How to specify payee in paypal api?

Question

I am trying to create a payment/payment request for a payee on the payers behalf (payer sends money to payee) using the Paypal API. I have no need for a cart/checkout/order that I have seen in other stack overflow posts; i just want to be able to create a payment between a payer and a payee (recipient). I want to be able to do this on my Python backend or React Native frontend.

Ideally I want something like the Paypal 'payouts' API but with a specified payee (their paypal email address/phone number)

Here is the payouts API: https://developer.paypal.com/docs/api/payments.payouts-batch/v1/#payouts_post Here is the payouts data field:

{
  "sender_batch_header": {
    "sender_batch_id": "Payouts_2020_100007",
    "email_subject": "You have a payout!",
    "email_message": "You have received a payout! Thanks for using our service!"
  },
  "items": [
    {
      "recipient_type": "EMAIL",
      "amount": {
        "value": "9.87",
        "currency": "USD"
      },
      "note": "Thanks for your patronage!",
      "sender_item_id": "201403140001",
      "receiver": "[email protected]",
      "recipient_wallet": "RECIPIENT_SELECTED"
    }
  ]
}

Is there any way I can add a 'payee' field to this request?

Answer 1

"payee sends money to payer" -- that's not what those words mean, rather the opposite (payer sends to payee, always)

Anyway, with Payouts the terminology is sender and recipient. Sender should be the API caller, and sender's account must be approved by PayPal for Payouts or it will not be able to send Payouts. Such account approval is based on specific business needs, owner must apply for the feature and explain why and what it will be used for.

The receiver can be any email address. If it does not have an existing PayPal account, it has 30 days to claim the funds or they will be returned to the sender.