Confirmation of Payee

On this page

What is Confirmation of Payee? Open in new window

How does it work? Open in new window

Things to remember Open in new window

Avoid scams and reduce fraud Open in new window

Common questions Open in new window

What is Confirmation of Payee?

Confirmation of Payee is a name checking service that checks the name of the account holder you intend to pay against the details held for that account by the payee’s bank, giving you greater confidence you’re paying the right person.

How does it work?

When you set up a new payment or amend an existing payment, the name of the person or business you are paying along with the account type are checked against the details held by the payee's bank.

The check will return one of the following responses:

It's a match
You will receive an on-screen confirmation that all of the details match.
It’s a close match
The name on the account doesn’t exactly match what you have provided. You can contact the recipient to confirm the details before making the payment or update the details to those provided by the payee bank.
It’s not a match
Contact the person or business you are trying to pay to confirm the correct details.
Unavailable
There may be occasions where the Confirmation of Payee service is unavailable. In this instance, it’s important you contact the payee to confirm the details are correct before continuing.
This account can't be checked
There will be occasions where the payee can't be checked if the account holder’s bank doesn’t support the service. In this instance, it’s important you contact the payee to confirm the details are correct before continuing.

Things to remember

Payments made to you

It’s important you give the business or trading name that’s registered on your account to whoever is making a payment into your account
If your account name changes then don’t forget to let people know

Payments you make

If in doubt, contact the person or business you’re making the payment to and check the name on their account
If you’re paying a person, use their first and last name
If you’re paying a business, use the business or trading name registered to their account
When prompted to do so, please make sure you select the correct type of account for the person or business you are paying

Avoid scams and help reduce fraud

A Confirmation of Payee check can help you avoid making payments to the wrong account, as well as supporting the fight against fraud and scams.

When checking the payment details, it’s important to contact the person or business on a number you trust.

Never use the phone number from an email or text exchange which can be faked by the criminal to trick you into believing it’s genuine
Never be pressurised into continuing with the payment when the details don’t fully match or where the account can’t be checked

For more tips on staying secure, visit our Fraud & Security section.

Common questions

Why do I keep getting the response ‘this account can’t be checked’?

There will be occasions where the payee can't be checked if the account holder’s bank doesn’t support the service. In this instance, it’s important you contact the payee to confirm the details are correct before continuing.

If the payee's name matches, will payments happen automatically?

No, NatWest International will never make a payment without your direct instruction. Once you know whether the name is a match it will always be your decision whether to proceed with a payment.

Who decides if the check returns a match, close match or no match?

When you make a payment for the first time, we’ll check the name you enter against the actual name on the account you are sending the payment to. We’ll then show you the result of the check on screen before you continue to make the payment.

If you don’t get a match you should contact the person or business you are trying to pay to confirm the account name, sort code and account number.

Do I need to know whether the account I’m making a payment to is a personal or business account?

Yes. This information is important and helps the recipient’s payment provider to decide which Confirmation of Payee check response to return.

Our online payment channels have a field available that lets you choose whether the account details belong to a personal or business account.

How should I check the payee’s name?

If you are making a payment in response to an email from an executive or another colleague in your organisation and you get a no match response then speak to the person who sent the message, either in person or over the phone, to check the request is genuine.

When calling that person, use a telephone number you know to be correct, don’t rely on any telephone numbers quoted in the email itself.

If you are making a payment to a supplier and you get a no match response, then speak to someone you know at the company concerned, using a number you know to be genuine.

If you have received the beneficiary account details via email, do not use any telephone numbers quoted in the email itself.

Exercise caution if you have received correspondence, supposedly from the supplier, claiming that their bank account details have recently changed.

Will the Confirmation of Payee check slow down my payments?

No. The check is made in real-time before the payment is formally requested, so you’ll see the response immediately.

Will my data be secure?

Payment providers will use the Open Banking directory service and highly secure architecture to safely exchange Confirmation of Payee requests.

In addition, to be accredited to use the system companies must undergo rigorous security checks and also be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or European equivalents.

Learn more about Open Banking