How to Establish a Pay Pal Account

Setting up a PayPal account is easy.

PayPal is a safe online money-transfer service that can be used to sell or buy items online in place of credit cards; to receive or send payments for work performed, or even to pay some bills. You can use PayPal to buy things online by signing in to your PayPal account and then clicking on a button to confirm your payment. PayPal also can be used to make some donations. Signing up with PayPal is easy.

Things You'll Need

• Email account
• Credit card or bank account

Instructions

1. At the PayPal website, click on the "Sign Up" button on the left side of the page.

2. Select your country or region and language.

3. Select the account type you want. Personal accounts are for online shoppers who want a method other than a credit card with which to pay for things. Use a Premier account if you want to buy and sell items online. Premier accounts require more than the basic account information, and PayPal may charge fees, depending on the type of service required. Business accounts are for merchants using company names and provide the features of Premier accounts plus special features needed by larger businesses. If you sign up for a business account you must supply an EIN number, a Federal Tax Identification Number used by the IRS to identify businesses. PayPal also offers student accounts for parents wishing to open an account for a teen to use with parental oversight.

4. Fill out the signup form. It will ask for your name, password, mailing address, email address, telephone.

5. Click the "agree and create account" button, by clicking the button you are agreeing to adhere to PayPal's user agreement, so you should read the agreement before you create the account.

6. Enroll a debit card or credit card to verify the account and add a funding source. PayPal gives you this option so you can deposit money in your account, but it is not required. You can skip this step if you wish.

7. Click the "Proceed to Account" or "Go to Account" button and log into your new account.

8. Activate your PayPal account after you've logged in so that PayPal will be able to make sure your email is correct. PayPal will send an email to the address you provided. Look for the email and click on the "verify account" link it provides.

Tips & Warnings

• Some businesses require that you have a PayPal account so they can pay you for your services or so you can do shopping transactions.

• If you wish to transfer money between your PayPal account and your bank, you will need to enroll your bank account or credit card, an optional step. If you choose to enroll by bank account, you must provide the routing number and account number. PayPal will make two small test deposits. Once you verify receipt of the deposits, you will be set up to transfer money from and to your bank.

References

• PayPal Setup with Demo
• PayPal Setup for Merchants