Taker fee

A taker fee is a fee charged to the order that removes liquidity from the Central Limit Order Book (CLOB). On Polymarket, that means the fee applies when your order executes against existing resting orders (you “take” liquidity) rather than when you place an order that sits on the book (a maker).

Key takeaways

• A taker fee applies when you remove liquidity from the CLOB by hitting an existing order.
• Polymarket’s taker fees vary by category and currently range between 0% and 1.8%; the “Geopolitics” category is fee-free.
• Maker fees on Polymarket are zero; taker fees are the primary execution cost for aggressive orders.
• Always account for taker fees when calculating arbitrage edge or expected execution costs.

In context

When you place a market order (FAK) or an aggressive limit order that immediately matches existing orders, you will pay the taker fee for the executed volume. Because Polymarket’s matching engine is a CLOB, the distinction between maker and taker matters for strategy: makers benefit from zero maker fees, while takers pay the category-specific fee on filled volume.

For intra-market arbitrage strategies — for example, buying both legs in a binary when the sum of best asks is under $1.00 — you must subtract taker fees from the gross edge to estimate net profit. Remember that fees can vary by market category; use the category fee when estimating costs.

See also

• /glossary/maker-fee