Guide to sending large payments with PayPal Business UK, including transfer limits

Need to send a large business payment? You may be paying an invoice, buying supplies from overseas or perhaps putting down the deposit on new office space.

Whatever the purpose, you’ll need a fast, secure and cost-effective way to send your payment.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at how large payments work with PayPal Business here in the UK. This includes how to set up a transfer, average transfer times, security considerations and fees.

We’ll also show you an alternative - Wise Business. You can securely send large transfers with Wise Business for low fees and mid-market exchange rates. This makes it ideal if you’re making a transfer across international borders.

💡 Learn more about Wise Business

Can you use PayPal Business for large transfers?

Yes, PayPal Business accounts let you send large sums through a few main methods:

• Standard online payments via your PayPal Business account
• PayPal Payouts - send bulk payments to other PayPal accounts
• Enterprise Payouts - send via multiple payment methods, including bank accounts.

PayPal Business large transfers are set up, managed and tracked online. You can also use the PayPal mobile app.

You can send both UK and international large payments with your PayPal Business account.

Is PayPal Business safe for large payments?

Security will always be a top priority when sending large amounts, so it’s important to choose a regulated, trustworthy provider.

PayPal is a safe, trusted provider of online payment services, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.

It uses a number of advanced security measures to protect your account and transfers, including:¹

• 24/7 fraud protection and monitoring service
• Phishing-resistant Passkeys to safeguard account access - where you use face, fingerprint, device passcode or PIN to login to PayPal
• Key pinning - where your mobile device is connected to a verified PayPal server using Transport Layer Security (TLS)
• Data encryption
• Secure connections - using both Transport Layer Security (TLS) and HTTPS
• The PayPal Seller Protection program, which protects merchants from losses due to unauthorised transactions, chargebacks and reversals

However, you should also take sensible precautions yourself when sending payments. These include double-checking recipient bank details, keeping your online banking details secure and being vigilant against scams.

How to make a large payment with PayPal Business

You can make a PayPal Business large payment online banking or PayPal mobile app.

If you haven’t already, you’ll need to sign up for a PayPal Business account and verify it before you can send payments.

Next, you’ll need to have your recipient’s details to hand. If you’re sending to another PayPal account, you’ll just need their email address or mobile number (the one linked to their PayPal account).

For other payments - such as to bank accounts using PayPal Enterprise Payouts - you’ll need the following:

• The recipient’s name or business name as it appears on their bank account
• Their bank account number and sort code
• The type of account (i.e. a business account)
• The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) - for international transfers
• The SWIFT/BIC code for their bank - for international transfers.

To set up a standard PayPal Business payment online, follow these steps:²

1. Sign into your PayPal Business account
2. Go to ‘Send money’
3. Enter the recipient's name, PayPal username, email address, or mobile number and click ‘Next’.
4. Enter the amount
5. Choose the currency
6. Add a reference (optional) and click ‘Continue’
7. If available, choose your payment type
8. Choose how you want to pay and click ‘Next’
9. Check the details carefully - once you’re happy, click ‘Send Payment Now’.

In the case of very large payments, you may be contacted by the provider for extra checks or asked to provide additional verification documents showing the source of the funds (for example, business bank statements).

If you’re sending multiple payments with PayPal Payouts, you’ll need to upload a (CSV) containing all payment information and set up payments using your PayPal Business account tools.

How long do large transfers take with PayPal Business?

If your payment is urgent, you’ll need to know more about PayPal Business large transfer times.

Unfortunately, the provider doesn’t offer much information about this - except to say that its business payments are typically fast. You may need to contact PayPal to find out more about transfer times for specific payment types.

However, here’s how it tends to work for personal users - if you make a payment to another PayPal user, it should be processed the same day. It could even arrive within minutes.

But if you initiate the payment on a day that isn’t a working day (such as a weekend) or after 4pm on a working day, it could take longer. According to PayPal, it’ll leave your account within two business days.³

💸 It's worth considering: Wise Business for large transfers 💸

What's the PayPal Business maximum transfer limit?

You’ll also need to know how much you can send in one payment, and per day. PayPal Business transfer limits tend to be generous, and there’s generally no upper limit on how much you can send per total.

However, there are some limits on how much you can send per transaction, depending on the payment type:

Payment type	Limit per transaction
PayPal Business standard online payment	Up to $60,000 USD (approx. £44,734 GBP)⁴
PayPal Payouts payments	Up to £50,000 (up to £17,000 if the recipient is a new PayPal account holder)⁵

What are the PayPal Business fees for large transfers?

Now for the all-important question - how much does it cost to use PayPal Business for large transfers?

Here’s a quick look at PayPal Business large transfer fees:⁶

Payment type	Transfer fee
PayPal Payouts - UK and international payments to other PayPal accounts	2% per payment (up to max. fee cap, which varies by currency)
PayPal Enterprise payments - UK and international payments to bank accounts and other methods	Contact provider for custom pricing

• Fees correct as of 19.01.26

PayPal doesn’t provide pricing information for standard online business payments, but any fees (if applicable) should be displayed before you send the transfer.

If you’re sending international payments with PayPal, there’s another cost to consider too. This is the exchange rate for converting currency.

Banks and providers such as PayPal typically add their own margin to the mid-market exchange rate, which can make the transfer more expensive - especially if you’re sending large amounts.

For PayPal Business customers, the conversion charge will be 3% above the base rate.⁶

💡 You may also like: PayPal business fees in the UK

PayPal Business alternative, utilise Wise Business for large transfers

As an alternative to PayPal Business, check out Wise Business - which has multi-currency account and card solutions for businesses of all sizes.

It also has a dedicated secure service for sending large payments. Transfer limits depend on what currency is being sent, here's a few of the most popular:

• GBP - £20 million GBP per transfer
• EUR - €20 million EUR per transfer
• USD - $20 million USD when paying from your USD account, $1.6 million per SWIFT transfer.

It’s also worth knowing that Wise offers discounts for sending large amounts over £20,000 (or the currency equivalent). The more you send, the more you save.

You can open an account for £50 (Advanced plan) or for free (Essentials plan)(Advanced plan) or for free (Essentials plan), with no ongoing monthly fees and no minimum balance requirements.

All accounts can hold and exchange 40+ currencies, and Wise Business Advanced accounts let you receive payments like a local with major currency account details.

Whenever you need to convert currencies, to send a payment or spend with your Wise debit card, you’ll get the mid-market exchange rate and low conversion costs from 0.33%.

💸 On a £50k transfer, you could save up to £1,000 with Wise vs your bank 💸

See High Amount Transfer Comparison 2026 for more info.

Want more? Here are some of the many brilliant Wise Business features you can access:

• Send money quickly or instantly to bank accounts in 140+ countries
• Issue business debit and expense cards for you and your team with no foreign transaction fees, and low conversion costs from 0.33%
• 0.5% cashback on eligible card spending
• Connect seamlessly to your accounting software
• Generate invoices and payment links to receive money easily from customers
• Automate payouts with the powerful Wise Business API.
• Make your money work harder with Wise Interest (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed)

Register with Wise Business🚀

Investments can fluctuate, and your capital is at risk. Interest is offered by Wise Assets UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Wise Payments Ltd. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you're uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

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Sources used:

1. PayPal - PayPal security technology
2. PayPal - Help - How do I send money?
3. PayPal - User Agreement
4. PayPal - Help - What‘s the maximum amount I can send with my PayPal account?
5. PayPal - PayPal Payouts
6. PayPal - PayPal Merchant Fees

Sources last checked 19-Jan-2026