PayPal limited your account? Here’s how to keep taking payments.
PayPal can limit an account and hold funds while it reviews it, and its user agreement allows holds of up to 180 days. If PayPal was your main way to get paid, a dedicated merchant account with an acquirer that accepts your business gets money flowing again.
What to do now, in order
- 1
Check the Resolution Center
See exactly what PayPal is asking for and send it. Some limitations lift once documents are provided.
- 2
Note what’s held and until when
Write down the amounts and dates. You’ll need them to plan cash flow and to explain the history to a new underwriter.
- 3
Keep handling disputes in PayPal
Unresolved disputes extend holds. Refund where you should and answer the rest.
- 4
Talk to us before you apply anywhere
Applying to several providers at once, or under a new name, leaves a trail underwriters see. We match you to one acquirer that accepts your business and submit once.
- 5
Get a dedicated merchant account
An account in your own name, with an acquirer that knowingly accepts your industry, so the same shutdown doesn’t happen again.
PayPal compared with a dedicated merchant account
| PayPal | Dedicated account through PaymentHelp | |
|---|---|---|
| Whose account | The platform’s shared account | An account in your business’s name |
| Who decides | The platform’s risk team, quickly | An underwriter who reviewed your business first |
| Restricted industries | Often excluded outright | Placed with acquirers that accept them |
| Setup | Minutes | Days, with a full application |
| After a problem | Closure and a long hold is common | Warnings, and a path to fix it |
| After approval | Support queue | PaymentHelp consulting: one view, a named consultant |
Industries we place after a PayPal closure
After a PayPal closure
How long can PayPal hold my money?
PayPal’s user agreement allows holds of up to 180 days in some cases. The hold usually covers the period when buyers can still dispute.
Can I keep a PayPal button alongside a merchant account?
Often yes, if PayPal still allows your business. A dedicated card account means PayPal is an option for buyers, not your only way to get paid.
Do I need a new bank account?
Usually not. The merchant account deposits into your existing business bank account.
Also closed by
PayPal is a trademark of its owner. PaymentHelp is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by PayPal. This page describes a common situation in general terms; your platform’s own terms and messages govern your account.
Get paid again after PayPal
Tell us what happened. We’ll match you with an acquirer that accepts your business, and stay on the account after approval so it doesn’t happen twice.