Set up your domain

Send PayPal invoice emails from your own domain instead of a paypal.com address. This guide shows you how to create a subdomain, configure the required DNS records, and verify your domain with PayPal.

Prerequisites

• An active PayPal Business account
• A domain you own
• Access to your DNS provider's management console. DNS (Domain Name System) is the system that maps domain names to servers and stores records like TXT and CNAME. Common providers include Route 53, Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or equivalent.
• Check your domain settings to see if you have permission to add TXT and CNAME records.

  Additional info: A TXT record is a note attached to your domain, often used for verification and security. A CNAME record is a nickname that points a domain name to another domain name.

Create a subdomain

A subdomain is a prefix added to your domain. It is configured through DNS records, not purchased separately. If you already have a subdomain, you can skip the following steps.

1. Log in to your DNS provider's dashboard and navigate to DNS Records or Zone Editor for your domain.
2. Add a new DNS record with the following fields:

3. Choose the right record type for your setup:
   • A record points the subdomain to an IPv4 address
   • AAAA record points the subdomain to an IPv6 address
   • CNAME record points the subdomain to another hostname

DNS changes can take up to 72 hours to propagate. Consult your DNS provider's documentation for specific instructions.

Common providers include:

• Amazon Web Services
• DreamHost
• Cloudflare DNS
• GoDaddy
• Squarespace
• HostGator

Step 1: Add your subdomain

1. In the PayPal dashboard, select Invoicing > Settings > Domain.
2. Select Get Started.
3. Enter your subdomain.
4. Enter a sender email prefix. Common choices include billing, invoices, noreply. A preview of your full sender address appears as you type.
5. Select Continue.

Step 2: Configure DNS records

After you submit your domain, PayPal displays the required DNS records on the DNS configuration page. Add all three records to your DNS provider before starting the verification process.

PayPal uses the following three email authentication standards to verify your domain:

Copy DNS records using the copy button to help prevent transcription errors.

For instructions on adding DNS records, see the documentation for your DNS provider. Common providers include:

• Amazon Route 53
• Cloudflare
• DreamHost
• GoDaddy
• Google Cloud DNS
• Squarespace

Step 3: Verify and activate

Once you've added all the DNS records, return to your PayPal dashboard to verify ownership and activate your domain.

1. In the PayPal dashboard, select Invoicing > Settings > Domain.
2. Select Verify Domain.

DNS changes can take up to 72 hours to propagate. Use dnschecker.org to confirm your records are published before selecting Verify Domain.

After the provider verifies the domain, open Invoicing settings and turn on domain. When the domain is active, all buyer-facing invoice emails are automatically sent from your custom sender address. Your existing invoice creation workflow continues to work exactly as before.

Verification status

After selecting Verify Domain, your domain enters one of the following states:

After activation

When your domain is active, all buyer-facing invoice emails are sent from your custom sender address automatically. No additional configuration is required.

• Sender address: Emails are sent from {prefix}@{domain}. For example, if your domain is invoices.acme.com and your prefix is billing, emails are sent from billing@invoices.acme.com.
• Reply-to: Buyer replies go to your PayPal-registered business email address, not the custom sender address.
• CC recipients: CC'd recipients see the custom domain as the sender.