PayPal Website Payments Pro
The PayPal Website Payments Pro payment gateway module is available in WHMCS.
- In WHMCS 8.9 and later, we strongly recommend the PayPal Payments payment gateway module for processing payments with PayPal. This module includes all of the latest features for securely processing payments via PayPal, including support for credit and debit cards.
- For information on all of our PayPal integrations, see Accepting PayPal.
Supported Features
Type: Merchant (Credit Card)
| One-Time | Recurring | Refunds | Reversals |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖️ |
| 3D Secure | Remote Update Card | Remote Delete Card | AddPayMethod API |
| ✓ | ✖️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
Adding the PayPal Website Payments Pro Payment Gateway
To set up the PayPal Website Payments Pro payment gateway in WHMCS:
- Go to Configuration () > Apps & Integrations or Addons > Apps & Integrations.
- Click PayPal Website Payments Pro.
- Check Show on Order Form to display this payment method in the Client Area during checkout.
- Retrieve your details for the PayPal API:
- Log in to PayPal.
- Select your name and company at the top right.
- From the menu, select Account settings.
- Scroll down and select Website payments.
- Select Update for API Access.
- Under NVP/SOAP API integration (classic), select Manage API credentials.
- Copy the API credentials.
- Enter your PayPal credentials. Processor ID, Merchant ID, and Transaction PW are part of the 3D Secure process.
- PayPal Pro accounts use 3D Secure by default. PayPal will provide your 3D Secure details.
- Leave these values blank in WHMCS to disable 3D Secure.
- Click Save Changes.
Test Mode
You can use test mode to simulate payment processing without actually causing a transaction to occur. This can be useful for testing your configuration.
Troubleshooting
You can find information about most payment gateway-related errors in the logs at Billing > Gateway Log and in the Module Log.
For more information, see Troubleshooting Payments.
You may encounter the following common issues when using PayPal payment gateways:
| Error or Issue | Cause | Next Steps |
DUPLICATE_INVOICE_ID | Your PayPal® configuration is blocking the transaction. | Duplicate Invoice ID Errors |
| A payment successfully deposits to your PayPal® account but does not appear in WHMCS. | This problem can occur due to several different issues. | Missing PayPal Payments |
The system has detected a missing subscription. The subscription is not associated with any services, but the event was attributable to a client and/or invoice. | The subscription is not associated with any service, product addon, or domain but the system found an alternate ID to use. | Missing PayPal Subscriptions |
| You are experiencing problems that relate to stale cached data or PHP script execution. | The OPcache PHP extension is enabled. | OPcache Warnings |
The system has detected an orphaned subscription. It is not associated with any services, nor was attributable to an invoice or client. | The subscription is not associated with any service, product addon, or domain and the system could not find an alternate ID to use. | Orphaned PayPal Subscriptions |
No Local Credit Card Payment Gateways Enabled | You disabled the option to save card details for later. | PayFlow Pro Local Card Errors |
Details could not be saved. Remote storage failed | You attempted to create a payment method. | PayFlow Pro Remote Storage Errors |
You receive an email stating that a PayPal® Instant Payment Notification (IPN) failed or you see IPN Handshake Invalid or IPN Handshake Error error messages. | PayPal could not send a payment notification to your WHMCS installation or WHMCS cannot verify a callback. | PayPal IPN Failures |
The system has detected an orphaned subscription. It is not associated with any services, nor was attributable to an invoice or client. or The system has detected a missing subscription. The subscription is not associated with any services, but the event was attributable to a client and/or invoice. | The subscription is not associated with any service, addon, or domain. | PayPal Log Entries |
Referenced transaction or order is too old | The transaction is more than 24 months old. | PayPal Old Transaction Errors |
| You are experiencing problems with subscriptions after attempting to migrate to PayPal Payments while using WHMCS 8.9 through 8.11 RC. | WHMCS 8.9 through 8.11 RC do not support migrating from another PayPal gateway to PayPal Payments if you process any recurring payments through PayPal. | PayPal Payments Issues |
L_SHORTMESSAGE0 => Security error | The API details in your PayPal® payment gateway configuration are invalid. | PayPal Security Errors |
| The system will not connect to PayPal® correctly. | Some PayPal payment gateway modules require an HTTPS-secured connection. | PayPal SSL Errors |
Transaction ID X already exists | This log entry does not indicate a problem. You can safely ignore it. | PayPal Transaction ID Errors |
You receive an Invalid Receiver email. | The payment receiver value does not match your PayPal® configuration in WHMCS. | PayPal® Invalid Receiver Errors |
Not Supported | The payment receiver value does not match your PayPal® configuration in WHMCS. | PayPal® Not Supported Errors |
Things don't appear to be working at the moment | Your system has sent invalid details to PayPal®. | PayPal® Not Working Errors |
Unrecognized Currency | The payment receiver value does not match your PayPal® configuration in WHMCS. | PayPal® Unrecognized Currency Errors |
| Your customers are receiving notification emails from PayPal® about a subscription cancellation after they make a payment. | WHMCS must cancel PayPal Basic and PayPal Checkout subscriptions to transition them to PayPal Payments. | Unexpected PayPal Cancellation Emails |
Last modified: January 30, 2025