Documentation Index Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paypal.ai/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
The PayPal Invoicing API returns specific error codes and messages to help you troubleshoot integration issues.
All Invoicing API errors follow this structure:
{ "name" : "INVALID_REQUEST" , "message" : "Request is not well-formed, syntactically incorrect, or violates schema." , "details" : [ { "description" : "Payment method is missing." , "field" : "/method" , "issue" : "MISSING_REQUIRED_PARAMETER" , "location" : "body" } ], "links" : [ { "href" : "https://developer.paypal.com/docs/limited-release/invoicing/#errors" , "rel" : "information_link" } ], "debug_id" : "04228dda78114" }
API errors PayPal returns HTTP 4XX status codes if something passes in the request has an error. 5XX status codes appear when something is wrong on our end with a server or service. For more information, see Handling API responses when integrating with PayPal APIs .
HTTP code Error name Message Details 400INVALID_REQUESTInvalid request One or more validation errors have occurred. 401AUTHENTICATION_FAILUREAuthorization error occurred Authorization error occurred. Check your credentials. 404RESOURCE_NOT_FOUNDResource not found The resource requested is not found in the system. 422UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITYInvoicing business error A detailed error message is passed in the message field. 429RATE_LIMIT_REACHEDToo many requests and user is blocked due to rate limiting The rate limit for the user, application, or token exceeds a predefined value. 500INTERNAL_SERVER_ERRORInternal service error Resend the request at another time.
Authorization errors HTTP code Issue Message Common cause Affected fields 403NOT_AUTHORIZEDAuthorization failed due to insufficient permissions Invalid access token or account permissions invoiceId, templateId403PERMISSION_DENIEDThe requested invoice and template are not associated with the requested user Accessing resources that don’t belong to your account invoiceId, templateId
Request validation errors Issue Description Affected fields INVALID_STRING_LENGTHCurrency code must be 3 characters /detail/currency_code, /amount/currency_codeINVALID_STRING_MAX_LENGTHField exceeds maximum character limit /detail/note, /items/0/name, /detail/invoice_numberINVALID_PARAMETER_SYNTAXInvalid format of the dates, phone numbers, or country codes /detail/invoice_date, /detail/payment_term/due_dateMISSING_REQUIRED_PARAMETERRequired field is missing /method, /amount/value
Business logic errors Issue Description INVOICE_ALREADY_SENTThe system blocks sending any invoice that has already been sent. CANT_SEND_INVOICE_WITHOUT_EMAILA recipient email address is required before an invoice can be sent. CANT_CANCEL_INVOICE_IN_DRAFT_STATECannot cancel an invoice that is in draft state. CANT_PAY_AN_PAID_OR_CANCELED_INVOICECannot record a payment on an invoice that is already paid or canceled. PAYMENT_AMOUNT_GREATER_THAN_AMOUNT_DUEPayment amount cannot exceed the total amount due on the invoice. CANT_REFUND_MORE_THAN_PAYMENT_AMOUNTCannot refund more than the amount of recorded payments. INVOICE_CANNOT_BE_DELETEDOnly draft, scheduled, or canceled invoices can be deleted. INVOICE_NOT_FOUNDInvoice with specified id does not exists.
Field validation limits Field Character limit Invoice number 25 Currency code 3 Country code 2 Email address 3–254 Phone number 1–14 digits Item name 200 Item description 1000 Invoice note 4000 Terms and conditions 4000 Reference field 120 Logo URL 2000 Website URL 2048
