Confirmation of Payee explained

Confirmation of Payee is a name-checking service that helps make sure payments, such as single payments, bills, standing orders and CHAPS, are sent to the correct personal or business account. It could also help to avoid certain types of Authorised Push Payment scams.

It does this by:

• matching the name of the person or business you’re paying to the one on their account
• letting you check the name of the person you're paying before sending a payment
• explaining the risk of making a payment when the name doesn’t match.

Some banks and building societies don't yet take part in this service. This means we sometimes won't be able to check the name on the account you're sending money to.

You’ll need their:

For joint accounts, you only need to use the full name of one of the account holders.

For payments into a non-personal account, use the full business or organisation name and choose the account type as business.

Remember, someone might not send a payment if the name they use doesn’t match the one on your account.

Make sure they have your:

For joint accounts, they only need to use the full name of one of the account holders.

For payments to a non-personal account, they need to use your full business or organisation name and choose the account type as business.

Always use your full first and last name when setting yourself up as a payee. Don’t use a shortened name or nickname.

This includes payments into your Nationwide:

• current account
• mortgage account
• savings account
• personal loan account.

Confirmation of Payee lets you check the name of the person or business you’re paying when:

• setting up a new payee
• updating an existing payee.

You’ll see one of these results on screen:

• Account name is a match
• Account name is a close match
• Account name is not a match
• Unable to check the account 

We may explain a bit more about the result, depending on the reason you’re seeing it. For example, if you’ve chosen to pay a personal account when the payee is a business, we’ll let you know.

The account name matches the payee’s account name.

Although the name matches, you should make sure you’re happy that you know who you’re paying and that they’re trustworthy.

The account name is close to the payee’s name. You’ll be shown the name on the account you’re paying to help you decide whether it’s the right person. You should double-check the details and request another Confirmation of Payee check before sending any payment.

The account name doesn't match the payee’s name. Again, you should double-check the details and request another Confirmation of Payee check, otherwise your money could be sent to the wrong account.

When it’s not possible to match a name, we’ll let you know that the payment could be sent to the wrong account. And if you choose to go ahead anyway, we may not be able to get your money back.

Sometimes we won’t be able to check the name on the account you’re sending money to. That doesn’t mean that anything’s wrong. It could just be that the payee’s bank or building society isn’t using Confirmation of Payee yet.

You can continue with the payment – but always double-check the account name and details are correct.

We won’t be able to match your name:

• within the first 24 hours of opening a new account
• on payments to a Nationwide credit card account.

You can still make the payment – but always double-check the account name and details are correct.

To help keep your money safe, be alert when:

• someone you don’t know asks you to make a payment
• the name of the person you’re paying doesn’t match the account name
• someone asks you to ignore the check when the account name doesn’t match
• you feel pressured to make a payment
• a person or business’s account details change unexpectedly. 

And remember:

• don’t give out your personal or financial details
• never open a link in an unexpected or suspicious email or text 
• a genuine bank or business will never ask you for your PIN, banking password, or to move money.

Contact us straight away if you think:

• a payment has been sent to the wrong account
• someone is trying to scam you.

You can avoid payment delays by keeping your details up-to-date. If anything changes – for example, your last name if you get married – please let us know.