PayPal Payment Sent but Not Received (Solved)

ByTristan Published on
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One of the most frustrating things you can experience on PayPal is sending money to someone and the recipient telling you they haven’t received it. Then you start to wonder what went wrong. In this article, you will learn about what might cause PayPal payments not to be received and how they can be solved.

There are a few reasons why your PayPal payment may not be seen by the intended recipient. These include entering the wrong email address or phone number, not having the email address of the recipient confirmed, or being a victim of a fraudulent email scam. Solutions to all of these issues are provided further on in this article.

Unless you fall victim to fraudulent emails disguised as PayPal notifications, it’s easy to solve the issue of payment sent and not received on PayPal. So let’s fully examine why your PayPal payments may not be received by your intended recipients.

Someone sent me money on PayPal but it’s not there

The reasons why you may not receive money that has been sent to you are explained below:

  • Incorrect email address: This is the major reason why many PayPal payments are not received by the intended recipients. PayPal makes it easy for users to send payments to anyone through their email address. If the sender enters your email address incorrectly or spells it the wrong way, then you will not receive the funds. The solution to this is to confirm with the sender the correct spelling of your email address. Funds can also be sent via phone number and it’s important that the sender is sending funds to the correct phone number. As long as the email address is correct, you’ll receive the funds immediately.
  • Unverified/unconfirmed email address: Another common reason why PayPal funds are not received by the recipient. PayPal wants all members to verify their email address and any funds you receive will not reflect in your balance until you verify your email address.
  • You could fall victim to PayPal scams that are prevalent on Craigslist and other classified websites. These scammers will send you a fraudulent email disguised as a payment notification from PayPal. It’s important to always log in to your PayPal account and verify any payment after receiving a notification. This is even more important for sellers as you don’t want to ship your goods to fraudulent people based on fake email notifications. Note that PayPal will never ask you to provide a tracking number via email. If your buyer has paid, then you’ll see the funds in your PayPal account.

If you are expecting a refund and you initially paid using a credit or debit card, then PayPal will send the refunded amount to the card you used. Depending on the issuer of your debit or credit card, it might take up to 30 days before you receive the refund money. But if you initially paid with a bank account, then the refunding process will be faster and you can expect to get your money within 3-5 business days.

However, if the funds you are expecting are from friends and family, or as payment for goods and services, then you should confirm with the sender that they really sent the money to you. Receiving payments on PayPal is as easy as setting up an account and sending your email address to whoever is meant to credit you.

Note that it’s not mandatory for you to have a PayPal account before you can send money. But you need to sign up for an account to receive funds if you don’t already have one. However, the funds will be waiting for you even if you don’t have an account yet as long as your email address is entered correctly.

How long does it take to receive money on PayPal?

The length of time it takes to receive money on PayPal can vary based on the source of the funds. If the sender is using their PayPal balance or a credit or debit card, you will receive the money almost instantly. However, if the funds are coming from a linked bank account, it may take 2-3 business days for the money to clear and be available in your account. Using PayPal’s invoicing service can also result in fast payment processing times, as long as the sender uses a credit or debit card. If the sender uses a bank transfer or eCheck, the funds will take longer to arrive as the bank needs to clear the payment first.

A way to transfer money faster from your bank account is to use PayPal Instant Transfer, which allows you to transfer money to your bank account from your PayPal balance quickly. The maximum time for an Instant Transfer is 30 minutes, but transfers made on weekends or after 7 pm Eastern Time may take longer.

This service is available at a fee of 10% or 1% of the transaction amount, whichever is less. To use PayPal Instant Transfer, navigate to the “Transfer” option on your PayPal account and choose “Instant”. You will need to link an eligible credit or debit card to use this service.

Common Reasons for PayPal Payments Not Being Received

One of the most common reasons for PayPal payments not being received is due to an incorrect email address being entered by the sender. PayPal allows users to easily send payments to anyone through their email address, so if the sender enters the email address incorrectly or spells it wrong, the intended recipient will not receive the funds. To solve this issue, it is important to confirm with the sender the correct spelling of your email address and ensure that the funds are being sent to the correct phone number.

Another common reason for PayPal payments not being received is due to an unverified or unconfirmed email address. PayPal requires all members to verify their email address before any funds can be received, and any funds received will not reflect in the balance until the email address is verified. This is a security measure to prevent fraudulent activity and ensure that funds are being sent to the correct recipient. It is important to verify your email address to ensure smooth receipt of funds on PayPal.