PayPal Limits [2025]: Full Guide
PayPal is hugely popular in the US and worldwide, with easy ways to shop, send and receive money, access credit, hold a balance, save, and more. But what about the limits which apply to sending and receiving money, or getting credit? This guide walks through the PayPal US limits which may apply to your account, and how you can get them raised if you need to.
We’ll also touch on a few PayPal alternatives which can have higher limits and offer lower fees for sending and receiving payments internationally, such as Wise and OFX. Let’s dive right in.
Quick summary: PayPal international transfer limits
- Unverified PayPal account holders can make a one time payment of up to 4,000 USD, this rises to 60,000 USD per transaction once verified
- PayPal credit limits are set by their banking partner, and credit limit raises must be addressed to the bank rather than PayPal
- There’s usually no limit to the amount you can hold in a PayPal account, but you’ll usually only be able to receive from other PayPal account holders, who are subject to limits on send amount
- PayPal transfer fees can be high if you pay by card, and even higher if you’re sending money in a foreign currency – you may get a lower overall cost with a provider like Wise or OFX instead
Does PayPal have limits?
Yes, PayPal has certain limits on how much you can send to others from your PayPal account. There are also limits on things like PayPal credit cards, which can vary depending on your situation and credit score.
PayPal’s sending limits are pretty high for day to day use, such as paying back a friend for dinner or paying a merchant for something you’re buying, but may be too low if you want to send a large payment to someone. Plus, fees – particularly if you’re sending money to someone overseas – can mount up very quickly when sending higher value payments with PayPal.
This guide walks through all the limits you need to know about, and also offers some alternatives which have higher limits and lower fees when you need to send money overseas.
What‘s the maximum amount I can send with my PayPal account?
The amount you can send with PayPal depends on a number of factors.
- If you have not yet verified your PayPal account you’ll find your limits are pretty low, and the number of individual payments you can send is also likely to be capped.
- If you have a verified account with PayPal you may have higher transfer limits, but the absolute amount you can send is down to PayPal’s discretion. It may be lowered based on their standard security measures, or the specific currency you want to send.
PayPal transfer limits
PayPal US transfer limits are as follows:
- If you have an unverified account, you can make a one time payment of up to 4,000 USD
- If you have a verified PayPal account you can send up to 60,000 USD per transaction. PayPal may limit this to 10,000 USD per transaction at their discretion.
Limits may also vary a little based on the currency involved – you’ll see the limit which applies to a particular payment in the PayPal app when you start to set up your transfer.
Alternatives to PayPal with higher limits
If you need to receive a higher value payment, or if you’re simply interested in checking out some alternatives, you may want to look at different providers with higher limits for sending and receiving payments. We’ve picked out a few options which may appeal – particularly if you’re sending or receiving an international payment.
Here’s an overview:
| Providers | International transfer limits | Transfer methods | Transfer fees & exchange rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal | From the US, 60,000 USD per payment | Deposit to a PayPal account | Domestic transfer fee – 0% to 2.9% depending on payment method International payment fee – domestic charge +5% + currency fee of 4% |
| OFX | No limit | Transfer online, in app or by phone | No transfer fee Exchange rate includes a markup |
| Wise | 1 million USD per payment | Transfer online or in app | Fee from 0.57% |
| Xe Money Transfer | 535,000 USD per payment | Transfer online or in app | Often no transfer fee Exchange rate includes a markup |
Information correct at time of research – 10th January 2025. Other limits may apply, depending on the payment method and destination country.
OFX
| OFX – best features for high value transfers |
|---|
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OFX allows customers to send money in 50+ currencies, all over the world. OFX does not charge US customers any transfer fee, although there is a fee included in the exchange rate that’s used to process your payment.
There’s no upper limit on the amount of money you can send with OFX. If you’re sending a high value payment you may need to talk it through with OFX using their 24/7 call line, to make sure you have all the right information and documentation to support your transfer.
Some banks have a daily or per transfer limit on the amount you can send. If your bank imposes a limit, OFX can accept partial payments for a transfer – so you can make several bank transfers to pass OFX the full amount required for processing.
If your goal is to receive payments, OFX has a business account which you can use to receive payments in 7 major currencies with no fee and no limits.
Wise
| Wise – best features for high value transfers |
|---|
|
Wise offers high transfer limits for individuals and businesses to 160+ countries, with the mid-market exchange rate and low fees from 0.57%.
Wise is a secure provider which also offers volume discounts on fees, so the costs could be reduced if you use the service regularly or if you’re sending a large amount. You can also get an account to receive payments in 20+ currencies with local and SWIFT account details.
If you send more than the currency equivalent of 20,000 GBP a month (around 25,000 USD) you could get an automatic discount of up to 0.17%. There’s no need to pre-arrange the fee.
Here’s how the Wise high value payment discounts break down:
| Payment volume (GBP) | Discount |
|---|---|
| Under 20,000/month | 0 |
| 20,000 – 300,000/month | 0.1% |
| 300,000 – 500,000/month | 0.15% |
| 500,000 – 1million/month | 0.16% |
| 1 million+/month | 0.17% |
Wise transfer limits for Wise accounts held in licensed states, Guam and the Virgin Islands are as follows:
| Wise personal account transfer limit | Wise Business account transfer limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Per transfer | 1,000,000 USD | 1,000,000 USD |
| ACH | 50,000 USD per day 250,000 USD per 60 day period | 50,000 USD per day 400,000 USD per 60 day period |
| Debit or credit card | 2,000 USD per day 8,000 USD per week | 2,000 USD per day 8,000 USD per week |
Information correct at time of research – 10th January 2025
If your account address is in Nevada, American Samoa, or Mariana Islands the limits are slightly different:
| Wise personal account transfer limit | |
|---|---|
| Per transfer | 50,000 USD |
| Per year | 250,000 USD |
| ACH limit | 10,000 USD per day 400,000 USD in a 60 day period |
Information correct at time of research – 10th January 2025
Xe Money Transfer
| Xe Money Transfer – best features for high value transfers |
|---|
|
With Xe Money Transfer you can send a payment online or in app to 130+ countries from the US, for personal or business use. Xe has a fixed limit of 535,000 USD or the currency equivalent per personal payment. This limit does not apply on business transfers.
Xe does not market volume discounts on fees or exchange rates, but if you’re using the service for a big transfer it may be worth calling them to check if there’s a good deal to be had.
Can you receive large amounts of money on PayPal?
Generally, you will find that any PayPal payment you receive has originated from someone else’s PayPal account. That means that the sender will be governed by the limits which apply on PayPal wherever they are. If your sender is in the US, they won’t be able to send more than the US maximum payment for PayPal, for example.
This means that while in theory, you may be able to hold as much as you want in your PayPal account, individual incoming payments are likely to be subject to relatively low caps. We’ll look at some other ways to receive large payments from others as part of this guide, which allow you to receive larger value payments with no hassle.
PayPal limits for receiving money
PayPal doesn’t specify any limits to the amount you can receive into your PayPal account.
However, the value of a single payment you can receive will be dictated by the maximum amount the sender is able to send from their PayPal account.
This will depend on the country – in the US the maximum send amount for a verified PayPal account holder is 60,000 USD per transfer.
Is it possible to increase PayPal transfer limits?
You can increase your transfer limits by getting your account verified. This allows you to get full feature access and send more money.
How to increase PayPal transfer limits
To increase your PayPal limit from 4,000 USD to 60,000 USD, you’ll need to verify your PayPal account. Here’s how to get verified with PayPal in the US:
- Log into PayPal and go to Wallet
- Click Link a card or bank, then Link a bank account
- Search for your bank or select it from the list
- Link your bank instantly by entering your bank login details
You can also follow a manual process to link your bank account – or you can get verified by applying for and being approved for a PayPal Credit product instead.
How do I lift my receiving limit on PayPal?
If you have a PayPal account limitation on your account which sets a receiving limit, you’ll need to reach out to PayPal to understand more about how this has happened. Account limitations can be set if there is suspicious activity in your account or if there are any regulatory issues with your account. You can resolve the issue in the PayPal Resolution Center, or by messaging them directly using a secure chat, to understand more about the issue.
When do paypal limits reset?
PayPal’s transfer limits are per transaction,and therefore simply reset after every transfer.
If a different PayPal limit applies to your account you may find it’s a rolling limit, which resets at variable times depending on when you last transacted. For example if you have a weekly limit and exhausted it on a Monday, it would reset the following Monday. If you exhausted the limit on a Wednesday, it would reset the following Wednesday and so on.
You should be able to view the specific limits which apply to your account in the PayPal app.
How to check PayPal limits
PayPal’s transfer limits are set per transaction. However, you may find other limits apply to your account particularly if you’re a business customer. In this case, you can check your limits as follows:
- Log in to your PayPal account
- Select My Account at the top of the page
- Tap the Overview page
- Select View Limits next to your PayPal balance
How to send high amount transfers with PayPal
You can send a payment of up to 60,000 USD with a verified PayPal account. You can either use the PayPal app or desktop site for this. To give an example, here’s how to send a PayPal payment in the app:
- Log into the PayPal app and tap Send/ Request
- Enter the recipient’s information such as their email or phone number
- Enter the amount, choose the currency, add a note, and tap Next
- Select your payment type and tap Send
PayPal large transfer fees
Here’s a look at the PayPal fees you’ll pay when you send money:
| Transfer type | PayPal international transfer fee |
|---|---|
| PayPal domestic transfer – personal account | Pay with PayPal balance or bank account – no fee Pay with most cards – 2.9% |
| PayPal international transfer – personal account | Domestic fee + 5% of the send amount, from 0.99 USD – 4.99 USD + Currency conversion fee |
| PayPal currency conversion fee | 4% |
Information correct at time of research – 10th January 2025
PayPal exchange rate for international transfers
PayPal adds a currency conversion spread to the exchange rate used when you send a foreign currency payment. This is usually 4%, which doesn’t sound huge but which builds up very quickly on higher value payments.
Here’s how the exchange rate markup builds up with a 4% margin used for different transfer values:
- Sending 1,000 USD – the exchange rate markup adds 40 USD to the total
- Sending 5,000 USD– the exchange rate markup adds 200 USD to the total
- Sending 50,000 USD – the exchange rate markup adds 2,000 USD to the total
You can lower this cost by sending your international payment with a money transfer specialize like Wise or OFX, which will deposit your funds to your recipient’s bank account directly for a low fee.
PayPal business limits
PayPal business limits are as follows:
- If you have an unverified account, you can make a one time payment of up to 4,000 USD
- If you have a verified PayPal account you can send up to 60,000 USD per transaction. PayPal may limit this to 10,000 USD per transaction at their discretion
Alternative business accounts with higher limits
You may prefer a different business account if you need to send or receive higher value payments. Here are a couple of options you may want to consider:
- Wise Business Account: Hold, send, or spend 40+, with mid-market exchange rates. Send up to 1 million USD per transfer. Receive money with local and SWIFT account information in 8+ currencies
- OFX Business Account: Send money in 50+ currencies with no transfer fees. Receive business payments in 7 major currencies to your OFX account
How to increase PayPal credit limit
PayPal also offers credit products including the PayPal Credit Card, eBay Extras Mastercard, PayPal Extras Mastercard, or PayPal Cashback Mastercard. These products are all offered by PayPal in partnership with Synchrony Bank.
If you want to raise the limit on one of these credit products you’ll need to call the bank on the following number:
- 844-373-4961 – lines operate Mon-Fri 8am-11pm ET, and Sat-Sun 9am-9pm ET
Is PayPal safe for large amounts?
PayPal is an industry leader and has many safety and security measures in place. It should be safe to use with normal precautions.
That said, not all PayPal deposits are FDIC insured – you’ll need to check your own account’s terms and conditions to see if this applies.
You can compare providers, and find the best options for your transfer on this page: Best ways to send large amounts of money overseas
PayPal customer support
You can contact PayPal customer support by opening a secure chat in the app, or through the resolution center if you have a specific problem. You can also call customer service, but you’ll need to log into your account online or in app to get the relevant phone number, based on your issue.
Conclusion: Does PayPal have transfer limits?
Yes. Unverified PayPal account holders can make a one time payment of up to 4,000 USD. You’ll then need to verify your account by linking a bank or signing up for a credit product Once you have a verified PayPal account you can send up to 60,000 USD per transaction. PayPal may limit this to 10,000 USD per transaction at their discretion.
PayPal may not be the best option if you’re sending higher value payments – particularly if you need to send money in foreign currencies.
Use this guide to navigate your options, and check out PayPal alternatives like Wise and OFX for foreign currency payments which are deposited to bank accounts, with low fees and great exchange rates.
