PayPal Working Capital Review

Pros

• Borrower qualifications are lower than what banks require
• No credit score requirements
• No extra fees
• No prepayment penalties
• The application process is fast and easy

Cons

• Only available to PayPal sellers
• PayPal loan rates can be expensive
• Poor customer service

PayPal Working Capital Overview

PayPal Working Capital is a business loan service offered by PayPal. PayPal Working Capital is intended to help merchants get capital to grow their businesses.

In practice, PayPal’s financing product resembles a merchant cash advance, though, technically, it’s a loan (not a sale of future receivables). When you get a loan from PayPal, you are charged a one-time fixed fee. Repayments of the loan and fee are made through a daily deduction of a percentage of your PayPal sales.

Is PayPal Working Capital right for your business? Keep reading to find out!

Services Offered By PayPal Working Capital

PayPal offers short-term business loans. However, PayPal’s business loans differ slightly from the standard short-term loan. PayPal will loan qualifying business customers an amount of money for a flat fee. It will then collect a percentage of your daily PayPal transactions until the loan is paid back.

PayPal Working Capital Borrower Qualifications

PayPal does not require a minimum credit score as part of its PayPal Working Capital requirements, nor does it check your credit history. However, you need to have a PayPal Premier or Business account that’s at least 90 days old and be processing at least $15K/year if you have a Business PayPal account or $20K/year if you have a Premier PayPal account. Additionally, you must pay off any existing PayPal Working Capital loans to apply for a new one.

PayPal Working Capital Interest Rates & Fees

Unfortunately, PayPal Working Capital no longer discloses maximum loan amounts. PWC previously stated that it will loan you a maximum of 35% of your annual PayPal sales, capped at $125K for your first two loans and $200K for loans after that, which would mean that if you make $100K annually, PayPal will loan you a maximum of $35K.

PayPal Working Capital loans are repaid through a daily deduction of a percentage of your PayPal sales, so they don’t have a specific maturity date. However, to keep you on track, PayPal requires that you pay at least 5% or 10% of your loan every 90 days. The 5% minimum is required for loans that will take 12 months or longer to pay off, while the 10% minimum applies to loans that will be repaid within 12 months. If you are falling behind, you may need to make catch-up payments.

The only fee PayPal charges is a one-time fixed fee, calculated once by multiplying a factor rate (sometimes called a “buy rate”) by the principal. This fee must be repaid along with the principal. Because PayPal does not charge interest (which compounds), your fee will not change regardless of how long you take to repay the loan.

Sadly, Paypal removed the loan calculator it once included on its Working Capital page. Based on calculations from that tool, PayPal will offer you somewhere between 1.01-1.58 times the amount of capital you’re borrowing. In other words, you could pay anywhere between $0.01 and $0.58 in fees for every $1 you borrow. That’s a big spread — excellent at the low end and painful at the high, so make sure you’re picking a repayment plan that won’t cost you a ridiculous sum of money.

Higher fees are directly inverse to the withholding percentage. The less PayPal can deduct from your account each day, the higher your fee. By contrast, the more PayPal is allowed to deduct, the lower your fee.

Application Process

All you have to do to apply for a PayPal Working Capital loan is fill out an application, which you can access via your PayPal account. The application involves verifying your identity, place of business, and some financial information. Typically, PayPal auto-fills this information, and all you have to do is make sure that it’s correct.

You’ll know if you’ve been approved or denied when you’ve completed the application.

If you’re approved, you’ll have the opportunity to choose a fee and withholding rate. After agreeing to the terms, the working capital will be deposited into your account instantly.

If you’ve been denied, it may be due to problems with your business or because of PayPal’s sometimes finicky application and verification system. Unfortunately, the cause can be difficult to figure out. However, here are common reasons loan why requests get denied and what you might be able to do to get approved:

Loan Denial Troubleshooting

The reason for a denial isn’t always easy to determine. Merchants report on the community forum that the application simply turns up an error code with no further explanation. The most common problems appear to be an identification error (the system could not verify your information), error code 646 (you have abnormal sales), error code 641 (sales holds or a pending balance on your account), or you’re applying too soon after paying off another loan.

Based on reports from other merchants, here is what you can do to get your application accepted:

• Wait Three Days: If you have just paid off a loan, PayPal advises merchants to wait at least three days before applying for another so that the system has time to process the status of your old loan.
• Check Your Business Information & Address: If you’re getting an identification error, it may be because your information was entered incorrectly (or in a way the system doesn’t like). Make sure your information is accurate. If that doesn’t work, try changing the abbreviations or formatting choices, such as changing “Boulevard” to “Blvd.”
• Clear Your PayPal Credit Balance: One merchant reported that they had success getting a loan after clearing their PayPal Credit balance.
• Keep Applying: If it’s been at least three days since you paid off the balance, your account is in good standing, and you aren’t getting an identification error, your best bet may be to keep applying every day. PayPal does not penalize you for doing so, and many merchants have reported that they were suddenly eligible one day for no apparent reason, even after being denied the day before.

Although PayPal often doesn’t provide a reason for denial upfront, it does send out a more thorough reason for denial via snail mail. As such, you may be able to get a more clear explanation for the rejection within a couple of weeks.

If you keep getting denied and don’t have time to keep applying, you might want to seek out an alternative lender. Fortunately, most lenders will be able to give you an initial approval or denial in a few minutes. LoanBuilder, a PayPal service, offers decent rates and quick funding, so it’s a good place to start.

What If Your PayPal Working Capital Loan Application Is Declined?

If PayPal keeps denying your Working Capital loan application, you may want to reassess your business needs and the amount and type of funding you’ll need to meet those needs before seeking another lender.

When it comes time to find an alternative lender, LoanBuilder isn’t your only option — our guide to the best PayPal Working Capital alternatives is a great resource for exploring your other options.

Sales & Advertising Transparency

PayPal offers a fairly extensive FAQ about its working capital loans. You should have a very clear idea of how the loan works before applying. That said, the latest version frustratingly dances around providing concise numbers. The loan calculator has also been removed.

The other thing I wish PayPal did provide more information about is its rejection criteria. Merchants who have been denied often have no idea why. PayPal usually does give an explanation, but oftentimes it’s too vague to be of any real use.

Customer Service & Technical Support

You can reach PayPal via phone (8 AM-8 PM Monday-Friday) or email. The company also has an active presence on social media sites, including a Twitter account dedicated to customer assistance.

Unfortunately, as many large companies do, PayPal suffers from inconsistent customer service. Working Capital customers are especially susceptible to unhelpful customer service because the loan approval process is completely automated. If you run into problems, customer service may not have a whole lot of helping power. Even if you’re having problems getting approved, it’s still worth it to call customer service; they might have more insight regarding what you’re doing wrong than you do.

Additionally, PayPal has a large and very helpful community forum. Any problems you run into have likely been encountered by somebody else, so it’s worth checking out if you’re experiencing difficulties.

PayPal Working Capital Reviews, Complaints, & Testimonials

Negative Reviews & Complaints

PayPal has a page on the Better Business Bureau, though it’s nigh impossible to find any complaints specifically regarding the Working Capital service. That said, as we’ve talked about in our review of PayPal Zettle, PayPal is extremely professional and courteous when responding to and resolving complaints.

Here are the most common complaints I gleaned from PayPal’s community forum, PayPal Working Capital reviews, and a few other places on the internet:

• Small Borrowing Maximum: PayPal’s previous policy had been to offer 35% of your annual PayPal sales, with a cap of $125K for your first loan and $200K for subsequent loans. Because many businesses only use PayPal as a secondary source of payments, that number might be a very small amount of their total income.
• Denials: Merchants have reported technical errors or denials, even if PayPal has previously loaned money to their business. If you’re having trouble, check out the Loan Denial Troubleshooting section above to understand the reasons you might be getting denied and what you can do about it.
• No Early Repayment Incentive: Because PayPal charges a one-time fixed fee, you cannot save money by repaying early. The only reason to repay early is to get another loan.
• Huge Difference Between High & Low Fees: The spread between PayPal Working Capital’s low and high fees is enormous, making them excellent at the low end and red-flag-worthy at the high. Make sure you’re on the lower end before you accept.

Positive Reviews & Testimonials

PayPal gives you a lot of reasons to like the service it provides.

The company has a few testimonials on its website, and you can find people saying a lot of nice things on PayPal’s community forum, among other places. The consensus is that customers like this service because of the following:

• Fast Application Process: The application process only takes a few minutes.
• Easy Access To Cash: PayPal is a master at fast cash transfers. The money can be in your account within minutes of accepting a loan offer.
• One-Time Fee: No accruing interest? Sounds like a good deal.
• Inexpensive Fee/Low Effective APRs: PayPal’s fees are often lower than those of its competitors.
• Flexible Fee Structure: The fee structure gives the borrower some control over the deal.
• Hands-Off Repayment Method: Just make sure the money’s in the account. PayPal does the rest.

We’d love to have you contribute to the conversation, though. Have you applied for a PayPal Working Capital loan? What was your experience like? Drop us a comment and let us know all about it!

Final Verdict

PayPal Working Capital is a fantastic resource for merchants who use PayPal. The application is fast, the fee structure is flexible and customizable, and repayment is easy. PayPal generally has very reasonable fees, but they have the potential to run high. As such, you should learn what to look for to make an informed borrowing decision.

Fortunately, although PayPal Working Capital loans are a bit unusual, they are relatively straightforward, and the website provides enough information about them that you shouldn’t run into any surprises (though we don’t like the fact that PayPal has gotten cagier about maximum borrowing amounts). But if you think another funding solution would better fit your business due to poor credit (or no credit), check out some of our favorite loans for startups with bad credit.

Once again, merchants who are getting denials might want to investigate their other options. However, if you are eligible, PayPal Working Capital is certainly worth including in your comparisons.

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