How to change your legal name on paypal

There are many reasons you might want to change your name on PayPal, the most common one being marriage. As long as you can provide the correct documentation, you can do so easily. Here’s how to change your name on PayPal.

Read more: What you need to know to get started with PayPal

QUICK ANSWER

To change your name on PayPal, log in to your account and click the gear icon. Go to the Account tab and click Change name next to your name in the profile section.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

Change your name on PayPal

Ankit Banerjee / Android Authority

Log in to your PayPal account and click the gear icon at the top right corner. On the Settings page, click the Account tab. Click Change name next to your name in the profile section.

Ankit Banerjee / Android Authority

Select the type of name change you want to do.

• Change your legal name: To change your legal name, you will need to provide a government-issued ID, a copy of a marriage, divorce, or commitment certificate, or a copy of the legal document that shows your name change.
• Update your name: You will need to upload an ID to update your name. You will also need to provide either a recent utility bill with your name and current address, the bank statement of the account linked to PayPal, or the credit card statement of a linked card.
• Make a minor correction: Minor corrections are for typos, and you can change one or two characters at most. If there’s a more significant mistake, you will need to go through the Update your name option.

Change your business name on PayPal

Log in to your PayPal account, click the gear icon and go to the Account tab. In the Business Information section, click Update. Click Edit next to your company logo and tap Change under your business name. You will have to verify the legal name change of your business.

Read more: Here’s why your PayPal payment is on hold

FAQs

Does PayPal show your name?

PayPal will show your name when you send money to someone. If you create a PayPal.Me page, anyone with access to the link will be able to see your name, business name, and profile picture.

Can I hide my name on PayPal?

You can set up an account with a fake name, a random email address and use a virtual credit card. The recipient will see the registered name and email address. This might work for small payments, but PayPal limits transactions on unverified accounts.

Can I use a fake name on PayPal?

You can sign up for PayPal with a fake name and a virtual credit card. However, there are a lot of limits in place with an unverified account. To verify your PayPal account, you will need to provide an ID and link to a bank account.

We will see if what you say is correct!?  Out of all the people, places, and businesses I have had to change my name with, PayPal and Bank of America have been the two hardest ones to change my name with.  Bank of America still refuses to change my name after faxing them my info, going into a banking center, and several calls.  My vehicle loan will be paid in 3 months with them, and they still refuse to change it.  After talking with the DMV, they told me it doesn't matter what Bank of America says because they have the correct information.  PayPal has not made this easy at all.  They tell me one thing on the phone, then send me one email telling me they can't do it.  When I spoke with the lady on the phone, she assured me that they had received my uploads with the marriage certificate and driver's license and that all would be taken care of.  However, the next day I received that one email stating they could not change it.  After replying to that email twice, I have yet to hear another thing from PayPal.  It is more than frustrating.  It has become ridiculous.

Whether you need to make a minor correction to your name to bring it in line with your government issued photo ID, or you’re looking to change your PayPal username for your business account, we have the answers.

We’ll also touch on how you could save on fees when sending and receiving payments in foreign currencies, with Wise.

Can I change my name on PayPal?

Yes. You can change your name on PayPal if you need to correct a typo or if you’ve legally changed your name.

You won’t be able to change your PayPal account into someone else’s name, and if you’re changing your PayPal because you have a new legal name, you’ll probably need to provide legal documentation as proof of the change.

If you have a PayPal business account, you’ll also be able to change your PayPal account’s name if you can legally show your business name has changed.

Once again, you’ll need to prove that your business has legally changed name, and your linked bank account will need to show the same business name as your PayPal account.

How to change PayPal name - PayPal personal

Here’s how to change your name on your personal PayPal account¹:

1. Log in to the PayPal website - you can’t change your name on the PayPal app
2. Click on Settings
3. Click Change Name beside your name
4. Select the appropriate option to fit why you’re changing your PayPal account name

Depending on the situation, you might have to upload images of a document to show your name has really changed. This might be a government issued photo ID if you’ve legally changed your name, or a marriage certificate, for example. Make sure you include photos of both the front and back of your valid ID.

Can you change your name on a PayPal business account?

Changing your PayPal business account name is very similar to altering your name on a PayPal personal account. To change your business name²:

1. Log in to PayPal on a web browser and go to Account Settings
2. Click **_Business Information, _**and then click Update
3. Select Edit
4. Click Change which you’ll find under your business name

This process only applies if you’ve changed the registered name of your business, and can provide legal documents to show this has happened. If you’re creating an account for a new business, open a new PayPal business account rather than updating the business name on an existing account.

Sending and receiving payments in foreign currencies? Choose Wise to save 6x compared to old school banks

PayPal offers some great options for shopping online and sending domestic payments within the US. But when it comes to anything international, PayPal’s fees can be high, with a steep markup every time you need to switch currencies. Beat high fees and bad exchange rates with Wise.

Open a Wise account to hold 50+ currencies, send payments to 80+ countries, get paid fee free from 30+ countries, and spend all over the world with your linked international debit card. You’ll get the real exchange rate with no markups and no foreign transaction fees, no monthly costs, and low, transparent charges for the services you use.

Why can't I change my PayPal name?

Do I have to use my legal name on PayPal?

How long does it take to Change name on PayPal?

What documents do you need to change your name on PayPal?