Payouts Overview

Use PayPal Payouts to send money to multiple people at the same time.

You can choose to send payouts in the following ways:

• Send a payout and let your recipient select where their payment is sent: PayPal, Venmo, a bank account, or debit card
• Send payouts to a specific digital wallet, either PayPal or Venmo

To send a payout, you need:

• A PayPal business account
• Each recipient's email address, a domestic mobile number, or payer ID (an encrypted PayPal account number)
• Payment amount (per recipient)
• Currency code (one currency per payout)
• Note to recipient (required for payouts to Venmo accounts)

You need a PayPal business account set up according to the prerequisites to use payouts.

How it works

When you initiate a payouts request, the Payouts API:

1. Validates your request and processes the payouts.
2. Sends you a status report.
3. Notifies recipients that they have a payment.

Depending on the payout option you choose:

• The recipient selects where to send their funds — PayPal, Venmo, bank account or debit card
• The recipient logs in to their PayPal or Venmo account, or creates a PayPal or Venmo account, to claim their money

Recipient notifications

Recipient notifications differ depending on how you choose send a payment.

Recipient selects payment method

The recipient gets an email that prompts them to claim their payment. The recipient is presented with the option to send their funds to their PayPal, Venmo, bank account, or debit card. The recipient then needs to provide account details for their selection.

Payment to PayPal or Venmo

The recipient gets an email or mobile notification about their payment. Depending on whether they have an account, they're prompted to:

• Log in if they have an account
• Sign up if they don't have an account

This flow shows the experience for PayPal and Venmo recipients:

Payout methods

PayPal offers three ways to send payouts to ensure you get the right solution for your business. With each method, you can send to PayPal or Venmo, or let the recipient choose to receive money in their PayPal, Venmo, bank account, or debit card.

SFTP server

If you are sending large payments, PayPal recommends using the secure FTP server to send the payout details. PayPal processes the payouts in batches.

Payouts API

Send payouts programmatically from within your app.

Payouts Web

Upload a CSV file with your payment details to Payouts Web. No integration is needed.

Use cases

Next

Complete the prerequisites.