PayPal Account Limited or Frozen: How to Fix It
You log in and find you can't send money or withdraw your balance, and PayPal says your account has been limited. It's unsettling, but limitations are usually temporary and come with a to-do list.
Try these in order
- Read the email PayPal sent you. When PayPal limits an account it emails you the reason, and that reason determines what you need to do next (PayPal).
- Open the Resolution Center. Go to the Resolution Center, or click the bell icon at the top of your Dashboard, to see exactly what PayPal is asking for and the steps to lift the limitation (PayPal).
- Complete every step PayPal lists. In most cases PayPal asks you to finish a set of steps — which may include uploading documents — before it will restore full access (PayPal).
- Check whether the email is even real. If a message claims your account is limited but nothing appears in the Resolution Center, it's probably a phishing email. Forward it to phishing@paypal.com, then delete it (PayPal).
- If you clicked a link in a suspicious email, secure your account. Log in, review your payments for anything you don't recognise, and change your password (PayPal).
- Understand why it happened so it doesn't repeat. Common triggers include regulatory checks, Acceptable Use Policy breaches, suspected unauthorised access, a sudden jump in sales volume or claims and chargebacks for sellers, and accounts that have barely been used since signup (PayPal).
- Then wait — and don't expect the phone line to fix it. PayPal says its customer service team usually can't remove a limitation over the phone, and asks you to wait to be contacted (PayPal).
Still stuck? If you've completed everything and the account is still limited, it means PayPal is either reviewing what you sent or has emailed you asking for more — and how long it takes depends on the complexity of your case (PayPal). Note that a limitation can also block transfers: errors like "We're not able to complete this transaction at the moment" point back to an unresolved limitation (PayPal).
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