Account Limitations: What You Need to Know
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
Keeping your business and customers safer
To ensure PayPal remains a safer place for enabling payments, we regularly review all accounts. Sometimes, limitations may be placed on your PayPal account, which could restrict you from completing certain actions: such as withdrawing, spending, or receiving money. Limitations are in place to help protect all our customers, and in some cases to meet our regulatory obligations. Protecting your account and money is important to us.
Account Limitations: What might cause it, and how to help avoid it?
If your PayPal account is limited, you may be unable to withdraw, send or receive money. There are a number of reasons why your account could be limited:
Suspicious & unusual activity
- We suspect someone could be using your account without your knowledge.
- Your bank alerts us that someone has used your credit/debit card linked to your account without your permission.
- There are unexpected changes to your selling activities such as a sudden increase in your typical sales volume.
In such cases, we do what it takes to protect you from potential fraud prompted by the unusual activity– through limiting your account, and investigating.
You can safeguard your personal information and help protect yourself against fraud through some simple measures. For example, don’t enter your personal or financial details when describing items for sale or in response to emails, and log out of sites you’ve entered your personal information into.
Regulatory reasons or business is not compliant
Your account could be limited for regulatory reasons. For example, India PayPal sellers need to include additional information to be able to accept payments in their account. Also, reaching a certain transaction value in your account may trigger a limit, which can also be removed by providing information required to PayPal.
There are also restrictions on what a PayPal account can be used to accept (and make) payments for. For example, PayPal doesn't allow the sale of counterfeit goods or banned items. So, ensure that your business is compliant with PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy .
Increased buyer issues
An increase of complaints, claims and chargebacks from buyers can lead to account limitations.
Following some simple guidelines can help you improve your performance and reduce the likelihood of limitations. Overall, communication is key. You should:
- Provide detailed product descriptions and photos.
- Be upfront about policies such as shipping and returns.
- Ship orders promptly and track shipments.
- Respond quickly to any messages from buyers.
- Work to amicably resolve any problems.
- Ship to the address provided in the transaction details page.
- Use quality shipping materials to prevent damage.
Removing limitations
If your PayPal account is limited, here’s what happens:
- We’ll email you to let you know – we’ll ask you to log in to your PayPal account and go to the Resolution Centre for details on how to resolve the issue quickly, usually by providing information.
- Once you’ve submitted the information required, we’ll review and reply via email.
- We’ll remove the limitations once we have verified your account. At times, limitations can be removed by simply changing your security questions and password.
Here are the types of information and documents we may need from you:
- Supplier’s invoice with contact information
This helps us determine the inventory source and validate that you have the items that you’re selling in stock.
- Payment information
When an invoice is unavailable, we’ll review the following information about your payments:
- The item or service that was sold
- The buyer’s name and shipping address
- Proof of shipment to verify that an order was delivered
- Shipping or Tracking information
This helps us to verify that customer orders are being fulfilled.
- Proof of business
This provides evidence of a valid business registration and business ownership.
- Information for India sellers
This is to comply with our India regulatory obligations. Provide a valid PAN, a local bank account and the purpose code in your PayPal account task board.
- Proof of address such as bank statement or utility bill, Proof of identity such as passport or driver’s license
This helps us verify your identity when there is unusual account activity or to comply with regulations.
Once you’ve submitted your information, look out for any more emails from us as we may need additional details. We’ll do our best to confirm your information and remove the limitation within 2 business days, but sometimes it can take a little longer.
Quick Tip: If your PayPal account is limited, don’t open a new account. It could be traced back to the limited account. It’s always best to resolve the limitation. We will guide you through it and restore full access to your PayPal account as quickly as possible.
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
I am having this problem with my business account. It does not offer me any steps to take to resolve it. I have documentation from my supplier and proof of orders. How can I fix it if it won't give me the option to?
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
closed mine today for no known reason that i can think of, permanent closure, been with them about 20 years or something as well what a joke, they holding my money for 180 days, it isnt a lot of money but i owe them a few thousand on paypal credit so thats not getting paid haha, **bleep** for tat for them
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
2 of my accounts were closed yesterday. No email before that, no warnings.
Out of the blue!
1 account is personal - $1500 on "hold"
Second account - business - $3500 on "hold"
You can't even contact them since there is no option like that in my accounts.
Will try to call them but I am doubt it will help.
I have been with Paypal for about 14 years. And what I can say for sure - it is the largest world crime organization, which should be forbidden in every country. They simply steal your money
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
I have been waiting since January 4th to get my money out!! Was a customer for 18 years!!!
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
THERE IS NO WAY I"M CLICKING ON A RANDOM PAYPAL EMAIL TO GO TO A WEBPAGE.
I got an email from paypal that looks quite real, that my account was limited.
At first, I didn't click on the link because I am worried about click-bait and if the email is a fake. But then I couldn't reach PayPal any other method.
So I capitulated and clicked the link when I read this in your post: "
Removing limitations
If your PayPal account is limited, here’s what happens:
- We’ll email you to let you know – we’ll ask you to log in to your PayPal account and go to the Resolution Centre for details on how to resolve the issue quickly, usually by providing information."
And I GOT A MESSAGE FROM MY BROWSER STATING DECEPTIVE SITE AHEAD!!!! So I did not proceed.
There is no way I'm risking clicking on click-bait.
Paypal you need to do soemthing to help us get in touch with you to resolve our account issues!!
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
Hello I provided my ID, address proof, identity proof and I linked a card to my Paypal account and confirmed the card. the message in my limitation center is: Financial account verification This is to confirm ownership of a bank account, debit or credit card. I want to know why my account is still limited by this message?
- Mark as New
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Permalink
- Report Inappropriate Content
I had trouble providing official photo ID. Thankfully PayPal accepted by birth certificate and a government letter with my address on it and now my account is longer restricted. They also apparently accept bank statements and letters from the NHS. (Just upload them via the options provided.) Good luck!
Haven't Found your Answer?
It happens. Hit the "Login to Ask the community" button to create a question for the PayPal community.
- Invoice Scam Accident in Transactions
- Large payments made from account of deceased relative months after death in Managing Account
- Help needed. this looks illegitimate in Security and Fraud
- Manual transfer of funds from bank to paypal account in Transactions
- PayPal Response to Suspected Scam in Security and Fraud