How Do I Change My PayPal Account Type from Business to Personal?

When you decide to change your PayPal account from a business account to a personal one, you need to know what steps to take. You can switch your account online by logging into your PayPal account and making the switch in settings. You can also call PayPal customer service and request a downgrade from business to personal.

PayPal provides individuals and businesses with a secure method of transferring funds for services or goods. If you are a business owner, you may be considering switching your PayPal account from a business account to a personal one. How do you change your PayPal account type from business to a personal account? You can find out about the various PayPal accounts by calling user support here, and you can read on to find out how to convert your business account to a personal account.

Changing Your PayPal Business Account to a Personal Account

Why Make the Change

There are many reasons you may be considering changing your PayPal account from a business account to a personal one. Some cons of a PayPal business account or reasons to switch it to a personal account include:

  1. Transaction fees can add up quickly, especially on small transactions.
  2. Money transfers from PayPal to your bank can take up to 72 hours which can greatly impact your business' cash flow.
  3. Chargeback fees when a customer complaint goes against you can be very costly.
  4. Your account can be suspended at any time by PayPal which freezes any assets you have in the account.
  5. Not all customers like using PayPal to pay for purchases.
  6. Digital items are not covered under PayPal's business account policy.
  7. You are closing or downsizing your business and will not have the volume of transactions necessary to justify keeping a business account.
  8. You have found another method of doing business transactions, but want to keep PayPal as a personal account as a back-up.

Making the Change

Online

When you are ready to make the change from a business account to a personal one, follow these steps:

  1. Open PayPal in your computer browser.
  2. Log into your account.
  3. On the profile page, click on "My Account."
  4. Find "Account Type" on the account settings page.
  5. Click "Change" next to "Account Type" and select "Personal" from the drop-down menu.
  6. Select "Continue."
  7. Follow the prompts to confirm you do with to make the change from business to personal.

Over the Phone

You can also request your account be changed from a business account to a personal account by calling PayPal customer support here. The representative will be able to walk you through the process of switching your account type.

Note, you will not have to pay a penalty for switching your account from business to personal, but you will be financial responsible for any pending transactions on the business account at the time of the switch.

Whatever reason you have for making the switch from a PayPal business account to a personal one, you can make the switch online or by calling customer service here and requesting an account downgrade.

Further questions?

Ask a followup or related question and we will try to provide an answer in seconds.
Christian has been writing about long hold times and customer service call center experiences since 2010. He's been featured in Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe.
How Do I Change My PayPal Account Type from Business to Personal?

Help from Real People

We partner with a US-based company with live tech support experts available 24/7. Take advantage of a $5 one-week trial membership and chat with an expert now.
Chat with an expert

Why does GetHuman Write How-to Guides for PayPal Problems?

GetHuman has been working for over 10 years on sourcing information about big organizations like PayPal in order to help customers resolve customer service issues faster. We started with contact information and fastest ways to reach a human at big companies. Particularly ones with slow or complicated IVR or phone menu systems. Or companies that have self-serve help forums instead of a customer service department. From there, we realized that consumers still needed more detailed help solving the most common problems, so we expanded to this set of guides, which grows every day. And if you spot any issues with our How Do I Change My PayPal Account Type from Business to Personal? guide, please let us know by sending us feedback. We want to be as helpful as possible. If you appreciated this guide, please share it with your favorite people. Our free information and tools is powered by you, the customer. The more people that use it, the better it gets.

PayPal

Asked 2 years ago
Updated a year ago
Viewed 1,323,925 times
PayPal
PayPal
PayPal account
business to personal account

Speak to An Expert Now

We partner with a US-based expert help site to provide you with tech support 24/7. Enjoy a $5 one-week trial membership and chat with a live expert now.
Get Live Expert Help
Was this page helpful?
Thank you and please share!
Thank you and please share!
Needs work
Sharing is what powers GetHuman's free customer service contact information and tools. You can help!