Confirmation of Payee

Confirmation of Payee is the account name-checking service for domestic payments in the UK.

It provides greater assurance that payments are being sent to the intended account holder. It also helps us to protect you from fraud.

How does Confirmation of Payee work?

When you set up a new payee, we will check if there is a match between the account details and the name on the account.

We will let you know if the details you enter are a match, a partial match or if there is no match with our information.

            Match
        
            All the details you entered are correct and match the name on the account of the person or business you are trying to pay

            Partial match
        
            The account is registered to someone with a similar name. We will show you the correct name as it appears on the account. You can either update the details and try again or check the details with the person or company you are trying to pay.

            No match
        
            The name you have entered does not match with the account details. You should contact the person or company you are trying to pay to check their details.

Once you know if the name is a match, you can decide whether or not to proceed with a payment. If you continue to make a payment where there is no match or only a partial match, there is a risk that your payment could go to the wrong account and we may not be able to get it back.

If you experience another message, it may be there is a system problem or the payees’ bank does not use Confirmation of Payee. Before continuing, please double check the payment details with the person or business you are trying to pay.

What types of payments use Confirmation of Payee?

Confirmation of Payee focuses on Faster Payments, CHAPS and Standing Orders from and to all sterling accounts in the UK with a sort code and account number.

Can I complete a check for an existing payee?

To complete a Confirmation of Payee check for an existing payee, you will first need to delete the payee and set them up as a new payee. You will be asked to check their details when you add them as a new payee.

Can I opt out?

You are automatically opted in to Confirmation of Payee to help protect you from fraud and to prevent payments going to the wrong account.

You can opt out if you would like to stop your details being checked when other people are trying to pay you. They will see a message saying that your details cannot be confirmed. If you would like to opt out or to opt back in, please contact your banker.

You cannot opt out of Confirmation of Payee when you are making a payment to someone else.