The two main issues we see:
- Trouble adding PayPal account due to unverified account
- PayPal “10417 Transaction cannot complete” error message
Trouble adding PayPal due to unverified account
This happens when:
- a PayPal account was not verified to begin with
- it was verified and added on Upwork, but then a backup billing method in the PayPal wallet was removed (removing billing agreement) in which the PayPal account was deleted from the Upwork account
To make the Paypal account verified again, follow process map.
What does a verified PayPal account look like?
When clicking “Get the most out of PayPal!” towards the top of the Summary page:
PayPal “10417 Transaction cannot complete” error message
The customer will need to check with PayPal for further assistance. Some possible reasons could be:- not enough funding in account
- account isn't verified
Other possible reasons why Upwork cannot accept a PayPal account:
-
PayPal Account is a Student Account - Upwork does not support PayPal Student Accounts. Student accounts are designed for children 13+ as a way to allow parents to manage their child’s spending limits. The parent then chooses how much and when to credit the student account. We require the PayPal owner to establish the account on Upwork.
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PayPal Not Available as Billing Method Option - If PayPal does not appear as a billing method option, then it is due to a country restriction imposed by PayPal or Upwork. You can check the “PayPal Blacklisted Countries” accordion to determine if the user’s profile country, current IP address, or PayPal profile country is restricted.
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User Gets Error When Adding PayPal as Payment Method - “Our records indicate that you have multiple accounts associated with this payment method.” See **”Multiple Accounts” Error with Adding UPM
- Address is missing within the user’s Upwork Setting - The user must complete their address portion of their company information before they are able to successfully add a UPM. To edit the address, the user should go to their Settings > My Info > Company Contact section.
Helpful Articles
Pay by Paypal/PayPal Fees & Timing/Billing MethodsWhen a user pays from a bank account attached to their PayPal account, PayPal will classify the transfer as an eCheck or as an Instant Transfer.
Upwork does not accept eCheck payments via PayPal due to the clearing time. The user must contact PayPal support if they need assistance in setting their PayPal account up to allow instant bank transfers.
eChecks - Funds can take up to 8 business days to clear and the PayPal account does not have a backup funding source
Instant Transfer - Funds clear immediately and the PayPal account has a backup payment method on file
PayPal is one of the most widely used 3rd party payment processors by online merchants worldwide. While the countries below may be allowed on PayPal to “Send” or “Receive” funds, Upwork is choosing to restrict them from our platform for risk purposes.
Restricted Client locations: |
|
|---|---|
| Czech Republic | |
| Ghana | Kenya |
| Lithuania | Malta |
| Nigeria | Pakistan |
| Philippines | Republic of Serbia |
| Romania | Russia |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Uganda |
| Ukraine | bangladesh |
Exception:
If the client was able to add PayPal as payment method prior to the implementation of this restriction, it will remain as a payment method option in the account. The client, however, will not be able to add a new PayPal account.
PayPal as Disbursement Method in Upwork
While PayPal offers full services to many countries, some only have limited service and others have no dealings at all and are known as PayPal zero countries.
Paypal Zero Countries |
|
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Bangladesh |
| Cameroon | Equatorial Guinea |
| Gabon | Ghana |
| Haiti | Liberia |
| Monaco | Moldova |
| Montenegro | Myanmar |
| Pakistan | Paraguay |
| Saint Lucia | Timor-Leste |
| Turkey | Uzbekistan |
This is not an official list and may change over time
PayPal abides by the US treasury OFAC sanctions and may restrict or limit countries due to these regulations. PayPal restricted countries may include OFAC sanctioned countries not listed here.
We can confirm a country is a non-receivable country or PayPal zero country if a freelancer attempts to withdraw funds through Paypal and it is rejected with an Error Code 3148 “receiver's address is in a non-receivable country or a PayPal zero country.”
To locate the country code:
- click on the UPM on the AE page > PayPal address country is under the UPM section of the UPM page
To locate the rejection reason:
- locate the withdrawal trx
- locate “memo” under the transaction section
Upwork uses the PayPal wallet for payments instead of the PayPal balance. In cases where we get a 10417 Transaction cannot complete, please advise our users to check or contact the bank/s linked to PayPal. This error is a direct response from PayPal declining the charge. The user should contact PayPal to determine what failed within their PayPal account. It is possible that the PayPal Wallet source needs to be updated or the billing agreement with Upwork has been deleted from their PayPal profile. Another possible reason would be the PayPal Wallet source (debit/credit card linked) has issues that need to be resolved before attempting another charge.
PayPal Wallet
PayPal wallet provides a bank account-enabled mobile payment platform for users. Users can link their credit cards to their PayPal Digital wallet, and when users want to pay, simply log in with the username and password and pick which one they want to use. The PayPal Wallet link is located at the very top of your Summary and Activity pages.
How to add money to your PayPal account, so you can transfer money or pay bills immediately using PayPal Wallet? See here
PayPal Balance
This is the available balance in your PayPal account. You'll find your PayPal balance on the left side of your main account page on the website, or on the primary account screen in the mobile app.
How to check PayPal balance? See here
FAQs:
My PayPal account has an available balance, can I use that?
We cannot pull money from your existing balance on PayPal. Instead, we charge the bank/card that you have linked to your PayPal account.
To check which payment source failed on your PayPal account, follow these steps:
- Log into our PayPal account and go to "Settings."
- Go to the "Payments" tab and click on "Manage pre-approved payments."
- Click on the billing agreement associated with "Upwork Escrow Inc."
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and check what funding source is your backup.
- Update the backup source to a valid payment method and re-attempt the payment.