PayPal account limited or payment on hold: what PayPal says

OFFICIAL A limited account means you may not be able to do certain things, for example send or withdraw money.

OFFICIAL To start, go to your Resolution Center or click the bell icon at the top of your Dashboard.

OFFICIAL After you complete the steps, the review usually takes 3 business days. PayPal tells you by email.

OFFICIAL PayPal may lift some limitations automatically when you complete the steps.

OFFICIAL If every step is done and the account is still limited, PayPal says it is still reviewing what you sent or already asked for more information by email.

OFFICIAL How long it takes depends on the complexity of your case.

OFFICIAL A suspicious email can be forwarded to phishing@paypal.com.

OFFICIAL Reasons PayPal lists for a limitation include many claims or chargebacks, a new product type, and sales volume that rises quickly and out of the ordinary.

OFFICIAL For an inactive account, you upload proof of identity in the Notifications Center.

OFFICIAL Customer service cannot remove a limitation over the phone.

OFFICIAL Documentation can relate to your identity, address, a recent name change or your business.

OFFICIAL The list of requested documents is in the Resolution Center.

OFFICIAL A document must be readable, show all four corners, hide nothing, and match the information on your PayPal account.

OFFICIAL Identity: ID card, driving licence (the plastic card, not the letter), passport or another government photo ID. Name, date of birth, issue and expiry date and number must be visible.

OFFICIAL Not accepted for ID: a state medical card, and expired, partial or covered documents.

OFFICIAL Proof of address on the US page: utility bill, phone bill, vehicle registration, bank or credit card statement and similar, dated within the last 12 months.

OFFICIAL Not accepted as proof of address: envelopes, invoices, receipts and waybills.

OFFICIAL If your name changed and the document does not match, PayPal may ask for more documentation showing the name change.

OFFICIAL Risk-based holds on a payment generally stay in place for up to 21 days from when the payment was received.

OFFICIAL PayPal may release a hold earlier at its own discretion, for example if you uploaded shipment tracking for the transaction.

OFFICIAL If the payment is challenged as one that should be reversed, the hold can last longer, but no longer than 180 days.

OFFICIAL PayPal may hold a balance for up to 180 days if reasonably needed to protect against the risk of liability, or on a violation of the Acceptable Use Policy.

OFFICIAL The hold may stay longer than 180 days under a court order, regulation or another legal process.

OFFICIAL If a marketplace or other third party gave the hold, you need to contact that party directly.

OFFICIAL You have to start a pending withdrawal again once the limitation or hold has been lifted.

OFFICIAL To ask about a limitation, hold or reserve, visit the Resolution Center or follow the instructions in the email notice.

OFFICIAL PayPal decisions may be based on confidential criteria.

OFFICIAL You agree to cooperate with PayPal's reasonable requests for financial statements and other documentation, in a timely way.

OFFICIAL A business reserve can be rolling (example in the agreement: 10% held for a 90-day rolling period) or a minimum reserve.

OFFICIAL PayPal says it will notify you of the terms of a reserve and of changes to it.

OFFICIAL Trying to open a new or additional PayPal account to get around a limitation is a restricted activity.

OFFICIAL Missing tax information can lead to account holds or limitations.

OFFICIAL Refusing to cooperate in an investigation or to confirm your identity is a violation.

OFFICIAL For a dispute or claim on a business account: "Needs your attention", then the Case ID, then Respond, then Submit evidence, then upload (PayPal developer page).

OFFICIAL The Resolution Center address is paypal.com/disputes/. It shows a sign-in screen when you are not logged in, so we could not see what the screen looks like inside.