Activate PayPal payments
Learn how to activate PayPal payments when you're ready to go live.
You can activate the PayPal payment method directly from the Stripe Dashboard.
- Go to the Payment Methods settings page.
- Locate PayPal in the Wallets section.
- Click Turn on.
- Select your settlement preference. If you select Add PayPal funds to your Stripe balance, PayPal money flow is similar to other payment methods at Stripe. If you select Keep PayPal funds in PayPal balance, you’ll need to manage payouts on PayPal with the option to automate the frequency of payouts. Find more information about settlement modes.
- Click Continue to PayPal to complete the integration and connect your Stripe and PayPal accounts. You can connect an existing PayPal account or create a new one as part of the process.
- After clicking Continue to PayPal, PayPal redirects you back to Stripe where you can check the status of your integration on the Payment Methods settings page.
Note
In some cases, you might see your integration appear in a pending state after connecting your Stripe and PayPal accounts, which can happen for the following reasons:
- You haven’t confirmed the email address to activate your PayPal account.
- PayPal needs to perform additional verifications on your account. If you’ve verified all of these possibilities and think they don’t apply to your PayPal account, please contact Stripe Support and we’ll help you resolve the issue.
Currently, only PayPal business accounts in the European Economic Area (excluding Hungary), the UK, and Switzerland are supported.
Connect users
- Check whether your Connect configuration is compatible with PayPal.
- If your use case is supported, request PayPal access by submitting an onboarding request from the Stripe Dashboard.
- Receive a confirmation email from Stripe.
- Prepare the following documents to provide to PayPal:
- Your Acceptable User Policy (AUP) or Terms & Conditions (T&C).
- Details of the controls you have in place to make sure that sellers conform to your policies and terms. Examples of controls include web screening, ongoing reviews of top sellers, and restricting sellers to a fixed list of items they can offer.
- A PayPal representative contacts you directly over phone and email to complete the onboarding. Provide them with the documents that you prepared in the previous step.
Stripe sends email updates about the progress of onboarding requests. You can also check your onboarding status in your Payment Methods settings.
Switch to a different PayPal account Not supported with Stripe Connect
You can switch to a different PayPal account in your Dashboard. It can be an existing account, or you can create a new one.
Connect platforms and connected accounts can’t switch PayPal accounts.
Caution
If you have recurring payments enabled, switching PayPal accounts disables them. After switching accounts, you must re-enable recurring payments and collect mandates from buyers again.
- Go to the Payment Methods settings page.
- In the Wallets section, find PayPal.
- Expand the PayPal section.
- Click Switch account.
- Read the information window.
- Click Switch PayPal account.
Switching accounts doesn’t take effect immediately. Payments continue to flow through your previous account until the new account is successfully connected.
After switching PayPal accounts, payments processed with your previous account are still eligible for refunds and disputes.
In some cases, you might see your new PayPal account appear in a pending state on the Stripe dashboard. That can happen for the following reasons:
- You haven’t confirmed the email address to activate the new PayPal account.
- PayPal needs to perform additional verifications on the new account. If you believe that you’ve fulfilled all the PayPal requirements, contact Stripe Support.
Start accepting PayPal payments
See how to accept PayPal payments at Stripe.