Maker and taker fees: what they are and when each applies
A maker fee applies to an order resting on the book; a taker fee applies to one that fills at once. Both are a percentage of the trade's value.
Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief
Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked
On this page
- Maker orders add an offer; taker orders remove one.
- Exchanges charge a percentage of the trade's value.
- Your tier follows recent volume, sometimes token holdings.
- Spread, slippage and withdrawal fees add to the cost.
- Schedules change, so check current rates.
The fee you pay comes from the role your order plays in the market, and that role decides which rate the exchange charges when the order fills.
What Are Maker and Taker Fees?
Every order plays one of two roles on the order book. An order that rests and waits adds an offer, and the exchange calls you a maker. An order that trades against an offer already there removes it, and that makes you a taker.
How Do These Fees Work?
Exchanges charge these fees as a percentage of each crypto trade's value, so a larger trade pays more at the same rate. The taker rate covers orders that fill immediately.
- A market order matches offers already on the book, so the taker fee applies.
- A limit order that fills the moment you place it is treated as a taker order.
- A limit order that rests and fills later pays the maker fee.
What Sets Your Fee Rate?
Exchanges publish fee tiers rather than one flat rate. Your tier usually follows how much you traded recently, often over the past month. Some also count how many of their own tokens you hold.
What Should Beginners Watch?
Schedules differ by exchange, by pair and by account tier, and they change over time. A rate from an old post may no longer apply, so check the fee page for your pair. The fee is not the only cost.
Frequently asked questions
No. Each fill carries one fee, and it matches the role your order played on that fill.
Exchanges want orders resting on the book to keep trading deep, so many price the maker side lower.
Yes. Some exchanges pay a small rebate instead of charging a maker fee, usually at their highest tiers.
Yes. Maker and taker fees go to the exchange for matching your order. Network fees pay the miners or validators who process the transaction on that blockchain.
