How to Make PayPal Payouts with MassPay & Payouts API?

Want to make PayPal payouts in bulk? PayPal MassPay helps accomplish the same.

But, this system is now replaced by PayPal Payouts API. However, some markets do offer MassPay.

So in this article, we’ll look at how you can pay your friends/affiliates via PayPal MassPay wherever available and using PayPal Payouts API for the rest.

How to make payouts via PayPal MassPay (Mass Payment Integration)?

As mentioned, there are only certain markets that offer PayPal Mass Payouts.

In the United States and other markets, Mass Payments has been replaced with their Payouts API.

If you belong to that market where PayPal MassPay or Mass Payments is still offered, follow these steps. Once done you’ll be able to pay in bulk with just a few clicks.

Before getting started, you must have a verified PayPal Business account.

Next, contact PayPal to enable PayPal Mass Payments for your account before sending your first payment.

Steps to enable PayPal payouts API

1. Log in to your PayPal developer account. If you don’t have an account, create one by using your paypal.com account credentials.
2. Click Log into Dashboard in the top-right corner.
3. Click My Account on the left.
4. Scroll down to Payouts and click Enable.

This process may take up to 72 hours.

Making PayPal payouts via MassPay

Once PayPal enables MassPay for you, here’s how to make payouts:

1. In your PayPal dashboard, go to Pay & Get Paid.
2. Under Make Payments, click Send Money.



3. Click Make a mass payment option.

You can then upload a CSV file to send payments to up to 5000 people or affiliates in one go.

How to make payouts via PayPal Payouts API?

Since MassPay is now deprecated in the majority of the markets, you have to use Payouts API for mass payout. But before making payments via the API, you need to get Payout API enabled in your account.

Steps to enable Payout API

1. Make sure to have a verified PayPal Business Account.
2. Contact PayPal to ensure that Payouts has been enabled for your account. This is because not all PayPal accounts outside the US have this feature enabled automatically.
3. Head over to Paypal’s Developer portal. Click on Dashboard in the dropdown located on the top left of the screen. You may be asked to log in first.
4. Verify that you have the Payouts API enabled. At the bottom of the column called Permission Name, you’ll see the row labeled Payouts. Click the Enable link.

Note – This might take anywhere from a few hours to several days for Paypal to give you permission. PayPal will email you that they are reviewing your request. Once you’ve been accepted, you’ll notice a green check mark signifying that the API is live.

You are now set to make payments via Payouts API.

Making payouts via PayPal Payouts API

Once PayPal enables MassPay for you, here’s how to make payouts:

1. In your PayPal dashboard, go to Pay & Get Paid.
2. Under Make Payments, click Payouts.
3. Upload a CSV or TXT file. For the file format, download the sample file available on the page.
4. Enter email subject or any custom message for the affiliates/friends.
5. Click on the Continue button to process the payouts.

You can then send payment to up to 5000 users or affiliates in one go.

Must-remember regarding PayPal Payouts

• Supports payments in 24 major currencies.
• Online payments are usually processed within minutes. Sometimes, it can take up to 24 hours.
• The sender pays a small transaction fee, but the receiver pays none.
• If payouts fail, it may be due to an insufficient PayPal account balance.
• You can’t use a credit or debit card to make payouts.
• Individual payments can’t exceed $20,000.00 USD or the equivalent in local currency.

Making payouts to affiliates via PayPal Payouts API in WooCommerce

If you are using WooCommerce and not running an affiliate program, you are missing out on a major chunk of revenue.

Affiliate for WooCommerce plugin enables you to set up and run your own successful affiliate program. Track referrals, sales, commissions, and payouts from a single place.

Once your affiliate program begins to scale up, you need a better way to pay your affiliates. With PayPal Payouts API and Affiliate for WooCommerce plugin, you can easily pay commission to your affiliates quickly.

Requirements to process payouts via Payouts API

1. Make sure WooCommerce PayPal Payments plugin is active on your WooCommerce store. And of course, Affiliate for WooCommerce plugin.
2. PayPal API credentials should be configured correctly. You can verify this under WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > PayPal > Paypal Checkout. Another way to verify this is by checking the status of Payout via PayPal under WooCommerce > Settings > Affiliate > Payout via PayPal. It will be automatically enabled/checked if correct.
3. Go to WooCommerce > Affiliate > Settings > PayPal email address to allow affiliates to enter their PayPal email address for payouts.
4. Once enabled, affiliates will find a field to enter their PayPal email address under their My Account > Affiliate > Profile > Payment setting. Store admin can also view (and update) the same from WooCommerce > Affiliates.
5. Select an affiliate and click on Manage Affiliate. It will take you to the User profile > Affiliate for WooCommerce settings of that affiliate. There you will find the PayPal email address field.

That’s it.

Paying affiliates via Payouts API

When all the above requirements are met, you can issue payouts to your affiliate via PayPal from the Affiliate for WooCommerce plugin itself.

Select the affiliate, select orders to be paid and send the payouts.

Refer to this blog for detailed steps on making payouts via PayPal.

You can also export a CSV file of affiliates to be paid commissions and then make mass payments via PayPal.

Try plugin live demo

Wrapping up

I hope you found this blog useful. PayPal makes it quite easy to make payouts via its API.

And if you are a WooCommerce user and want to set up your own affiliate program, Affiliate for WooCommerce plugin is the best bet. No jargon, no clumsy UI…everything manageable from one place.

Questions or suggestions, drop a line below.