Paying your network via PayPal is a convenient, popular option. But there are some checks along the way that can pop an error. We have them here for you, along with why they happen, so you can sort it out and keep moving.
Sometimes errors can happen due to incorrect account setup; so, be sure to check that all the below integration prerequisites are met:
This error occurs when you are not authorized to use PayPal payouts. A user can be unauthorized when:
This error occurs when your PayPal balance does not have enough funds to cover both the affiliate's commission payment plus associated PayPal transaction fees.
In order to use Payouts, you must add funds directly to your PayPal balance. Funds will not be pulled from a linked bank account or card to pay affiliates.
If your account has commissions generated in multiple currencies, you may have to hold funds on those additional currencies as well.
PayPal will sometimes completely decline a transaction due to risk concerns. If you tried to pay multiple affiliates and the whole transaction fails, we recommend retrying your payment with fewer affiliates to see which payment is resulting in this error. From there, you can reach out to PayPal for more information about why the transaction is marked as risky.
PayPal will place certain transactions on hold if the transaction needs to be reviewed for compliance with government regulations. You can try waiting a week to see if the payment status gets updated to paid. If not, you can try the payment again or reach out to PayPal for additional information.
Sometimes PayPal may place a payment on hold for 24 hours as a security precaution. This can happen for many reasons, such as you haven't sent money in a while or you're sending money to someone new.
From your side no action is needed. If there are no issues with the payment, then it will complete within 24 hours. If PayPal finds that a payment wasn’t authorized, then they reverse the transaction. You can review additional details from PayPal here
This may be an error we haven't documented. Please see the table below for all possible PayPal errors (more info).
Code | Description |
account_restricted | Access to your account has been restricted. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
account_unconfirmed_email | You need to be a verified PayPal account holder to send payouts. You can verify your account by confirming your email and your bank account or credit card. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
approver_denied | Payout request rejected by the approver. Please check with your approver. |
authorization_error | Your account is not authorized to use payouts. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
batch_not_completed | This payout batch is still being processed. Please try again later. |
closed_market | This account is not allowed to receive payouts from other countries. Try re-sending this payout to another account. |
currency_compliance | Due to currency compliance regulations, you are not allowed to make this transaction. |
currency_not_supported_for_receiver | This currency cannot be accepted for this recipient’s account. You can re-send this payout with a different currency. |
gamer_failed_country_of_residence_check | The recipient lives in a country that is not allowed to accept this payout. |
gamer_failed_funding_source_check | The funding source that was selected for this payout is not allowed. Try again by using your PayPal balance instead. |
gaming_invalid_payment_flow | This payment flow is not allowed for gaming merchant accounts. |
insufficient_funds | You have insufficient funds in your PayPal balance. You'll need to add funds to your account to complete the payout. |
internal_error | An error occurred while processing this payout request. Please re-submit this payout as a new batch or file. |
invalid_email | Email Address doesn’t exist. Try again with the correct Email Id. |
negative_balance | You have insufficient funds in your PayPal balance. You'll need to add funds to your account to complete the payout. |
non_holding_currency | Your account does not have a PayPal balance in this currency. Try again with a currency that has funds in your PayPal account, or change your account settings to this currency. |
pending_recipient_non_holding_currency_payment_preference | This payout is pending because the recipient has set their account preferences to review credits in this currency. The recipient has been notified. Check back later for the status of this payout. |
receiver_account_limitation | The recipient's account is currently under limitation. Any payments made to this account will be on hold until the issue is resolved. Funds will be returned to your account if the limitation is not resolved within 30 days of the sent payout. The recipient's account is currently under limitation. Any payments made to this account will be on hold until the issue is resolved. Funds will be returned to your account if the limitation is not resolved within 30 days of the sent payout. |
receiver_account_locked | We were not able to send a payout because the recipient’s account is inactive or restricted. Funds have been returned to your account. |
receiver_country_not_allowed | We can’t send this payout because the recipient lives in a country where payouts are not allowed. |
receiver_refused | The recipient has refused this payout in this currency. Try resending in a different currency. |
receiver_state_restricted | We can’t send this payout because the recipient lives in a state where payouts are not allowed. |
receiver_unconfirmed | The recipient’s email or phone number is unconfirmed. Any payments made to this account will be marked as Unclaimed until the recipient confirms their account information. Funds will be returned to your account if they are not claimed within 30 days. |
receiver_unregistered | The recipient for this payout does not have an account. A link to sign up for an account was sent to the recipient. However, if the recipient does not claim this payout within 30 days, the funds will be returned to your account. |
receiver_youth_account | We were not able to send a payout because the recipient has a youth account. Please check with the recipient for an alternate account to receive the payout. |
receiving_limit_exceeded | The recipient cannot accept this payout, because it exceeds the amount they can receive at this time. Please resubmit your payout request for a different amount. |
refused_access_denied | Your account is not allowed to send money. Check with your primary account holder to get permission to send money. |
regulatory_blocked | This transaction is blocked due to regulatory compliance restrictions. |
regulatory_pending | This transaction is pending, while it is reviewed for compliance with government regulations. |
risk_decline | This transaction was declined due to risk concerns. |
self_pay_not_allowed | You can’t send a payout to yourself. Try sending it to a different account. |
sender_account_locked | You can’t send a payout now, because your account is locked or inactive. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
sender_account_unverified | To send a payout, you need to have a verified PayPal account. You can verify your account by confirming your bank account or credit card. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
sender_state_restricted | Your address is in a state where payouts are not allowed. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
spending_limit_exceeded | You’ve exceeded your spending limit. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
transaction_declined_by_travel_rule | Your payout request does not comply with travel rule regulations. To send this payout, you’ll need to update and verify your account information. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
transaction_limit_exceeded | This payout request has exceeded the limit for this type of transaction. The funds have been returned to your account. |
undefined | An error occurred while processing this payout request. Try again in a few minutes, or try resending as part of a new request or file. |
unverified_recipient_not_supported | This payout request was not completed because the recipient has not verified their account. Your account is only allowed to send payout to verified accounts. |
user_country_not_allowed | Your address is in a country where payouts are not allowed. Contact your PayPal account manager or PayPal customer service team for assistance. |
user_funding_source_ineligible | The funding source for this payout is not allowed. Try again by using your PayPal balance instead. |
zero_amount | Please provide a valid payment amount. |
If you reach out to [emailprotected] we can check our system to see if we received any of the errors above from PayPal.
Depending on the error, we might be able to help you troubleshoot directly. If the error isn't something we can solve for you, you'll need to reach out to PayPal for assistance.
