Why Is My Bank Account Still Showing No Balance After a PayPal Transaction?

PayPal is an online payment method used by many merchants, as well as individual sellers and buyers of online goods and services. It allows you to send and receive money, as well as make payments or purchases online using funds in your PayPal account. Some people prefer to use PayPal as it does not require you to enter credit card information online during a transaction. PayPal also allows you to transfer money to and from your bank accounts. However, after a transfer, your money might not be immediately available.

PayPal transfers to bank accounts generally take three to four business days for the money to appear in your account, according to the PayPal website. Therefore, if you made a transfer but the money is not in your bank account, wait a few days to see if the money shows up. You can also log into your PayPal account and review your transaction history. If you see the transfer or withdrawal posted, then the money is on its way to your account.

If your bank account was previously overdrawn, then the balance may still be zero, even after the transfer from PayPal is complete. For example, if your account was overdrawn by $100, and you transferred $100 from PayPal to your account, then your account balance will be zero once the transaction is complete. It might actually be less than zero if your bank charges fees for overdrawn accounts; even if you transfer $100 to cover the overdrawn amount, the transfer might not cover the fees charged by your bank. To create a positive balance in your bank account, transfer enough to bring your account above zero, including any applicable fees.

A PayPal transfer to your bank account requires a minimum withdrawal amount from your PayPal account. If you do not meet this minimum withdrawal amount, the transfer to your bank account will not succeed. The minimum withdrawal amount in the U.S. is $1, according to PayPal, as of 2011. The minimum amount in Canada is $2 CAD, while the minimum amount in Great Britain is 1 pound.

If more than four business days have passed and the money is still not in your account, call your bank to ask if it have any record of the transaction. You can also call PayPal customer support at 888-221-1161 to ask if there were any issues or delays with the transfer. Also, if you have more than one bank account, check all your accounts to see if you mistakenly transferred the money into the wrong account.