Binance Futures Fees Explained: Maker/Taker Rates, BNB Discount and Funding
Binance futures fees are charged on position value, not margin, once to open and once to close. Using the formulas and examples in Binance's help centre: how USDⓈ-M and COIN-M fees are calculated, why leverage multiplies them, when the BNB discount applies, and the funding payments people forget.
In short: a Binance futures fee is position value × fee rate, charged when you open and again when you close. Binance's help centre gives regular-user USDⓈ-M rates of 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker, with 10% off when paying in BNB. Because fees are charged on position value rather than the margin you put up, higher leverage means higher fees for the same margin.
What are Binance futures fees?
| Item | Binance help centre |
|---|---|
| Regular user, USDⓈ-M | 0.02% maker, 0.05% taker (the help centre's example rates) |
| VIP tiers | Rates fall with VIP level; each futures tier needs five times the spot volume |
| BNB discount | 10% off on USDⓈ-M when fees are paid in BNB held in the USDⓈ-M futures account |
| Funding | Periodic payments between longs and shorts on perpetuals, separate from trading fees |
Checked by BlockVar on 9 October 2026 against the help centre article "Binance Futures Fee Structure & Fee Calculations" (shown as updated 1 May 2026). Your account's fee page is authoritative.
How futures fees are calculated
- USDⓈ-M: fee = position value × rate, where position value = contract size × execution price.
- COIN-M: position value = (number of contracts × contract multiplier) ÷ execution price, with the fee in the coin.
Binance's USDⓈ-M example: buying 1 BTC of BTCUSDT with a market order at 10,104 is a taker fill, costing 10,104 × 0.05% = 5.052 USDT. Closing with a limit sell at 11,104 that fills as a maker costs 11,104 × 0.02% = 2.2208 USDT. The round trip costs about 7.27 USDT.
Maker or taker depends on how the order fills: matching existing orders immediately is taker; resting on the book until someone fills you is maker. A limit order that fills on arrival is charged as taker.
Why leverage multiplies fees
Fees follow position value. Our own numbers: 100 USDT of margin at 20x leverage is a 2,000 USDT position. At the 0.05% taker rate, opening costs 1 USDT and closing about 1 USDT more, roughly 2% of your margin before the price moves at all.
The same 100 USDT at 2x is a 200 USDT position and costs about 0.2 USDT round trip. Leverage does not change the rate, but it multiplies what you pay, and frequent trading compounds it.
When the BNB discount applies
- The help centre gives 10% off standard fees on USDⓈ-M futures when paying in BNB.
- The BNB must be transferred into the USDⓈ-M futures account.
- If that balance runs short, USDT is deducted instead and no discount applies.
- That article covers USDⓈ-M only; it does not mention a BNB discount for COIN-M.
Holding a large BNB balance for a 10% discount adds BNB price risk. Keeping a small amount and topping up is the safer habit.
Funding is not a fee, but often costs more
Perpetual futures settle funding at set intervals between longs and shorts; the exchange does not keep it. You pay or receive only if you hold through a settlement: longs pay shorts when the rate is positive, and the reverse when negative. Held long enough, funding can dwarf the trading fees. Binance's help centre explains the formula, and the VIBGG funding calculator estimates it from position value and holding days.
Affiliate disclosure: BlockVar and VIBGG are run by the same operator, the calculator link above is a promotion of an affiliated tool, and VIBGG contains exchange referral links.
How to cut futures costs
- Fill as maker where you can. The regular maker rate is less than half the taker rate; use limit orders that actually rest on the book.
- Trade less often. Every round trip pays twice.
- Size positions deliberately. Fees scale with position value, so lower leverage or size lowers the absolute fee.
- Turn on BNB payment and keep some BNB in the futures account.
- Watch funding times. Holding through a settlement adds a funding payment.
Futures are high risk: leverage magnifies gains and losses and can lead to liquidation. This guide explains fees only, is not investment advice, and you should check that futures are available where you live.
FAQ
Are fees charged to open and to close?
Yes: once on the position value when you open, and again on the position value when you close.
Futures rates are lower than spot. Are futures cheaper?
Not necessarily. Spot is 0.1% for regular users and futures 0.02%–0.05%, but futures charge on leveraged position value and add funding, so total cost is often higher; see Binance fees explained.
Where can I see what I actually paid?
Each fill in your futures trade history shows the fee and its currency. Compare it with the formula to tell maker fills from taker fills.
Further reading: Binance vs OKX fees, OKX fees explained, the exchange costs topic.