Overview
PayPal has been rolling a new user interface design for the PayPal.com website for a while now.
Over time, PayPal has been adjusting the way reporting features are provided and displayed.
This includes the display of a running balance when reviewing your PayPal activity log. It’s still there, but depending on your account you may have to dig deeper than others.
If you’re upset that you cannot seem to find a running balance in your PayPal account, follow these steps and it should help you find the information you need.
Important Note on Account Types
Depending on the type of account you have, the following steps may or may not work out for you.
If this is the case, go to PayPal Activity -> All Reports -> Activity Download. Here you can download a CSV of your transactions with any range you choose. This will include a running balance.
Step by Step Guide
01. Click Activity in the PayPal main menu.
Do you See a Running Balance?
Check for the Balance column in the Activity log that gets displayed. If you see it, you’re done! If not, move on to the next step.
02. From the All Transactions filter, select the Balance Affeecting option.
Do you See a Running Balance?
Check for the Balance column in the Activity log that gets displayed. If you see it, you’re done! If not, move on to the next step.
03. On the right, under Statements, click Activity export.
04. Click Statements, and then Monthly.
05. Click the Request link for the month / format you wish to download.
This really should be your last step if the previous steps did not show you the running balance.
The monthly statements provided here are just like a bank account would provide, so you can reconcile it against your accounts exactly the same way.
If you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, you can move to the next steps and that might help.
Last Hopes
If you still have not been able to see your running balance, the video below may help.
This video was recorded when PayPal first started migrated acconts into the new design, and some accounts were stuck in this middle stage.
Video Overview
06. On the right, under Statements, click Activity export.
07. On the left, click Basic Search in the History menu.
08. On the left,click All activity (with balance). Then, on the right, you will see your running balance.
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Sorry.. this is not the new format.. there is no history.. and the only choice is “All Activity” nothing in parentheses about running balance .. you must scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page .. Find “Classic Site”… a new account page pops up.. and guess what.. there is a choice “All Activity (Account Ballance)” .. Your instructions above not even close to the real way to find something slightly resembling an account balance… but it’s better than nothing… Thanks.. Regards, Michael
Yes, this is the new design, and the video I included with the tutorial clearly shows that it gives you the option to view All Activity (with Balance). If you can provide a screenshot of what you’re seeing or where you’re getting confused I can try to help more.
Me as well! Stop changing what isn’t broken Paypal— it’s not intelligent.thank you Michael. Paypal needs to hire and train properly.
I’m talking with my PayPal reps to see if I can get to the bottom of what’s going on here.
Wonderful tutorial .. Thanks Much. I see what I need to see now … it’s not quite as good as a bank statement.. but, it does help… 🙂
Paypal paid for something but there is no description of what I paid for and the web site doesn’t exist and isn’t in my web history. I disputed the claim cuz I know I didn’t make this order but it could take up to 2 months and I need the money for bills that’s why I was using the card in the 1st place . Ugh
Did you use the PayPal “credit” card or their “debit” card? If you used the credit card there is a separate place where the history is laid out in more detail. If it was debit, then yeah, you’ll be limited to what PayPal gives you in their activity log and/or reporting. The reporting details are generally more involved. I’d try that if you haven’t already.
Thanks! I’ve been looking for this ever since they updated the website. I wish they would make it easier to find.
Glad it helped!
We need to be able to view running balance, or there isn’t a way to track errors. Not having this view accessible is suspect. There is no “classic site” link that I can find on any of the pages of the new design. Thank you for this explanation. I have been keeping my own running balance on a sheet I created for my own use. Not having it on the Paypal site and having to go though these steps is absurd, though I am glad I was at least able to finally find it with your help, Andrew.
They’ve actually improved it since I made this video. The regular Activity section of your PayPal account should have an option to see the running balance now.
Many thanks for taking the time to write this tutorial. Just solved my problem instantly! Much appreciated!
Glad it helped! 🙂
hi there, thanks for the great tutorial, but how do i now download my 55 pages? 🙂 thanks
Have you checked the PayPal reporting and export tools?
I don’t see where the history piece is. Thank you.
Since we wrote this article PayPal has improved their Activity log. You should see the running balance by default now. You aren’t seeing that..??
It appeared for about 5mins today for me and has now vanished again.
That doesn’t make much sense. Are you sure you’re looking at the same page with the same filters in place?
no, it is not there by default still.
I had to finally find it and not even sure how I did now but have created a desktop shortcut to get there directly now.
I have no running balance option at all…have looked everywhere. Also no Classic View option either. I can get a report showing balances using your suggestions (which are great)…but my running balance isn’t correct; it shows the balance for each transaction the same amount as that transaction. Not actual balance reflecting payments or debits. *sigh*
You should see an option there somewhere for “Display running balance” and that would add the additional column that you’re looking for. If you can’t find it you can try to catch me on Skype (angelleye) and I’ll be happy to do a screen share with you and see if we can figure it out together.
I am about to pull my hair out over this. There is no view classic site option. There is no option to view the running balance period. I have looked everywhere and even PayPal help has nothing on it. I used to be able to view a running balance. Not anymore. What kind of crap is that?
Some of this depends on the version of PayPal account you have. The general Activity Log should show a running balance now, though. Can you provide a screenshot of what you’re seeing there?
Hi Andrew,
The Detailed View on the Activity page is gone, and with it is the ability to view a running balance for an account. The downloaded statement options don’t include a running balance either. I’ve tried different options without success: CSV and PDF reports with various boxes checked for a balance.
Your original step-by-step guide is no longer valid because those options no longer exist.
I have tried Chrome, IE 11, and MS Edge hoping to find the Detailed View, but it’s gone. I called Support and reported the problem (FLORBIT #12593), but never got any further response from them. I believe that PayPal views this bug as a “feature” and will not bring back this extremely useful tool. The Community Forums have many threads with users questioning the removal of the Detailed View and wanting its return.
Please someone bring back the Running Balance on the Activity page!
Some of what you see depends on the version of PayPal account you have. The Activity log in general should be showing you a running balance now, though. Can you provide a screenshot of what you’re seeing on that page?
My problem is that I always used the activity download of “Balance Affecting Payments”. This showed the net amount going into Paypal, i.e. the amount received minus the paypal fees.
The new report with the same name actually shows the gross amount, i.e. the amount before the fees have been deducted. When viewing the report it is totally illogical and appears to not add up correctly. For example.
Balance is £200
A payment of £2.75 is received from an ebay sale. Paypal deduct fees of 29p leaving a net amount of £2.46. The new balance is £202.46. The report shows : Balance was £200, Amount received £2.75, New balance £202.46. So the balance is correct but the amount shown as received does not tally with the balance. Any idea how to get the same report as I got in the Classic View.
When you go into the Activity Download section there is a little link that says “Customize report fields.” Did you check that to see if you could include net balance the way you want?
There is no link on the screen I see.
The interface has changed, none of the above works.
If your interface is not matching this then you should be seeing the running balance in the regular Activity log by default. Can you provide a screenshot (with sensitive data masked) so we can see what you’re getting for the Activity log?
I accidentally stumbled on a (albeit crappy) solution.
1) Go to HELP
On help screen, next to the search bar there should be a “Resolution Centre”
2) Select Resolution Centre
This brings up a “We’re here to Help” page
3) Click on “Report a Problem”
This brings up the old / classic transaction page…
4) Click on “All Activity with Balance”
Voila.
Why do they make it so difficult / crap?
Hi Mike,
It would be great to see a screenshot of what you’re getting on the regular Activity log (with sensitive data masked). I can ask my PayPal Partner reps about this and try to get some more info about you’d be seeing something different.
That is AWESOME!!!
Thanks
You can also search old transactions using your own period range just like the old old days at PayPal without it converting back to the current search engine (or lack there of).
Doen’t work as of 7/31/2018. Just plops you back over to original start page instead of the classic transaction page and no further options to access any help. Help has become a dead ended loop. Not allowing people to track their own running balance is a plot to control and rob us.
Oh, come on, don’t get sucked into conspiracy theories. They’ve simply made a lot of changes to their platform, and depending on the version of PayPal account you have now it can be different. For example, my account activity log shows a running balance:
In your case, are you working with a personal account or a business account?
Agreed
bravo!!! Lol they are not professionals.
Not sure what’s going on with it, but we’ll certainly provide an update here when we know more.
Even this method has now been closed by PayPal.
At step 3) it no longer brings up the classic page.
It is essential that I see the balance after every transaction, especially when my backup account has been debited because PayPal is at zero.
Pay: you will, Pals: they are not.
Yes, it is a bit annoying they’re making this simple thing difficult on people. That said, if you’re using any sort of bookkeeping software like Quicken, QuickBooks, etc. it’s really not that big of a problem. As a finance guru, if you’re not already using such tools I would highly recommend it.
Again, though, I do agree this should not be something they remove. I don’t really see the logic in it. I’ve passed the bad feedback along to my reps at PayPal and I’m still waiting to hear back on some details about why this being done and if there’s anything we can do about it.
I think part of the problem is business accounts and non-business accounts are different. I have a non- business account and none of the above solutions show a running balance.
Yes, business and personal are a little bit different, and also it depends on what version of PayPal account you have (which would depend on when it was created.)
I have biz acct and no running balance showing. This is absurd ! I don’t care the reason that it is this way. It is ignorant to format thus on papypal ‘a part.
Seems something changed as of 7/31/18. I’m looking for more details and will update this article when I have more details.
I just got off the phone with PayPal. Each time I asked her how to find my running balance, she diverted to a different subject or gave me a vague answer (“you can see your ending balance up at the top”). I continued to explain that I would like to see my running balance, the amount after each transaction. She finally told me that PayPal “upgraded their GUI and that feature was no longer available”. I asked to speak to a supervisor and she hung up on me.
Hi Tee,
I’m sorry to hear about that. Sometimes phone support can be frustrating. The changes they have been making with the UI are causing lots of confusion indeed. Are you using a Personal or Business account?
Hi, Andrew. I will try to Skype you. With no running balance, it will not be possible to use Paypal.
I will get more info and update here as soon as I have it. I agree it’s a silly thing that’s happening, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s not possible to use PayPal. I really don’t look at my running balance all that much personally (even though I do still have it in my account.) I reconcile using the monthly statements PayPal provides and that does me just fine.
I also talked to Paypal on the phone. They also told me there is absolutely no way to get a running balance.
Something changed as of 7/31/18. I’m looking for more details and will update when I know more.
My Paypal still isn’t showing a balance nor can I navigate to the old site. I can’t get customer service to respond to issues I am having with the account beyond no balance to view–no reports available. This interface is awful. I just want to resolve my issues so I can close this account in my lifetime because whoever thought this is what users wanted should be fired. Talk about bleeding edge software release. How long has this been going on now?
It’s been an ongoing issue since they’ve been updating their user interface. There are many different “versions” of PayPal now, and depending on which one you happen to have you may or may not be able to see the running balance. I am digging for more details on this and passing along the negative feedback we’re seeing on this issue. We’ll be sure to keep this article updated as we here more.
Hi. I had a long conversation with a PayPal customer service person. She said that if you have a Premier account then the running balance will NOT show. I have had an account for 14 years and fall into the Premier category. The newer personal and business accounts DO show a running balance (she said). You have the option of converting to one of those. But she could not give me any kind of reasonable explanation for why the software people would remove the running balance from the Premier accounts. Perhaps someone can get the PayPal CEO on the phone for that answer?
Well, that’s at least some information to go by. What I do know is that “Premiere” accounts in general were deprecated awhile ago. It used to be Personal, Premiere, or Business. Now it’s just Personal or Business. There were a bunch of Premiere accounts still out there, though, and apparently they just aren’t going to continue supporting those, so switching it to Personal or Business sounds like the best solution anyway. Thanks for following up with that info!
https://www.paypal.com/listing/transactions
Thank You so much for this, couldn’t believe my luck following your link, exactly the page I was looking for.
Happy to help!
thank you !!! this is the ONLY thing that worked to see my running balance !! why why WHY so difficult PAYPAL ???
Glad that helped. Make sure to check if your account is a “Premier” account. If so, upgrade it to a business account and this problem will go away.
Thank you JAG!!!!!
This is the ONLY thing that worked!
Glad it worked! Check if your account is a Premier account. If so, upgrade it to Business and you should see a running balance in all activity logs as expected.
Hey JAG, Thanks!
I can not find my running balances. It makes PayPal unusable. How do I know if I was charged correctly?
If you aren’t seeing any running balance after following the steps here, then you must have a Premier account. You need to upgrade the account to a business account, and then you will be able to see the running balance in your activity log as expected.
Is there any way to get a running balance without having a business account? I have a Cash Plus account and I just don’t really want a business account. I’m not a business!
If you don’t want to upgrade it to a business account then you will need to create a new, separate account. Set that one up as personal. Then you could either kill the old account or just leave it open but don’t use it. Maybe turn it into a business account in case you do need one in the future.
I have a Business Account – confirmed by account settings. None of the above solutions work. I have tried them all. I don’t get the Classic option when I scroll to lower left.
I can’t follow the initial tutorial – my top row shows Summary Money Activities Reports Tools More – none of those options show what you describe. It’s been over a year since the tutorial – surely this should have been fixed by now!!!
When you click into your activity log, you’ll see a drop-down at the top where you can choose different options. Look for “balance affecting”. If you set that then you should see the running balance like you’re wanting.
that dont work either! They always make changes to sites for the worse!
I will never use paypal again! They do this so they can thieve our money!
I think you’re overreacting a bit here. Seeing a running balance has nothing to do with “thieving out money”. That’s just not logical. The new site design makes this a lot easier. Just click Activity -> All Transactions, and then choose Balance Affecting from the drop-down filter. This will show you the running balance.
Does this advice page only apply to PayPal business accounts?
The ‘Activity’ page on the standard PayPal account does not have an ‘All Transactions’ log or a dropdown that allows ‘Balance Affecting’ (stupid terminology) to be selected.
It seems that for a standard PayPal account there is still no way to see a running balance, and this has been the case for about 10 years now. It is still as irritating as it has always been, ever since customers first started complaining about this many many years ago.
Yes, I believe it’s only on business. And interestingly enough, it seems it’s not even available there anymore either. As of literally the last couple of days. Sighhhh…..
I love PayPal, but man this is a bit of a frustrating thing that they keep moving this around, adding it, removing it, tucking it over here, over there, a little everywhere…lol. I’m definitely going to be passing this feedback back to them (again.) They’re a big ship, though, and they turn slowly.
I can’t see my balance either. It’s not overreacting to think that it might have been stolen. When I click Activity, there is no All Transactions to click. So what good is that suggestion? Customers want to know that what their PayPal Quicken (for example) balance shows is the same as what PayPal itself has calculated. That is not an unreasonable expectation. There’s no running balance and no balance shown on monthly statements. Frankly, I think that’s stupid.
Yeah, sorry for the confusion here. I need to try and update this article again, but it’s different for different people depending on when their account was created, personal vs. business, and some other variables. I would suggest reconciling your accounts using the monthly statements PayPal provides under the reporting section of your account. This works very well.
I’m not getting a running balance. I used to get it by clicking activity and balance and now it states “archive” in the right hand column.
Unfortunately, this seems to be a very elusive feature. I’ve been struggling to find it again myself in my account(s). This guide still proves useful for many, so I leave it here, but I’ve just been waiting for the monthly statement and reconciling against that like I do any bank account. It works well.
Not elusive. Paypal removed the option to see the running balance. I received an email from them stating this after I complained to them. I have a business account and need to see this, but Paypal will not show it. I have a dispute with Paypal ongoing at BBB.
It’s actually still there depending on the account type, but yes, they’ve made this very confusing. I just updated the note on the site to reflect something, though. If you go to Activity -> All Reports -> Activity Download, you can download a CSV of your transactions with any range you give it. This will indeed include a running balance column.
My monthly statements and custom reports do not show a running balance. So frustrating.
This can be frustrating. It seems it’s different depending on the type of account and when it was created. Sometimes I see it and sometimes I don’t. I can say, though, that I never have issues reconciling against the monthly statements they provide.
How do I close account and get my balance?
https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/how-do-i-close-my-paypal-account-faq1215
https://www.paypal.com/listing/transactions#
Want to make a payment
Okay…please elaborate.
Paypal’s ‘designers’ are idiots. NO other monetary account website is missing a balance, it’s the most important thing of all when you are looking at a list of transactions. A list of transactions without a balance is beyond useless. They won’t bring it back because some MORON at Paypal decided it was a good thing to get rid of it a few years ago, and can’t admit they are wrong. It’s as simple as that. Like most things in life that don’t work well, it’s because some cretin was involved in ruining it and then can’t admit they mucked up, so they would rather make life incredibly difficult for their customers than fix things…
I understand the frustration, and it annoys me at times as well. That said, I’ve been reconciling my accounts using the monthly statements PayPal provides, and I haven’t had any issues with that at all. Works just like any other bank type of account. I’d suggest giving that a try instead of using the activity log.
Just look at all we have to go through just to get balances on our activities when balance should be a default setting just like your bank statement!!
I don’t know about you, but after 20 years plus on POS, Im done with this silly, unacceptable, unprofessional BS.
God Damn Imbeciles!!
This is all a bit out dated now. I should update this article. I’ve been reconciling my PayPal accounts against monthly statements the same as I do with any other financial account and haven’t had any problems. Have you tried that?