this

Total cost = fixed + (amount × percentage) + (amount × FX markup). Annual = per-transfer × count. Everything the calculator does is shown in the formula box below, so you can check the math against your own spreadsheet if you want.

What the bill doesn't show

Standing charges, discounts, and usage tiers all blur the effective rate. The calculation here backs out the total so you're comparing apples to apples across providers, regardless of how each one packages the price.

What this doesn't capture

Usage varies month-to-month; tariffs change; discounts come and go. The figure here is a clean baseline — your actual annual bill will fluctuate around it. Use the calculation to benchmark providers, not as a prediction of a specific bill.

Example Scenario

£500 £ transfer + £5 £ + 1% + 0.5% FX × 12/yr = $12.50.

Inputs

Amount Sent:500 £
Fixed Fee:5 £
Percentage Fee:1
FX Markup %:0.5
Transfers per Year:12
Expected Result$12.50

This example uses typical values for illustration. Adjust the inputs above to match a specific situation and see how the result changes.

Sources & Methodology

Methodology

Total cost = fixed + (amount × percentage) + (amount × FX markup). Annual = per-transfer × count.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where to find FX markup?
Compare provider's rate to Google's mid-market rate. Difference is markup. Banks typically 2-5%, Wise 0.3-0.7%, Western Union 3-6%. The hidden FX markup often exceeds visible fees.

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