But sometimes, that handshake lingers in the air, leaving you staring at the dreaded word:“Pending. ”So, why do PayPal payments get stuck in this limbo, and what can you do about it? A PayPal payment remainspendingwhen PayPal needs to further investigate the transaction or when certain conditions of the transaction haven’t been met. This can be due to a variety of reasons, ranging from routine security checks to issues with the sender’s or receiver’s account, or even the type of payment being made. Decoding the “Pending” Status: The Usual Suspects To truly understand why your PayPal payment might be stuck in the “Pending” zone, let’s delve into the most common culprits: 1.