Helping you make safer payments

When you send money to someone you’ve never paid before, we’re introducing Confirmation of Payee (CoP), a new account name checking service to help you make sure your payment goes to the right place.

These checks are designed to help stop payments going to the wrong account by spotting possible mistakes and adding extra security steps to prevent fraud.

Over the coming months the full CoP service will be in place across the major UK banks so we can automatically check the details of the account you’re paying.

How CoP helps you make payments with confidence

The CoP service has been introduced across the banking industry as an extra way to help tackle fraud and keep customers’ money safe.

The service helps make sure payments go to the right account by checking the name and account details all match before a payment is sent. This reduces the risk of making a mistake and paying the wrong person, and can help to avoid payment scams.

What’s changing?

When you add a new payee to make a payment you’ll need to enter all the details below, then we’ll automatically check with their bank to make sure everything matches:

The name on the account – the main difference here is you’ll now always need to use the correct full account name (like you would on a cheque), so you won’t be able to use nicknames or other words anymore
Account number
Sort code
Account type – to confirm if it’s a personal or business account.

If something doesn’t match, we’ll tell you straight away and explain what to do next.

What you’ll see when setting up a new payee online

In our Mobile Banking app or Online Banking, when you’ve put in all the account information we’ll tell you if the account name and number match or not. Depending on the situation, you’ll immediately see one of these messages:

New payee messages
Message	What this means
Message Account name and details match	What this means The account name, number and sort code all match, and the account type is right. So you can go ahead with adding the new payee.
Message Payee name and account number match but this is a personal/business account	What this means The name and account details are right, but the account type you selected isn’t. You can go ahead anyway if you wish, but it’s best to check first to make sure the type of account you’re paying (personal or business) is what you expected.
Message This account belongs to Example Name	What this means We’ve found a close match to the name you put in, but there’s a small difference. You can go ahead, but if you’re not quite sure just go back and confirm the name is right.
Message Payee name and account number partially match and this is a personal/business account	What this means We’ve found a close match to the name you put in but there’s a small difference, and the account type you entered is wrong. You can go ahead anyway if you wish, but it’s best to go back and check both the account name and type are correct.
Message That name does`n’t match that account number	What this means The name you’ve entered is significantly different to the actual name on the account. You can go ahead anyway if you wish, but it’s best to contact your payee to confirm the correct account name and details.
Message We can’t check these details	What this means Your payee’s account doesn’t let us confirm their details. This might happen if their bank isn’t set up for CoP account name checks, or it’s a type of account that can’t be checked at all. You can go ahead anyway if you wish, but it’s best to go back and check to make sure.
Message This account/sort code doesn’t exist	What this means None of account details match so we can’t check if the account exists. You won’t be able to go ahead so you’ll need to go back and confirm the correct account details.

More about Confirmation of Payee

How does Confirmation of Payee affect me when I pay someone? expandable section
To help you avoid paying the wrong account by accident, make sure you ask the recipient for the correct name on their account:

If you're a paying a person - use their first or main name and last name

If you're paying a business - use the business name or trading name registered to their account.

When you’re setting up a new payee, if we tell you the account name and number don’t match but you decide to go ahead with the payment without checking the details, we might not be able to recover your money if it goes to the wrong account.
How does Confirmation of Payee affect me receiving payments? expandable section
To make sure payments get to your account safely, the person paying you will need the following information from you:

Full first name and surname – exactly as it appears on your account

Account number

Sort code

Account type (personal or business)

If any of your details change, please let us know straight away so we can update your account and avoid any problems with payments getting through to you.
Will every bank use Confirmation of Payee? expandable section

The Payment Systems Regulator has asked all the major UK banks to be ready to use the CoP name checking service over the coming months.

In the meantime, if you try to set up a new payment to an account with a bank that doesn’t use CoP, we’ll let you know we can’t check the account name and you can then decide if you want to go ahead with the payment or not.
What payments will Confirmation of Payee cover? expandable section

CoP checks will be done on all UK sterling payments made online, via telephone banking or in branch to someone you’ve never paid before through single Faster Payments (including Standing Orders) or CHAPS. Direct Debits and BACS payments aren’t included yet.

Any questions?

If you’d like to talk to us about your bank account, please call 0345 720 3040 (or +44 (0)113 242 1984 if you’re calling from abroad) or visit your local branch.

For more information on how we can use your personal information, please read our privacy notice.