USDC on Polygon: what a transfer costs right now

What sets the fee on Polygon

Polygon PoS uses Ethereum's EIP-1559 fee model: every transaction pays a base fee set by the network from how full the previous block was, which is burned, plus an optional priority fee to the validator, according to Polygon's docs. Fees are paid in POL, Polygon's native token.

A native USDC transfer used 60,977 gas to an address that already held USDC and 78,988 to one that had never held it when we measured on 22 October 2026. We multiply those by the live gas price and the POL price on every refresh.

The base fee moves with congestion, so it can jump when blocks are full. A low dollar figure here depends on the POL price as much as on the gas price.

Not included: exchange withdrawal fees, bridging, conversion spreads and Align's own pricing, which is quoted on request.

How long a transfer takes

Circle credits a USDC deposit after

2 to 3 confirmations, about 8 seconds

Final (milestone)

2 to 5 seconds

Since the Heimdall v2 upgrade, Polygon PoS reaches deterministic finality through milestones: validators vote on recent blocks, and once two thirds agree, transactions up to that milestone can't be reorganized. Polygon's docs say that typically takes 2 to 5 seconds. Circle credits a USDC deposit on Polygon after 2 to 3 confirmations, about 8 seconds, and that is the time the tracker shows.

The USDC contract on Polygon

0x3c499c542cEF5E3811e1192ce70d8cC03d5c3359

Circle lists this as the USDC contract on Polygon PoS. It's native USDC, which Circle issues on Polygon. The older USDC.e on Polygon is a version bridged from Ethereum at a different address, which Circle doesn't issue. Sources: Circle, USDC contract addresses; Circle, Native USDC on Polygon PoS. View it on the block explorer.

Sending USDC on Polygon to Align

Align accepts USDC on Polygon. It also accepts USDC on Ethereum, Solana, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism and Avalanche, and lists every network it supports in its docs. Money you receive lands in your balance as USDC, and from there you can send it to wallets or pay out in USD, EUR, GBP or AED from named accounts in your company's name.

Not sure which network to use? See which network to use for USDT and USDC payments.

Common mistakes

• Holding USDC.e instead of native USDC. Bridged USDC.e and native USDC both show as USDC in many wallets. Compare the contract with 0x3c499c542cEF5E3811e1192ce70d8cC03d5c3359, and confirm with Align which contract it accepts before you send.
• No POL for gas. Fees on Polygon are paid in POL, so a self-custody wallet needs some POL next to its USDC.
• Sending on Ethereum to a Polygon address. Polygon and Ethereum use the same 0x addresses, so the wrong network goes through without an error. Check the network field says Polygon.
• Waiting on the Polygon bridge to reach Ethereum. Withdrawals from Polygon PoS to Ethereum through its bridge are proved by checkpoints submitted to Ethereum, which cover ranges of blocks. To move native USDC to another network, Circle's CCTP supports Polygon PoS.

Not sure which network an address is on? Paste it into the wallet address checker. If a transfer has already gone to the wrong network or address, see what to do if you send USDT or USDC to the wrong network.

Other networks

• USDT on Tron (TRC-20) network fee
• USDT on Ethereum (ERC-20) network fee
• USDT on Solana network fee
• USDC on Base network fee
• USDC on Ethereum (ERC-20) network fee
• USDC on Solana network fee
• USDC on Arbitrum network fee
• USDC on Optimism network fee
• USDC on Avalanche network fee
• Every network side by side, including Aptos

Estimates of network fees for information, not financial advice. Actual fees depend on network load at the moment you send and on the wallet or provider you use.