How to Cancel a PayPal Payment

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Use the Activity section of your PayPal account to cancel a payment you've sent. You can cancel at any time, provided the recipient hasn't accepted the transfer yet. Payments are automatically canceled if the recipient doesn't accept the money within 30 days.

Cancel a Pending Payment

Step 1: Log in to your PayPal account and click the Activity button on the main menu at the top of the screen.

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If the payment was sent recently, it will also be accessible through the Summary screen.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Step 2: Click the All Activity drop-down menu in the top-left corner of the website and select Payments Sent. Choose the time period during which you sent the payment and then click the View button.

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If the payment was sent recently, it appears under the Pending header without having to filter by date.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Step 3: Locate the payment you want to cancel and click the associated Cancel link.

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PayPal (Chrome)
Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Step 4: Click the Cancel Payment button to confirm you want to cancel the payment.

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There is no charge for cancelling a payment.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Step 5: Review the provided details to confirm that the cancellation request was successful.

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PayPal (Chrome)
Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Request a Refund for a Completed Payment

Once a payment has been accepted by the recipient, PayPal can't take it back. In this situation, you need to contact the recipient in order to request a refund. It is up to the recipient whether to refund the money. PayPal does not have any rules or regulations requiring that accepted payments be refunded if a sender makes this request.

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To obtain the recipient's contact information, click the Summary tab on the main menu, if it's not selected already, and then select the transaction in which you sent money to the recipient.

Cancel a Money Request or Invoice

If you've sent a money request or invoice to someone through PayPal, you can cancel it, as well. Click the Activity button on the main menu along the top of the screen, locate the request or invoice and click the associated Cancel link. Click Yes to confirm you want to cancel the request or invoice.

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Click "Send a Reminder" to remind the recipient he has an outstanding request for money.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal
Click the "Check this box" check box if you don't want to inform the recipient that the request has been canceled.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

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