What Are PayPal Withdrawal Limits?

By Aaron Parson

PayPal members who have completed all steps of account setup and verified their information don't have any withdrawal limits. In other words, after you have your account in order, you're free to move money out of PayPal at will. When you first register, however, PayPal limits your ability to withdraw money from your account to your bank as a security measure.

PayPal's Withdrawal Limit

PayPal accounts start out with a $500 monthly withdrawal limit. This limit only applies to money in your PayPal balance that you want to transfer to your bank, not to money you send to other PayPal members, so it only comes into play if you receive payments using PayPal. To withdraw over $500 per month, you need to confirm one or more of your bank accounts or credit or debit cards.

Tips

PayPal's month resets on the day of the month that you opened your account, not on the 1st.

Check Your Limit

i Image courtesy of PayPal

To check your account limits, log in, proceed to your Account Summary page and click See how Much You Can Send With PayPal on the sidebar. The following page shows the status of all limits on your account, including the "Withdraw Money" limit. If you have a confirmed bank or card, it reads "Limit Lifted." Otherwise, click Lift Limits to provide the necessary information to remove the limit.

i Image courtesy of PayPal

Tips

PayPal also limits how much new accounts can send. Prior to verification, you're limited to $2,000 sent. To verify your account and remove this limit, confirm a bank account.
PayPal limits individual transactions to $10,000. You cannot remove this limit.
Other limits may be imposed on a per-account basis, such as if PayPal suspects your account was compromised. Use the same See how Much You Can Send With PayPal link to see and deal with any other limits.

Confirm a Bank or Card

When you click Lift Limits, PayPal walks you through confirming your information (or adding a bank account, if you haven't added one yet). Some banks support instant confirmation if you provide PayPal with your online banking information. For other banks, PayPal sends you two small deposits. After they arrive, visit the Lift Limits page again and report their amounts to prove your identity.

Credit and debit card confirmation works similarly. PayPal charges your card a small amount. Check your card's statement to find a code number attached to the charge. Return to the Lift Limits page and enter the code to confirm the card is your own.

References

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