As of January 24, 2026, there are no widespread, major outages reported for PayPal, and the service appears to be operating normally for most users. While minor, isolated user reports of issues exist, the platform is generally stable.
PayPal not working can stem from temporary outages, your bank declining a payment, an unverified account, security checks, or browser issues like old cache/cookies; check Downdetector and PayPal Status Page for outages, then clear your browser cache, disable VPN, and ensure your linked bank/card details are updated and confirmed.
You know your PayPal account might be hacked if you see unfamiliar transactions, can't log in (hacker changed password), get alerts about logins from strange devices/locations, or find your contact info/linked cards changed, indicating unauthorized access; immediately log in to your account (directly, not via email link) and check activity, security settings, and change passwords to lock out the intruder.
When a PayPal payment is declined, first verify your linked card details and ensure sufficient balance. Check for any holds or restrictions on your PayPal account. Sometimes, PayPal flags transactions for security reasons; reviewing recent activity and confirming identity can help.
User reports indicate no current problems at Paypal.
Contact your card issuer or bank for more information. Your card details are outdated. Update the expiration date or billing address associated with your credit or debit card. Your PayPal account is limited.
Yes, if your PayPal account is hacked, a thief can potentially access your linked bank account to withdraw funds, but PayPal has strong security like encryption, 24/7 monitoring, and two-factor authentication (2FA) to prevent this; the primary risk comes from phishing scams that trick you into giving away your login details, allowing direct access to your PayPal and linked bank account, so enabling 2FA and watching for suspicious activity is crucial.
You know your account is hacked if you see unauthorized logins, changed passwords/settings, sent messages/emails you didn't write, unfamiliar charges, or get password reset alerts you didn't request; also look for strange software, pop-ups, browser redirects, or missing files on your device.
Can someone hack your PayPal with just your email? It's possible if they also manage to obtain your password or trick you into entering credentials on a phishing site. If your email is leaked in a data breach, it increases your risk.
This error typically occurs for two reasons: You have entered your PayPal email address or PayPal Identity Token incorrectly. Your Encrypted Website Payments set to ON.
To talk to our customer support team by phone, click Contact at the bottom of any PayPal page. We want to connect you with the right customer support team, so you'll be asked to select the reason for your contact, and then you'll be provided with contact options. To contact us on the website: Go to our Contact Us page.
Here are the five most common ones:
PayPal is up
StatusGator last checked the status of PayPal on January 19, 2026 at 11:53 AM PST and the service was operational. There have been 15 user-submitted reports of outages in the past 24 hours, but the outage is now resolved.
Your purchase attempt might need further verification.
For your account security, we check to make sure the information provided during checkout matches your account details. If the information can't be verified, the purchase will be declined.
PayPal can't complete a transaction due to issues like an unverified account, insufficient funds, incorrect card details, or PayPal's security flagging the payment as risky; common fixes include verifying your information, adding backup funding, checking notifications for alerts, or waiting and trying again later.
Try the following:
PayPal's instant transfer limit for banks is a daily maximum of $25,000 and is $10,000 per transaction. This is significantly higher than the maximum sending limit if you connect through a debit card because your identity is already verified.
Why PayPal Is Not Working. There are many reasons why PayPal stops working. The service could be down, you may have an unverified account, or there could be insufficient funds to complete the transaction. There's also a chance that you haven't confirmed your bank account or card.
Spelling variations, a maiden name, or other mismatches will also cause this error. If you have another phone number in your name, try adding that number instead. Our system will call the number on your account. We'll ask you to confirm certain activities.
PayPal Manager limits the number of login attempts using invalid credentials. Once you've reached the limit, the system temporarily disables your account to prevent unauthorized access to your account. This security feature resets within 1 hour.