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Playawest45
Level 4

What is the difference between PayPal -2 and Paypal balance account?

What is the difference between PayPal -2 and Paypal balance account?

Solved
Best answer August 08, 2025

Best Answers
MsNorthPND1881
QuickBooks Team

What is the difference between PayPal -2 and Paypal balance account?

The PayPal-2 account is indicated by a double-arrow icon, which means it is connected to online banking, Playawest45. This connection automatically downloads transactions from PayPal into QBO via a bank feed. Once a transaction is fully processed/completed through PayPal, it will appear in the “For Review” tab of the banking screen, usually within 2 hours.
 
The PayPal balance account in QBO is set up to track all the transactions that occur in your PayPal account, much like a bank account. It maintains a running total of deposits, withdrawals, and fees to accurately reflect the current balance in PayPal. This account doesn’t have a specific time frame and continues as long as you use it to monitor PayPal activity.

The running total is important because it helps ensure your records in QuickBooks match the actual balance in your PayPal account. It also facilitates easier reconciliation of transactions, tracking of cash flow, and preparation of accurate financial reports.
 
You can check this article to know more when you connect your online bank to QBO the transactions automatically download and categorize: Connect bank and credit card accounts to QuickBooks Online.
 
If you need further assistance while managing your bank transactions, let us know. We'll be here to provide further assistance.

View solution in original post

5 Comments 5
ZackE
Moderator

What is the difference between PayPal -2 and Paypal balance account?

Thanks for reaching out to the Community, Playawest45.

 

To verify my understanding, are you referring to account registers that were created by your PayPal app? If you could also provide a screenshot of the accounts, that will help me to better understand what you're working with.

 

Once I have this information, I'll be able to research into it on my end. I'll be looking forward to your reply. Have an awesome Wednesday!

Playawest45
Level 4

What is the difference between PayPal -2 and Paypal balance account?

Screen shot attached. 

Carneil_C
QuickBooks Team

What is the difference between PayPal -2 and Paypal balance account?

These two accounts are different based on how they are entered into QuickBooks Online (QBO), Playawest45.

 

The PayPal-2 account is indicated by a double-arrow icon, which means it is connected to online banking. This connection automatically downloads transactions from PayPal into QBO via a bank feed. The balance you see is the Bank Balance, which reflects the actual balance of your PayPal account as of the last update.

 

On the other hand, the PayPal balance account was manually created. Its balance is the QuickBooks balance, which is the total of all transactions that have been manually entered, added, or matched within QBO.

 

If you have follow-up questions about your bank balances, feel free to leave a message in the comment section. I'm here to lend a hand. Stay safe, Playawest45.

Playawest45
Level 4

What is the difference between PayPal -2 and Paypal balance account?

OK Paypal – 2 is showing the money being collected for a deposit.

How is the Paypal balance account set up?

Looking at the register the purpose seems to be a running total of the deposits made that I assume is to the main account. What is the time frame of this account? If this is to show the running totals then why is that done?

MsNorthPND1881
QuickBooks Team

What is the difference between PayPal -2 and Paypal balance account?

The PayPal-2 account is indicated by a double-arrow icon, which means it is connected to online banking, Playawest45. This connection automatically downloads transactions from PayPal into QBO via a bank feed. Once a transaction is fully processed/completed through PayPal, it will appear in the “For Review” tab of the banking screen, usually within 2 hours.
 
The PayPal balance account in QBO is set up to track all the transactions that occur in your PayPal account, much like a bank account. It maintains a running total of deposits, withdrawals, and fees to accurately reflect the current balance in PayPal. This account doesn’t have a specific time frame and continues as long as you use it to monitor PayPal activity.

The running total is important because it helps ensure your records in QuickBooks match the actual balance in your PayPal account. It also facilitates easier reconciliation of transactions, tracking of cash flow, and preparation of accurate financial reports.
 
You can check this article to know more when you connect your online bank to QBO the transactions automatically download and categorize: Connect bank and credit card accounts to QuickBooks Online.
 
If you need further assistance while managing your bank transactions, let us know. We'll be here to provide further assistance.
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