Use Web UI
You can use this method to send up to 5,000 payouts at once by uploading a .csv file in your PayPal business account dashboard. You can send batch payouts without writing code or setting up servers.
Prerequisites
- Complete all mandatory steps to get started.
- Ensure your PayPal production business account is set up.
- Ensure to fund your business account.
Send payouts
1. Create input file
Create a .csv file and add payout records as line items. Use the following format and add each payout you want to send as a separate row. You can add a maximum of 5000 rows.
Sample payout line items
The following rows show sample payouts to PayPal and Venmo recipients.
[email protected],100.5,USD,ID001,Here is your payment,PAYPAL
[email protected],"100,50",EUR,ID001,Here is your payment,PAYPAL
[email protected],100.5,USD,,Here is your payment,VENMO,FRIENDS_ONLY
| Field | Optional/Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient identifier | Required | • PayPal: Recipient’s PayPal-associated email address or PayPal PayerID (retrieved from Checkout or Account Authentication APIs). • Venmo: Recipient’s U.S. mobile number or Venmo handle. |
| Payment amount | Required | Amount to send in the specified currency. For example, use 100.5 for USD and "100,45" for EUR. PayPal validates the format on upload. |
| Currency | Required | Three-letter ISO 4217 Currency code. Each file must contain only one currency type. |
| Customer ID | Optional | Unique recipient identifier. Maximum length: 30 characters (no spaces). |
| Note to Recipient | Required for Venmo, Optional for PayPal | Custom message sent to the recipient. • PayPal: Overrides the default message set in the PayPal UI, if provided. • Venmo: A message must be included for each recipient. If not specified, it defaults to PRIVATE, which restricts visibility to only the recipient.Maximum length: 400 characters. |
| Recipient Wallet | Required | Target payout wallet. • PayPal: Sends money to PayPal recipients. • Venmo: Sends money to Venmo recipients. Defaults to NONE if not specified. |
| Social feed privacy | Optional (Venmo only) | Sets visibility for the recipient’s Venmo social feed. Possible values: • PUBLIC — Visible on public feed.• FRIENDS_ONLY — Visible only to Venmo friends.• PRIVATE — Visible only to the recipient (default). |
| Holler URL | Optional (Venmo only) – Deprecated | URL of a Holler sticker to include with the Venmo message. Maximum length: 151 characters. |
| Logo URL | Optional (Venmo only) | URL of the business logo shown in the Venmo feed. • Maximum image size: 1024 × 1024 pixels (square). • Maximum URL length: 2000 characters. |
| Purpose | Optional | Reason for the transaction. If not specified, defaults to GOODS.Possible values: • AWARDS• PRIZES• DONATIONS• GOODS• SERVICES• REBATES• CASHBACK• DISCOUNTS• NON_GOODS_OR_SERVICES |
CSV file format specifications
Use the following specifications to ensure your payout file meets the required format and is accepted:
- Use a period (
.) as the decimal separator for currencies like U.S. dollars (USD), Canadian dollars (CAD), and British pounds (GBP). For example:100.5. - Use a comma (
,) for currencies such as euros (EUR) and Brazilian reais (BRL), and enclose the amount in double quotes. For example:"100,50". - Each file must contain only one currency. For multi-currency payouts, upload a separate file per currency.
- Preserve the defined column order and ensure all rows include the same number of columns. Leave optional fields blank if not used and do not remove them.
- Add one row per recipient, adhering to the exact column structure.
- Wrap values containing commas or special characters in double quotes. For example,
"100,50"or"Custom Message with Comma, Here".
2. Upload the input file
- Log in to your PayPal account.
- Go to Summary > Money > Send Money, and select Make a Mass Payment.
- On the Choose Payouts Recipients page:
- Click Browse and select your
.csvpayment file. - Click Open to upload it.
- Click Browse and select your
- (Optional) Enter additional details:
- Email subject: Appears in the recipient’s email.
- Custom message for recipient: Overrides the default message (applies to PayPal payouts only).
- Click Continue. PayPal validates your file and displays a Review Your Payments Details page.
- Click Send Payout to submit the file.
- After submission, select one of the following:
- Send another payout: Process a new
.csvfile. - View activity details: Check payment status and transaction details.
- Send another payout: Process a new
Note: If you reupload the same file within 30 days, PayPal shows a duplicate warning.
3. Customize
You can customize your file upload to:
- Send payments in different currencies.
- Create separate payouts for each currency when sending multiple currencies.
For more information, see Customize Web UI payouts.
4. Track and manage payouts
You can:
- Monitor the status of each payment after submitting your
.csvfile. - View payout details on the confirmation page or in the Activity tab of your PayPal business account dashboard.
- Download reports and transaction logs to review fees, statuses, and currency conversion details.
- Use the Payouts API to check the status of the whole batch and each payment.
For more information, see Manage Payouts.