Polymarket does not take bank transfers the way a sportsbook does. Your balance is held in pUSD, a dollar-pegged token on Polygon backed by USDC, so every deposit ends up as crypto. That is the main reason new users get stuck.
This guide shows how to deposit on Polymarket step by step. It covers the minimum deposit, which network to pick, what you pay in fees, how to fund Polymarket with a card, and how to withdraw. It also covers what to do if Polymarket is restricted in your country — see where Polymarket is restricted for the full country-by-country breakdown.
Quick answer
To deposit on Polymarket, copy your deposit address from the Deposit screen, send USDC or another supported token on the network shown, and wait a few minutes. Polymarket charges no deposit or withdrawal fee — you only pay the blockchain network fee.
If Polymarket is closed in your country, you can use a third-party terminal such as OVERDOG. It places your bets on Polymarket’s order book and accepts deposits from $2.
Polymarket deposit: key numbers at a glance
| Item | Polymarket | OVERDOG |
|---|---|---|
| Balance currency | pUSD (USDC-backed, on Polygon) | Dollar balance |
| Deposit fee | $0 | Not charged by OVERDOG |
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | No hold or approval step |
| Minimum deposit | $2 on most networks, $7 on Ethereum, $9 on Bitcoin and Tron | $2 |
| Supported networks | 15 | Shown on the deposit screen |
| Supported tokens | Several per network — see Polymarket’s supported-assets list | BTC, ETH, SOL, BNB, USDT, USDC |
| Default network and token | Polygon, USDC | — |
| Trading fee | Taker fee, 0% to 7% rate by category | Polymarket fee + 1% per bet |
| Large withdrawals | Polymarket recommends splitting very large amounts | — |
How Polymarket deposits work
Polymarket is an exchange, not a bookmaker. Users trade shares with each other, and prices move between 1 and 99 cents.
Your money is held as pUSD, a dollar token on Polygon backed by USDC. When you send USDC, USDT, ETH or another supported coin, it is wrapped into pUSD when it arrives through Polymarket’s Collateral Onramp. One pUSD is worth one dollar, so your balance does not move with crypto prices.
Three things trip up beginners:
- No direct bank wire. You fund the account with crypto, or with a card through a payment partner.
- The network matters. Each deposit address works on a specific network. Sending on the wrong one can lose your funds.
- Region rules. In some countries Polymarket lets you only close old positions, not open new ones — the US, for example, is close-only in the US.
How to deposit on Polymarket: 4 methods
You have four main ways to fund a Polymarket account.
| Method | Speed | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crypto transfer from a wallet or exchange | Seconds to a few minutes | Network fee only | Anyone who already holds crypto |
| Connect Coinbase account | About 2 minutes | Low | Coinbase users |
| Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay | Instant | Highest (payment partner fee) | First-timers with no crypto |
| Third-party terminal (OVERDOG) | A few minutes | Network fee on deposit, 1% per bet | Users in restricted regions |
1. Crypto transfer
This is the cheapest way. Here is how to deposit on Polymarket with crypto:
- Log in and click Deposit.
- Pick the token and network. Polygon with USDC is the default.
- Copy the address Polymarket shows you. It is personal to your account.
- Send the funds from your exchange or wallet on the same network.
- Wait for confirmation. On most networks it takes seconds to a few minutes.
Polymarket currently supports deposits across 15 networks: Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Bitcoin, Tron, HyperEVM, Abstract, Monad, Ethereal, Katana and Lighter. The exact list of chains and tokens changes over time, so check the Deposit screen before you send.
2. Coinbase
If you have a Coinbase account, you can link it from the Deposit screen and move funds directly. Coinbase asks for two-factor confirmation on each transfer.
3. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay
Polymarket has a built-in cash option through payment partners. It is the easiest route if you own no crypto. It is also the most expensive, because the partner adds its own processing fee.
To keep costs down, many users buy USDC or USDT on a regular exchange with their card, then send it to Polymarket as a crypto transfer.
4. Through a terminal if Polymarket is restricted
Polymarket limits access in many countries — see where Polymarket is restricted for the current list. Third-party terminals connect to Polymarket’s order book directly. OVERDOG is one of them. It focuses on sports and esports markets, prices come from Polymarket traders, and trades settle on Polygon. Check the rules in your country before you trade.
Where Polymarket is restricted
Polymarket uses three levels of restriction. For the full list by country, see our where Polymarket is restricted page.
| Level | What it means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Fully blocked | No new orders, and open positions cannot be closed | Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea, Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions |
| Close-only (site and API) | You can close old positions but not open new ones | United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Slovakia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Brazil, Russia, Belarus, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia, among others |
| Close-only (site only) | The website is closed for new trades, the API is open | Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Malta (sports only) |
Rules change, and some of these restrictions are self-imposed by Polymarket while others come from the user’s own country rather than Polymarket itself. Always check close-only in the US or the equivalent page for your own country before assuming your access status.
How to deposit through OVERDOG
- Open OVERDOG and create an account. No ID check is required to sign up, bet or withdraw.
- Go to Deposit and pick a coin. OVERDOG accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, BNB, USDT and USDC.
- Copy the address for the network shown and send your funds from it.
- Your deposit is converted to a dollar balance, so later coin price swings do not touch your money.
The minimum deposit is $2. OVERDOG holds your account key, so it works as a custodian. You can export the key on request after confirming your second factor.
Polymarket minimum deposit by network
| Network | Minimum deposit |
|---|---|
| Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, HyperEVM, Abstract, Monad, Ethereal, Katana, Lighter | $2 |
| Ethereum | $7 |
| Bitcoin | $9 |
| Tron | $9 |
| OVERDOG (any supported coin) | $2 |
A transfer below the minimum may not be processed. Check the number on the Deposit screen before you send, because the list of tokens and limits changes over time.
Polymarket deposit fees
Polymarket charges no fee to deposit or withdraw, according to its fee documentation. What you pay depends on the route:
- Network fee. Cheap on Polygon, Solana and Base. Higher on Ethereum and Bitcoin.
- Conversion spread. A small difference when you send something other than USDC.
- Card fee. Charged by the payment partner, not Polymarket.
The network fee matters most on small deposits. The table shows what share of a deposit goes to a $5 network fee versus a $0.05 fee.
| Deposit | $5 network fee | $0.05 network fee |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | 25% | 0.25% |
| $50 | 10% | 0.1% |
| $100 | 5% | 0.05% |
| $500 | 1% | 0.01% |
For deposits under $100, a cheap network such as Polygon, Solana or Base is the obvious choice.
Trading fees after you deposit
Deposits are free, but trades are not always free. Polymarket charges a taker fee. The formula is:
fee = shares × rate × price × (1 − price)
Makers, who place limit orders that wait in the book, pay nothing. Only takers, who fill an existing order, pay.
Taker fee rate by market category
| Category | Fee rate | Fee on a $100 trade at 50¢ |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto | 0.07 | $3.50 |
| Sports | 0.05 | $2.50 |
| Economics, Culture, Weather, Other | 0.05 | $2.50 |
| Finance, Politics, Mentions, Tech | 0.04 | $2.00 |
| Geopolitics | 0 | $0 |
At 50¢, $100 buys 200 shares. For sports: 200 × 0.05 × 0.5 × 0.5 = $2.50.
Sports fee by price, $100 bet
For a $100 bet, the formula simplifies. The fee equals $100 × rate × (1 − price). In sports that is $5 × (1 − price). Cheap outcomes cost more in fees than favorites.
| Share price | Shares for $100 | Polymarket fee | OVERDOG 1% | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90¢ | 111 | $0.50 | $1.00 | $1.50 (1.5%) |
| 70¢ | 143 | $1.50 | $1.00 | $2.50 (2.5%) |
| 50¢ | 200 | $2.50 | $1.00 | $3.50 (3.5%) |
| 30¢ | 333 | $3.50 | $1.00 | $4.50 (4.5%) |
| 20¢ | 500 | $4.00 | $1.00 | $5.00 (5.0%) |
| 10¢ | 1,000 | $4.50 | $1.00 | $5.50 (5.5%) |
If you want to see where larger wallets are actually positioned before you size a trade, our Smart Money dossier tracks exactly that.
How to withdraw from Polymarket
Withdrawals work like deposits in reverse.
- Click Withdraw.
- Enter your wallet address and pick the network and token.
- Confirm. Polymarket converts pUSD back to USDC and sends it.
Polymarket charges no withdrawal fee and processes withdrawals promptly; arrival time depends on the network. You pay the network fee. For very large amounts, Polymarket’s own guidance recommends bridging or splitting the transfer to avoid slippage, since the conversion pool can run short.
On OVERDOG, withdrawals are sent on-chain with no hold, no cooling-off period and no approval step.
| Polymarket | OVERDOG | |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 + network fee | Network transaction on Polygon |
| Speed | Processed promptly | No hold, no approval step |
| Payout tokens | USDC or other supported tokens | On-chain transfer |
| Large amounts | Split or bridge above roughly $50,000 | — |
Common deposit problems
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Funds did not arrive | Wrong network, or still confirming | Check the network in your wallet history and wait a few more minutes |
| Received less than sent | Network fee and conversion spread | Normal, especially on Ethereum |
| Deposit not credited | Amount below the network minimum | Check the minimum for that network |
| Not sure which coin to buy | — | Use USDC or USDT, both pegged to the dollar |
| Sent on an unsupported network | Address does not exist on that network | Funds may be recoverable at Polymarket’s recovery tool — contact support with the transaction hash |
Bottom line
How to deposit on Polymarket comes down to one rule: send a supported token on the right network. Polygon with USDC is the cheapest path. A card is the easiest but costs more. Polymarket itself takes no deposit or withdrawal fee.
If the main site is closed in your region, OVERDOG gives you access to the same order book from a $2 deposit. Start with a small amount, place one trade, and see if it fits how you want to bet. For more on reading the market itself, see our Polymarket analytics tools.
FAQ
How to deposit on Polymarket step by step?
Click Deposit, choose a token and network, copy your personal address and send funds to it from a wallet or exchange. You can also link Coinbase or pay with a card through a payment partner.
What currency does Polymarket use?
Polymarket balances are held in pUSD, a USDC-backed dollar token on Polygon. Deposits in other tokens are wrapped into pUSD on arrival.
Is pUSD the same as USDC?
pUSD is backed by USDC and worth one dollar. When you withdraw, Polymarket converts it back to USDC.
Can I deposit USDT on Polymarket?
Yes. USDT is one of the supported tokens on several networks. It is converted to pUSD when it arrives, with a small conversion spread.
Can I deposit Bitcoin on Polymarket?
Yes. Bitcoin is supported, with a $9 minimum. It is slower and more expensive than a stablecoin on Polygon or Solana.
Can I deposit on Polymarket with a credit card?
Yes. Polymarket supports cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay through payment partners. The partner charges a fee, so buying USDC on an exchange and transferring it is usually cheaper.
What is the minimum deposit on Polymarket?
$2 on most networks (Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, BNB Smart Chain, Solana and others), $7 on Ethereum, and $9 on Bitcoin and Tron. OVERDOG accepts deposits from $2.
Does Polymarket charge deposit fees?
No. Polymarket charges nothing to deposit or withdraw. You pay only the blockchain network fee and any fee from a card partner or exchange.
Which network is cheapest for a Polymarket deposit?
Polygon is the default and usually costs a few cents, and most other supported chains (Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Solana, BNB Smart Chain) share the same $2 minimum. Ethereum and Bitcoin cost the most.
How long does a Polymarket deposit take?
A crypto transfer usually arrives within seconds to a few minutes after confirmation. A Coinbase transfer takes about 2 minutes. Card payments are instant.
How long does a Polymarket withdrawal take?
Polymarket processes withdrawals promptly. Arrival time depends on the network you pick.
What happens if I send funds on the wrong network?
The deposit address is tied to a specific network. Funds sent on an unsupported network may be lost, though Polymarket runs a recovery tool for some cases. Always match the network in your wallet to the one on the Deposit screen.
How much does Polymarket charge per trade?
Only takers pay. The fee is shares × rate × price × (1 − price). The rate is 0.05 for sports, 0.07 for crypto, 0.04 for politics and finance, and 0 for geopolitics. A $100 sports bet at 50¢ costs $2.50.
What if Polymarket is not available in my country?
In close-only regions you can still exit old positions on the main site. To open new sports or esports positions, some users trade through terminals such as OVERDOG, which route orders to Polymarket’s order book. Check your local rules first.
