A PayPal payment is pending because PayPal is holding the payment temporarily for various possible reasons. Some common causes include:
- PayPal is performing a payment review for security and policy compliance, especially if the seller is new, the sales volume suddenly increased, or if there's unusual account activity.
- The payment is being held due to a buyer dispute or claim, and it will be released once the issue is resolved.
- The payment was sent to an unclaimed email or phone number not linked to a verified PayPal account, so the recipient needs to claim or verify their account.
- Technical issues like system maintenance, server overload, or software bugs can cause temporary delays.
- The seller has not accepted or captured the payment yet; some sellers wait until goods are shipped or services delivered before accepting payment.
If a payment is pending because the recipient has not claimed it, the sender can cancel it. For new sellers, the payment may be held for up to 21 days unless shipment tracking information is provided. Otherwise, PayPal will release the payment once the review or hold conditions are satisfied. Therefore, a PayPal payment being pending typically means PayPal or one of the parties involved is completing necessary verifications, reviews, or waiting for actions to be taken before the payment can fully complete and the seller can access the money.
