PayPal transfers to your checking account take one to three business days and cost nothing if you use the standard transfer option
To send money from PayPal to your checking account, you link your bank account to PayPal, then initiate a transfer from your PayPal balance. The money lands in your checking account within one to three business days at no charge. If you need the money faster, PayPal offers an instant transfer option that costs between 25 cents and $2, depending on the amount.
The process itself takes about five minutes. You do not need to leave PayPal or use any external service. The transfer happens entirely within the PayPal app or website, and your bank account must be verified before you can move money out.
Key Takeaways
- Standard transfers from PayPal to checking take one to three business days and have no fee.
- You must link and verify your bank account in PayPal before you can transfer money out.
- Instant transfers cost 25 cents to $2 and arrive within 30 minutes, but only work if your bank is on PayPal's supported list.
- Transfers are one-way: money goes from PayPal to your bank, not the reverse through this method.
- If your transfer fails or takes longer than stated, PayPal's Resolution Center can help you track it down.
How to link your bank account to PayPal
Open PayPal on the web or in the app and go to your account settings. Look for the "Wallet" or "Banks and Cards" section (the exact name varies by country). Select "Link a Bank Account" or "Add Bank Account." PayPal will ask for your bank's routing number, your account number, and the account type (checking or savings).
You can find your routing number on the bottom left of any check, or by calling your bank. Your account number is on the bottom right of the check. After you enter this information, PayPal deposits two small amounts—usually between 1 and 99 cents each—into your checking account. This is how PayPal verifies you own the account. You will need to confirm these amounts in PayPal within 10 days, and then your bank account is linked and ready to use.
If you do not have checks or cannot find your routing number, call your bank directly and ask for both numbers. Most banks will give them to you over the phone without verification, or you can log into your bank's website and find them in the account details section.
Starting a standard transfer (one to three business days, no fee)
Once your bank account is verified, go to your PayPal Wallet. You will see your PayPal balance displayed. Click "Transfer Money" or "Move Money," then select "Transfer to Your Bank." PayPal will show you the amount available to transfer and ask which linked bank account you want to send it to. Enter the amount you want to move and confirm.
The transfer begins immediately, but the money does not leave PayPal's system right away. PayPal batches transfers and sends them to the banking system in groups, usually once per business day. Your bank then processes the incoming transfer, which typically takes one to two additional business days. So the total time is usually one to three business days from the moment you click confirm.
You will receive a confirmation email from PayPal with a reference number. Keep this number if you need to follow up. The email will also tell you the expected arrival date based on when you initiated the transfer.
Using instant transfer if you need money faster
PayPal's instant transfer option moves money to your checking account within 30 minutes, but it only works if your bank is on PayPal's supported list. The fee is 25 cents for transfers under $10, 50 cents for $10 to $25, $1 for $25 to $100, and $2 for amounts over $100. The fee is deducted from your PayPal balance before the transfer happens.
To use instant transfer, go to your Wallet, select "Transfer to Your Bank," and look for the option labeled "Instant" or "Instant Transfer." If you do not see this option, your bank is not supported. PayPal's list of supported banks includes most major U.S. banks—Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and many regional banks—but some smaller or credit union accounts are not may be able to access. If your bank is not listed, you must use the standard transfer.
Instant transfers are final once you confirm them. You cannot cancel an instant transfer after it has been initiated, so double-check the amount and receiving account before you confirm.
What happens if your transfer is delayed or fails
Most transfers arrive on time, but delays do happen. If your transfer does not arrive within the stated timeframe, log into PayPal and go to your transaction history. Find the transfer and click on it to see its status. PayPal will show you whether the transfer is still pending, has been sent to your bank, or has encountered an error.
If PayPal shows the transfer as sent but your bank has not received it after five business days, contact your bank first. Ask them to search for the incoming transfer using the reference number from your PayPal confirmation email. Sometimes transfers are delayed on the bank's end, not PayPal's. If your bank has no record of it, return to PayPal and open a case in the Resolution Center. PayPal can investigate and, if the money was sent in error, recover it and resend it.
If PayPal shows an error code instead of a pending or sent status, the most common reasons are a closed or incorrect bank account, insufficient funds in your PayPal balance, or a temporary problem with PayPal's connection to your bank. PayPal will usually tell you which one in the error message. If the account information is wrong, update it and try again. If PayPal's system is having trouble, wait a few hours and try once more.
Fees and limits on transfers
Standard transfers have no fee. Instant transfers cost 25 cents to $2 depending on the amount. Some PayPal account types—particularly business accounts—may have different fee structures, so check your account settings if you are unsure.
PayPal does not publish a single daily or monthly transfer limit that applies to all users. Limits vary based on your account age, history, and verification status. New accounts typically have lower limits than established ones. If you try to transfer more than your limit allows, PayPal will tell you the maximum you can move and suggest you transfer the rest later. You can transfer multiple times per day if you stay within your limit each time.
Your bank may also have its own limits on incoming transfers, though most do not restrict transfers from PayPal specifically. If you are moving a very large amount, call your bank ahead of time to make sure they will accept it without flagging it as suspicious activity.
Transferring money back to PayPal from your checking account
If you need to move money from your checking account back into PayPal—for example, to fund a purchase—you cannot do it through the same transfer method. Instead, you add money to PayPal using your linked bank account. Go to your Wallet, select "Add Money," choose your bank account, enter the amount, and confirm. This transfer also takes one to three business days and has no fee.
Alternatively, you can use a debit card linked to your checking account to add money to PayPal instantly, though this is less common. The fastest way to fund PayPal is usually a debit card, but the most cost-effective way is the bank transfer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer money from PayPal to a savings account instead of checking?
Yes. When you link your bank account to PayPal, you can choose whether it is a checking or savings account. The transfer process is identical, and the timeline and fees are the same. Some banks process transfers to savings accounts slightly differently, but PayPal handles it the same way on its end.
What if I linked the wrong bank account by mistake?
You can unlink the incorrect account and link the correct one. Go to your Wallet, find the linked account, and select "Remove" or "Unlink." Then add the correct account and verify it with the two small deposits. If you already initiated a transfer to the wrong account, contact PayPal's Resolution Center immediately with the transaction reference number so they can try to recover the funds.
Do I pay taxes on money I transfer from PayPal to my bank?
Transferring money from PayPal to your bank is not a taxable event by itself. However, the money you earned through PayPal—whether from sales, payments, or other sources—is taxable income. You owe taxes on that income regardless of whether it stays in PayPal or moves to your bank. Keep records of all PayPal transactions for tax purposes.
Why does PayPal say my transfer is pending after three days?
Transfers occasionally get stuck in pending status if there is a technical issue between PayPal and your bank, or if your bank account information changed. Check that your account details are still correct in PayPal. If they are, wait 24 more hours. If the transfer is still pending after five business days, open a case in the Resolution Center with your transaction reference number.
Can I cancel a transfer after I have started it?
Standard transfers can usually be canceled within a few hours of initiating them, before PayPal sends the batch to your bank. Go to your transaction history, click the transfer, and look for a "Cancel" button. Instant transfers cannot be canceled once confirmed. If you need to stop an instant transfer, contact PayPal immediately, but there is no may provide they can retrieve it.