📌 Overview
If a payout is lower than you expected, or you need payments sent to a different PayPal account, this article explains what to check and what to send us so the request can be resolved quickly.
A common example is an author who expects $210 for 2 links or $315 for 3 links but receives a much smaller amount, such as $2. Cases like this need a careful review, and the steps below help you get an answer faster.
❓ Why Might a Payout Be Lower Than Expected?
A payout can differ from what you expected for several reasons:
- A piece is not payable until the writer has marked it completed and an editor has approved it (or it is waiting for customer approval). Whether the published link is live, unapproved, or still under publisher review does not decide the payout. Until those writer and editor conditions are met, the piece stays off the remittance.
- Rate mismatch: The rate you expected may differ from the rate recorded for that order.
- Payable articles and onsite content are added to one open unpaid remittance, and that remittance is paid as a single PayPal amount. A separate payment exists only when an earlier remittance is already paid or on hold, or when a bonus is paid on its own.
- Fees or currency conversion: PayPal can apply fees or exchange rates that change the final amount received.
- Entry error: In rare cases, an amount was recorded or sent incorrectly and needs to be corrected.
🔎 Step 1: Check Your Payment Details
Before you contact us, spend a few minutes confirming the numbers on your side:
- List every link you expect to be paid for, including the URL and the date it was submitted or published.
- Write down the amount you expected for each link and the total.
- Open your PayPal account and find the payment you received. Note the date, amount, transaction ID, and sender name.
- Check whether you received more than one payment. Payments for different links may arrive separately.
- Confirm that each link is still live and unchanged.
📝 Step 2: Gather What You Need for a Dispute
Having the right information ready helps our team review your case without back-and-forth. Prepare the following:
- The list of links in question, with the amount expected for each
- The amount you actually received and the PayPal transaction ID
- The date of each payment
- Any message or agreement that confirms the rate for these links
- A screenshot of the payment in your PayPal account
Group your links clearly. For example, list the 3 links you expect $315 for as one group and the 2 links you expect $210 for as another. This makes it easier to match each payment to the right work.
🔄 Step 3: Request a PayPal ID Change
If you want future payments sent to a different PayPal account, tell us before the next payout is processed. Include:
- The new PayPal email address or ID you want to use
- The old PayPal email address or ID currently on file
- Which links or payments the change should apply to
Please double-check the spelling of the new PayPal ID. A typo can send a payment to the wrong account or cause it to fail.
⚠️ Important Notes About PayPal Changes
- A PayPal change normally applies to payments that have not yet been sent.
- Payments already sent to a previous PayPal account usually cannot be redirected automatically. Our team can review the situation with you if that happens.
- Make sure the new PayPal account can receive payments in your country and currency.
- Use only one PayPal account per request so payments are not split by mistake.
💬 Step 4: Contact Our Team
Once you have your details ready, reach out so a team member can review your payout and update your PayPal information if needed.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.
In your first message, include the following so we can act quickly:
- A short summary of the issue, such as the expected amount versus the amount received
- The list of links and the expected payment for each
- The PayPal transaction ID and date of the payment you received
- Your new PayPal ID, if you want it changed
💡 Tips to Avoid Payout Problems
- Confirm the agreed rate for your links before you submit them.
- Keep your PayPal ID up to date and tell us about changes before a payout is due.
- Keep records of your links, rates, and payment confirmations.
- Check your PayPal account for several separate payments before reporting a shortfall.
- Report any payment issue as soon as you notice it, while the details are fresh.
✅ Quick Summary
- Compare your expected amounts with your PayPal records.
- Gather links, rates, transaction IDs, and screenshots.
- Provide your new PayPal ID before the next payout if it needs to change.
- Open the chat widget and type human teammate to have your case reviewed by our team.