How to Send an Invoice on PayPal Without a Business Account

Panna Kemenes

Online invoicing has become extremely popular, and businesses may feel overwhelmed with all of the options out there. According to DataBridge Research, the e-invoicing market will continue to grow1 at a CAGR of around 25% through 2031. Finding the right invoicing option can help your company save time and money.

PayPal is a user-friendly option for you to consider. This article will explain some of the features of PayPal and provide you with some invoicing tips.

Does your business receive international payments? Wise is a convenient and international friendly option for small businesses. Wise has plenty of resources to help with small business invoicing, and provides the mid-market exchange rate to help save money.

Try the FREE invocing tool
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Do You Need a PayPal Business Account to Send Invoices?

As online payments become more popular, user-friendly options like PayPal can be helpful. PayPal may be a convenient option, as you can send invoices without a business account.

You should consider the following points if you want to use your personal PayPal account to send an invoice:

Function: If you have a personal PayPal account, PayPal will allow you to send invoices.2 However, it may be ideal to upgrade to a business account if you need additional services from PayPal.

Seller protection: Another key factor to consider is seller protection. PayPal allows personal accounts3 to sell items and send invoices. However, personal payments4 are not always covered under its seller protection policy. It may be better to upgrade to a business account if you plan to regularly use PayPal.

Tools: Another benefit of a PayPal business account is that it offers more small business tools. Some of these tools include recurring billing and its marketing solutions package. It's free to open a basic PayPal business account.

Steps to Send an Invoice on PayPal Without a Business Account

It's relatively straightforward for the sender and receiver to use PayPal when creating and paying invoices. You can follow these steps to send an invoice without a business account.

Setting Up Your PayPal Personal Account

It only takes a couple of minutes to create a PayPal account. You can sign up directly on PayPal to set up your personal account. You only need to supply PayPal with very basic information5 to create the account. This information includes your name, phone number, address, and email address. Once your account is set up, you can begin sending and receiving payments.

Creating and Sending an Invoice

Using PayPal to create and send an invoice is very straightforward. You don’t even need to have your own file or template available beforehand. These invoicing tips will show you how to send a PayPal invoice on your personal account.

If you want to create an invoice, log into your PayPal account and then click on this link. This page will auto-populate some of your key account information, such as your name and address. After this, you can import a contact from your PayPal contacts to the invoice, and then input information about the cost of the item.

PayPal also allows you to make notes and add any necessary attachments. Once you have completed everything, you can take a look at a web, mobile, or email preview of the PayPal invoice before you send it.

Alternatives to PayPal for Invoicing

Hopefully, these PayPal tips about how to send an invoice with a personal account were helpful. If you are still looking for alternatives for invoicing and online payments, there are plenty of options. Some of these options are available for free. Many of these options also provide advanced invoicing services, such as tracking and analytics. These tools can help your business save time and stay organized.

  • Wise Business has a professional invoicing tool option for you to consider. This free option is great for international invoices especially. You can easily generate your invoice and even add a payment link, making it easy for your customers to pay the invoice on time. Wise also offers user-friendly invoice templates that can help you send an invoice within minutes. One of the key benefits of Wise is that you can get multiple currency account details to receive payments from around the world. Wise is also compatible with many popular types of payment options. This includes bank transfers, wire transfers, debit cards, credit cards, and Interac.

  • Square Invoices can be an attractive option that provides small businesses with free plans and advanced paid plans. It offers user-friendly templates and digital tools. It can help you to quickly send invoices, receive payments, and track your progress. Around 77%6 of its invoices are paid within 24 hours.

  • Zoho Invoice also offers free plans for small businesses. This software allows you to track payments, send reminders, and track all of your expenses. Many of its small business customers have noted7 how Zoho has helped them save time. They also cut costs and boosted their revenue.

You can find more in our full guide to invoicing software options

Let Wise Business Help with Small Business Invoicing

Small business invoicing can be complex. It’s not just about finding the right template, but also about ensuring things continue to run smoothly. Wise can help your business stay organized and send invoices to your customers. The Wise Business account comes with plenty of free invoice templates that you can use. You can also use the Free invoicing tool to generate and send professional invoices.

Register with Wise Business🚀

Wise is not a bank, but a Money Services Business (MSB) provider and a smart alternative to banks. If you have international customers, Wise can provide great payment solutions. Wise supports over 40+ currencies and offers currency exchanges at the mid-market rate.

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Editor & Business Expert:
ImagePanna is an expert in US business finance, covering topics from invoicing to international expansion. She creates guides and reviews to help businesses save time and make informed decisions. You can read more useful business articles on her author profile.

Sources

  1. Electronic-Invoicing Market Size, Trends, Demand, & Analysis By 2031
  2. Solved: Sending invoices with a Personal Account - PayPal Community
  3. Solved: Can a personal account send an invoice? - PayPal Community
  4. https://www.paypal.com/us/legalhub/paypal/seller-protection
  5. What information is required to open a Personal PayPal account?
  6. Square invoices
  7. Customer case study - Zoho Invoice

All sources checked March 2025.


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This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.

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