The formula
Received = (Amount − Amount × %Fee ÷ 100 − Flat fee) × Rate
The gap between gross conversion (amount × rate) and net received is your total cost expressed in target currency — a useful framing when your counterparty invoices in their currency and cares only about what lands.
Note what this formula excludes: any margin inside the rate itself. If your quoted rate already sits below the wholesale reference, that cost is additional. Measure it separately with the FX Margin Calculator for the complete picture.
How to use this calculator
- 1
Enter the amount and quoted rate
The rate exactly as quoted to you — target currency per one unit of source currency.
- 2
Add the provider’s fees
Percentage and flat fee from the quote or pricing page. Set to zero to see the gross conversion.
- 3
Read the estimated amount received
This is the settlement figure to confirm with your counterparty before executing.
- 4
Sanity-check against the invoice
If the received amount undershoots the invoice, gross up the send amount or renegotiate who bears the fees.
Grossing up: paying an exact invoice amount
When a supplier must receive exactly 500,000 in their currency, you need the inverse calculation: send amount = (target ÷ rate + flat fee) ÷ (1 − %fee ÷ 100). Underestimating this is the classic cause of "short payment" emails and delayed shipments — the invoice was right, the arithmetic was not.
Quote-first platforms remove this failure mode: you specify the receive amount and the quote computes and commits the send amount. On KeyBS Pay, the receive amount on the approved quote is the amount delivered, so grossing up happens inside the quote rather than on your spreadsheet.
Rates move — projections age fast
An exchange-rate projection is a snapshot. Volatile pairs can move a full percentage point within a trading day, which on a $50,000 conversion is $500 of drift between your calculation and your execution. The longer the gap between deciding and paying, the more your projection erodes.
Two disciplines contain this: quote close to execution, and use rate locks when the gap is unavoidable — a locked quote holds the rate for its validity window so your approved number survives to settlement. For recurring exposure, hedging basics are covered in the linked Academy guide.
Common use cases
Invoice settlement
Confirm what a supplier receives from a given send amount before executing — and share the number with them.
Price list building
Convert a USD price list into local-currency pricing with your real conversion costs baked in.
Budget conversion
Translate a project budget between currencies for reporting, net of the fees you will actually pay.
Fee bearer negotiations
Quantify the difference between "fees on sender" and "fees on receiver" arrangements for the same invoice.
Automate this with the API
Live indicative conversion for any supported pair — the engine behind this page.
curl "https://keybs.io/api/v1/tools/fx?from=EUR&to=KES&amount=25000" \ -H "x-api-key: YOUR_FREE_KEY"Free Tools API docs and key registration
Frequently asked questions
Why does the received amount differ from amount × rate?
Because fees are deducted before conversion. The gross figure (amount × rate) is what marketing pages imply; the net figure is what settles. The gap grows with fee levels — always quote counterparties the net.
Which rate should I enter — the one on Google?
Enter the rate your provider actually quoted you. Public reference rates are wholesale indications you generally cannot transact at. The difference between them is your provider’s margin — measurable with our FX Margin Calculator.
How do I send an exact amount in the target currency?
Gross up: divide the target amount by the rate, then add fees back (see the grossing-up section above). Or use a quote-first provider where you specify the receive amount and the platform computes the send amount and commits it.
Do rates differ by amount?
Often, yes. Many providers tier pricing — larger conversions get tighter rates. If you convert regularly, ask for your provider’s tier schedule; consolidating conversions into larger, less frequent batches can improve your blended rate.
How long is a quoted rate valid?
Provider-dependent — from seconds for streaming rates to a defined validity window for locked quotes. KeyBS Pay quotes state their validity explicitly, and the rate locks when you commit, so the approved receive amount does not move afterwards.
What about the margin inside the rate?
This calculator treats your quoted rate as given. Whether that rate is good is a separate question — answer it by comparing against a wholesale reference with the FX Margin Calculator before you accept the quote.
Corridors, tools and reading for this calculator
Replace assumptions with a committed quote
Executable rate, disclosed fee, committed receive amount — before you pay anything.
Request a Quote