Cashouts are usually processed quickly and efficiently, but sometimes they can go wrong. There's no need to worry though, as the money will always end up with you; it just might take a little longer. Read on for what to do when your cash hasn't turned up.
Instant cashout hasn't turned up
Please note that instant cashouts can take up to 24 hours to come through, although usually they are a lot quicker!
My payment has been returned, and I can no longer cash out
If you can no longer cash out, please check the status of your payment in PayPal. You can find out how to check your payment status here. If your payment(s) are marked as canceled or reversed, the relevant amount will be automatically returned to your Prolific account, and your balance will be re-credited. You will receive an email from us when this happens.
Why has my payment been returned?
There are a few reasons why your payment(s) got returned. Some of these will depend on the type of PayPal account you have. Here are a few things that could have happened:
1. Your PayPal account hasn’t been configured to receive one or both of the currencies that are included in the cashout. [The PayPal settings for this in PayPal will differ based on whether you have a ‘standard’ or ‘premier/business’ account in PayPal].
2. Your cashout wasn’t claimed in PayPal within 30 days. This is [only applicable for participants on a ‘standard’ PayPal account].
3. During processing, PayPal may flag that we weren’t able to send the funds to your PayPal account due to some limitations or issues with your PayPal account. If this is the case please get in touch with PayPal to resolve the issues with your PayPal account. You can get in touch here.
Please scroll for more detail about each of these three return categories further down.
Why can I no longer cash out?
For your safety, our payment processor Hyperwallet automatically disables cashouts when a payment is returned to us by PayPal. This happens independently of the reason given by PayPal.
This is a temporary measure to ensure that the issues that caused the return on your cashout(s) are resolved before you try to cash out again.
1. Configuring your currency settings in PayPal
There are 2 different types of PayPal accounts:
- Standard personal PayPal account
- Premier person or business PayPal account
The way you claim payments and manage currencies varies depending on which account you have.
Standard personal PayPal account
If you have a standard personal PayPal account, please make sure that you do not ‘refuse’ any payments from us, as this will automatically prevent us from sending you money in the refused currency again, and will temporarily disable your ability to cash out.
Premier or business PayPal account
If you have a premier or business PayPal account, then please review your payment receiving preferences and make sure you have configured your account to receive both USD and GBP payments. More guidance can be found in PayPal’s help guide here.
If you’re not sure which type of PayPal account you have, please get in touch with PayPal directly to find out, and check with them that your account is configured to be able to receive Hyperwallet payouts from us in both GBP and USD currencies.
Once you have reviewed your settings, please let us know and we can get cashouts re-enabled for you.
2. Claiming your money
It's possible your money has been sent to you and you just need to claim it. Here's how to do it:
To claim the payment:
- Click the link provided in the email from PayPal
- If you have a PayPal account, Log In. Otherwise, click Sign Up
- Once logged in, you'll be taken directly to the transaction
- Look for the button that says 'Claim now' and click it
- The money will then be made available in your PayPal account
If you don’t claim your payment in PayPal within 30 days, they will return the payment to Prolific and your balance will be re-credited with the relevant amount. You will receive an email from us to let you know when we receive a returned payment and re-credit your balance.
Please note: You only need to claim cashouts like this if you have a ‘standard’ PayPal account.
3. Limitations or issues with your PayPal account
When processing incoming cashouts, PayPal may flag that we weren’t able to send the funds to your account due to limitations or issues with your PayPal account. If this is the case, please get in touch with PayPal to resolve the issues with your account.
How will I know there is an issue with my PayPal account?
If you have checked your currency settings and (1) confirmed that there aren't any unclaimed payments waiting in PayPal (if you have a ‘standard’ PayPal account) and (2) there aren't any unclaimed payments or unusual notifications, then the reason the payment’s been returned and your cashouts disabled will be due to limitations or issues flagged with your PayPal account.
If you believe there might be issues with your account, please get in touch with us here, and we will be able to share more information about any issues we're seeing on our system. You can use the information we provide to contact PayPal's support team and get the issue resolved as quickly as possible.
My money still hasn't turned up
If it’s been 30 days since you cashed out and you still haven’t received your money, please send us a message using the button below.
Need further help?
Click here to contact us