Help Centre - Personal Account
  • Home
  • Payments and Transfers
  • Disputes and Limitations
  • My Account
  • My Wallet
  • Login & Security
  • Seller Tools

What should I do if my balance is negative?

Your PayPal account balance could be negative for many reasons, such as:

• We issued a refund on your behalf to cover a dispute / claim from the buyer.
• You received a chargeback and did not have any available balance in your PayPal account.
• A payment that does not qualify for Seller Protection has been reversed.
• An unauthorised payment was made from your PayPal account.

If your account balance is negative, check your recent activity to find out why.

If you think your account shows an amount owing to us because someone used your account, report it immediately in the Resolution Centre.

You can resolve your balance that shows an amount owing to us by logging in to your PayPal account and clicking the "Resolve Balance that Shows an Amount Owing to Us" link. You can choose the amount and how to add it, to bring your balance to zero.

If you’re mailing a postal order, cashier’s check, or personal cheque, please include a copy of the balance that shows an amount owing to us email you received and the email address registered to your account so we can apply the credit to the correct account.

We only accept postal orders, cashier’s checks, or personal checks in the following currencies:

  • U.S. Dollars
  • Canadian Dollars
  • Australian Dollars
  • Euros
  • Pounds Sterling

    Here’s how to mail us a check, a money order, or a bank cheque:

    1. Make the cheque or money order payable to "PayPal"
    2. Write your PayPal email address on the memo line
    3. Send the payment to:

    PayPal Australia Pty Ltd
    GPO Box 351
    Sydney NSW 2001,

    Accounts paid by a personal cheque must remain in good standing for 30 days before the account can be reviewed.

    While your account balance is negative, any payments you receive in your PayPal account will be applied to the outstanding balance, and any refunds you attempt will be funded by your primary bank.

    If you don't resolve the balance that shows an amount owing to us within 120 days, your account will be locked, and you won’t be able to log in without contacting our customer support first.

    More ways we can help

    We'll use cookies to improve and customise your experience if you continue to browse. Is it OK if we also use cookies to show you personalised ads? Learn more and manage your cookies