TikTok Shop fee calculator

Start with the correct base

How TikTok Shop calculates the US referral fee

TikTok Shop publishes this formula for a completed order: referral fee rate multiplied by customer payment plus platform discount, minus tax. The published category guidance says customer-paid shipping is included.

For pricing, the same base can be modeled as the product subtotal after a seller-funded discount, plus shipping charged to the customer. A TikTok-funded discount is added back in the official formula, so it does not reduce the seller's referral-fee base in this model.

Sources: TikTok Shop category referral rates and referral-fee calculation examples.

US category selection

Most categories use 6%, but some use different tiers

TikTok Shop's current public US table lists most categories at 6%. Five eligible jewelry subcategories and Pre-Owned use 5% at the lower tier. For Collectibles, the first $10,000 of the fee base uses 6% and the portion above $10,000 uses 3%. For Pre-Owned, those marginal rates are 5% and 3%.

Select the narrow preset only when the product fits TikTok's published category. Promotions and account-specific arrangements can change the rate, so the custom option lets you enter a confirmed Seller Center percentage without changing the rest of the calculation.

Often the largest variable cost

Model creator commission separately from the platform fee

The creator rate is seller-selected and applies only when a qualifying affiliate sale is attributed to a creator. Merchant self-selling does not earn an affiliate commission. This calculator estimates commission on the product sale amount after a seller-funded discount and keeps it separate from the referral fee.

A 15% creator rate can cost more than a 6% referral fee. The break-even affiliate result shows the highest modeled rate left after all other entered costs. It is a pricing boundary, not a recommendation: leave room for returns, volatility and costs not included in one order.

TikTok Shop explains standard and merchant self-selling commissions in its affiliate commission guidance.

Optional fees are not universal

Campaign and Smart Promotion costs need order-specific inputs

Eligible Standard Registration and Flash Sale campaigns can charge a service fee at the rate shown in the campaign's Fee Policy. TikTok publishes the base as campaign gross sales minus seller discount plus customer-paid shipping. Regular orders outside an eligible campaign do not incur that fee.

Smart Promotion is different: TikTok describes it as a fee based on total store GMV. Because one product order cannot reconstruct a storewide allocation reliably, this calculator asks for a dollar amount allocated to this order instead of pretending an exact program charge can always be calculated from the order alone.

See TikTok Shop's campaign service-fee formula and US Smart Promotion explanation.

Worked order

A $40 product with a seller discount and creator

Suppose the item subtotal is $40, the seller funds a $5 discount and no shipping is charged. The referral-fee base is $35. At 6%, the referral fee is $2.10. A 15% affiliate commission on the $35 product revenue is $5.25.

Product, fulfillment, packaging, advertising and returns costs still have to be deducted. That is why the calculator reports profit and margin rather than presenting platform payout as profit.

Returns and fee tax

Use the settlement report for the final number

TikTok says a refunded order can incur a refund administration fee equal to 20% of the refunded referral fee, capped at $5 per SKU. TikTok also states that sales tax on referral fees applies to certain US seller locations. Rather than guessing return timing or seller location, the calculator provides a returns allowance and an optional tax-rate field.

Check TikTok Shop's settlement-report definitions and your own order statement.

Scope and limitations

What this TikTok Shop fee calculator does not assume

• It models one completed US order, not inventory, tax, cash flow or an entire store.
• It does not guess Shop Ads attribution, tiered creator commissions, logistics adjustments or refunds.
• It does not treat sales tax collected for authorities as seller revenue.
• It cannot replace category assignment, campaign terms or the order breakdown in Seller Center.

TikTok and TikTok Shop are trademarks of their respective owner. Margin Calculator is independent and is not endorsed by or affiliated with TikTok.