Calculator
Remittance cost calculator
Enter an amount, pick a corridor and a funding method. The table prices all three channel types with the same rules, so the only differences you see are fee, markup, tax and speed.
Try this first: set $500, US to Mexico, cash. The tax column shows $5.00. Switch funding to bank account and the tax column shows $0.00, with everything else unchanged. Drag the slider and the bars under the table redraw with the new split.
| Channel | Fee | Exchange-rate markup | Tax | Total cost | Recipient gets | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
What the cost is made of
How the total is built
- Fee: the flat and percentage charge in the parameter table.
- Exchange markup: the share of your amount lost because the rate you get is worse than the mid-market rate.
- Tax: 1% of the amount, cash funding only.
- Total cost: fee plus markup cost plus tax. Your recipient amount falls as the markup rises.
Reading the chart
The bars show the cheapest channel only. A long dark segment means the fee is doing the damage. A long mid-blue segment means the rate is. The yellow segment appears only when you fund with cash: that is the 1% tax, drawn to the same scale.
Parameters used in every estimate
Base rates are approximate public mid-market references dated October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.60 MXN and 1 USD = 63.50 PHP. They are not live rates.
| Parameter | Value used | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online service, Mexico: fee | $1.99 + 0.8% of amount | Remitly public US to Mexico pricing (base fee $1.99) | 2026-10-26 |
| Online service, Philippines: fee | 0.6% of amount, no flat fee | Wise public pricing (mid-market rate, variable fee) | 2026-10-26 |
| Online service: exchange markup | 0.6% Mexico, 0.8% Philippines | Sample estimate, public quote comparisons | 2026-10-26 |
| Bank wire: fee and markup | $35 flat, 3.2% Mexico / 3.5% Philippines | Sample estimate, typical published US bank wire range $25 to $50 | 2026-10-26 |
| Cash pickup: fee and markup | $4.99 flat, 1.8% Mexico / 2.0% Philippines | Sample estimate, public cash network pricing | 2026-10-26 |
| Federal tax on cash-funded remittances | 1% of the amount sent | IRS, Internal Revenue Code section 4475, effective 2026-01-01 | 2026-10-26 |
Rows marked as a sample estimate are exactly that. We did not find a single public price list that covers every bank or cash location, so we show the assumption instead of hiding it.
FAQ
What does total cost mean here?
Everything you lose versus sending at the mid-market rate with no fee: the fee, the dollar value of the markup, and any tax.
Do card-funded transfers pay the tax?
No. Transfers funded by a US-issued debit or credit card are exempt. Your card issuer may still charge its own fees, which we do not model.
Can I send more than $10,000?
Providers set their own limits and identity checks. Our percentages still scale, but large transfers often get better negotiated rates than this table shows.