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Last updated: July 2, 2026
Payouts Web enables you to send up to 5,000 payments per file using a .csv (comma separated value) file. This page explains everything you need to know about making payouts using Payouts Web.
To send payout requests from Payouts Web, contact your account manager or call 1-888-221-1161. When your account is approved for payouts, complete the steps on this page.
Open a basic text editor, spreadsheet, or database application.
In the first row, enter the following payout information for the first recipient, from left to right.
| Column | Payout information |
|---|---|
| 1 | Recipient identifier — Required. Use one of the following:
|
| 2 | Payment amount — Required. Use the correct currency format. For example, senders in Italy enter 5,45 and senders in the U.S. enter 5.45. For currencies that use a comma, enclose the amount in double quotes. For example, "100,45". If the format is incorrect, PayPal gives you the correct format when you upload the file. |
| 3 | Currency — Required. Three-letter currency code. Currency codes are not case sensitive. For example, usd and USD are both acceptable for U.S. dollars. Notes: Enter one currency type per payment file. To send payouts in multiple currencies, create a separate payment file for each currency. A few countries have currency restrictions. If your Payouts request does not comply with a country's currency restrictions, that portion of your request will fail with an error message. |
| 4 | Customer ID — Optional. Unique identifier with 30 character maximum. Cannot contain spaces. If the customer ID contains a comma, enclose the text in double quotes. |
| 5 | Note to Recipient — Optional for PayPal, required for Venmo. Message the sender writes. If sending to a PayPal recipient, the message is sent only to the recipient. If sending to a Venmo recipient, the message inherits the privacy setting of the recipient. 400 character maximum. If the custom note contains a comma, enclose the text in double quotes. |
| 6 | Recipient Wallet — Required. Choose to send payouts to PAYPAL or VENMO recipients. The default is PayPal. Payouts to Venmo require a note and a US mobile phone number for the recipient. |
| 7 | social_feed_privacy — Optional for Venmo only. Controls whether a payment appears in a recipient's feed. Use one of the following:
|
| 8 | holler_url [deprecated] — Optional for Venmo only. Link to a Holler sticker. For Venmo recipients, the sticker displays with the payout message. The maximum URL lengh is 151 characters. |
| 9 | logo_url — Optional for Venmo only. Link to a logo that displays as the sender's profile image in the recipient's Venmo feed. Used to add or update the business profile image. The maximum image size is 1024 x 1024 pixels. The image should be square. The maximum URL length is 2000 characters. |
| 10 | Purpose — Optional. Denotes the purpose of the transaction. The default value is GOODS if the purpose is not provided. Purpose can be set to:
|
This example shows the payment information for a U.S. recipient:
[email protected],100.5,USD,ID001,Here is your payment,PAYPAL.This example shows payment information for a recipient in Germany. Because the EUR currency uses a comma separator, the payment amount is enclosed in double quotes:
[email protected],"100,50",EUR,ID001,Here is your payment, PAYPAL.Add a new row for each recipient.
Note: The maximum is 5,000 recipients per payment file.
When you complete the payment information for all recipients, save the file in .csv format.
Check the file meets these requirements before uploading:
.csv.Here's how to upload the file:
After you submit the payment file, click View Activity Details on the final payouts page to view transaction details. You can also view details from the Recent activity section of the Summary page or the Activity page of your PayPal account.
If the transaction status is Submitted, wait for the status to change to Processed or Completed to see the number of unclaimed payments.
PayPal places a temporary hold on the total monetary value of the payouts request, plus fees, until the transaction status is Processed. After the hold, if one or more transactions are declined, your PayPal account balance may be greater than the balance shown during the hold.
For more information, see View Reports and payout record status
Customize your Payouts Web.