• PayPal App Help
  • My Account
  • My Money
  • Payments
  • PayPal Credit
  • Disputes & Limitations
  • Products & Services
  • Merchant
  • US Tax Information
  • Non-Profits and Donations

Some of my payments are not available right away

You’re a new seller with PayPal or an established seller who has opened a new account. 

  • If you have a new PayPal account, it can take time to build up a positive reputation as a seller.

You haven’t sold in a while. 

  • When your selling activity has been dormant for a long time, it'll take time to rebuild a positive reputation as a seller.

Multiple customers reported problems or requested refunds. 

  • We recommend working with your customers to solve any problems.

Your selling pattern appears to have changed or seems unusual. 

  • Unusual selling patterns include an unexpected surge in sales, a change in business type, a change in average selling price or the type of item being sold.

You're selling higher-risk items. 

  • Higher-risk items can include event tickets, consumer electronics, travel packages and gift cards.

In a calendar month, you have a set amount of money you can withdraw or use. Above that amount, the money becomes available 21 days after you receive the payment or earlier. The amount you can access immediately is reset every month.

Here's how to request an increase in the amount of money available to you each month:    

  1. On the Dashboard page, click Let's fix it under your PayPal Balance. 
  2. Click Request an increase on the right-hand side. 
  3. Select the appropriate amount. 
  4. Click Done.

We’ll review your request and send you an email within 3 working days. You can request an increase once every 30 days.

Log in to your account to see if you can help to release your payments on hold. If you don’t have this option, we’ll hold your payment for up to 21 days.

You may be able to release eligible payments by following one of the below steps: 

  1. Add Tracking. Use one of our approved shipping carriers and we'll release the hold approximately 24 hours after the courier confirms delivery to the buyer's address. 
  2. Update the order status if the held payment is for a service or intangible item (e.g. piano lessons, e-book). We'll release the hold 7 days after you confirm the order status as Completed.
  3. Print shipping labels with us. We'll track the item and release the hold approximately 24 hours after the courier confirms delivery to the buyer's address. 

In rare cases, after these steps are completed, we may need to hold the payment for up to 21 days. For example, this can happen if we notice an unusual change in your selling patterns.

Was this article helpful?
Personal Payments Not Available? (5243 views)

More ways we can help

How are we doing?
Take our survey

If you accept cookies, we'll use them to improve and customise your experience and enable our partners to show you personalised PayPal ads when you visit other sites. Manage cookies and learn more