What is Confirmation of Payee (CoP), and how does it work?

Confirmation of Payee is a UK-based name-checking service that enhances the security of payments for personal and business customers. It ensures that payments are sent to the correct recipient, helping to prevent accidental misdirected payments and protects against fraud.


3S Money offers this service to all account holders. It enables them to verify that the account details match the payee's name when creating recipients and setting up new transactions processed via the Faster Payments system. This extra layer of security helps safeguard your payments from fraud and errors.


How does Confirmation of Payee work?

Confirmation of Payee checks the following details against the records held by the recipient’s bank:

  • Name on the account

  • Account number

  • Sort code

  • Account type (personal or business)

  • Secondary reference on the account


Once a Confirmation of Payee check is completed, one of the following results will be displayed:


  • Account details are verified – The entered recipient account name matches the actual payee account name.

  • Account name is a close match – The entered recipient account name is similar but not an exact match.

  • Account name is not a match – The entered recipient account name does not match the payee’s details. Double-check and request another Confirmation of Payee check to avoid sending money to the wrong account.

  • Account type is not a match – the entered recipient account type does not match the type you have selected.

  • Unable to check the account – In some cases, 3S Money may not be able to verify the account name. This does not necessarily indicate an issue; the recipient’s bank or building society may not yet support Confirmation of Payee, there may be a system-wide outage, or the recipient may have opted out of Confirmation of Payee.


What happens when Confirmation of Payee doesn’t work?


Confirmation of Payee may not be available in the following cases:

  • The recipient’s account was opened within the last 24 hours.

  • The recipient’s bank or building society does not support Confirmation of Payee.

  • The recipient has opted out of Confirmation of Payee.

  • The Confirmation of Payee network is not responsive due to technical issues.


If Confirmation of Payee is unavailable, you can still proceed with the payment but always double-check the account details. If you continue without updating incorrect information, you accept the risk that the funds might not be recoverable if sent to the wrong account.


To learn more about protecting yourself from fraud and how 3S Money helps your money safe, head to: https://3s.money/compliance-and-security

Can I opt out of Confirmation of Payee?


All eligible customers are automatically enrolled for Confirmation of Payee to help protect against fraud and misdirected payments. Opt-out requests will only be approved in exceptional circumstances.


If you opt-out, 3S Money cannot confirm your account details to your counterparties in other financial institutions instructing payments to you. This may negatively impact your ability to easily and quickly receive payments via Faster Payments in GBP and may prompt your counterparties to mistrust the details you provided.


You cannot opt out when making payments to others. If your request to opt out is approved, it will apply to all your accounts. You can opt back in later if needed.


To opt-out, email [email protected] and our Team will guide you through the process. We will review your request and respond within one calendar month.

Can I opt back in?

If you previously opted out, you may opt back in by emailing our Team at [email protected].


Confirmation of Payee request


To opt-out or opt back in, please provide the following information:

  • Personal Information (Title, first name, last name, current address, postcode)

  • Company Information (Company name, company registration number)

  • Your preference:

    • Opt out of Confirmation of Payee

    • Opt back into Confirmation of Payee (only if you’ve previously opted out)


How do I submit my request?


Please send your requests to [email protected].


For more details on Confirmation of Payee, visit PayUK dedicated COP page.



Help and support with Confirmation of Payee


If you have any questions about Confirmation of Payee and your 3S Money account, please get in touch with your Relationship Manager. If you’d like to file a formal complaint regarding Confirmation of Payee, please send your concerns to [email protected].


For more details, please refer to our Terms of Service.



Confirmation of Payee - Frequently Asked Questions


Who is liable if a payment is sent to the wrong account?


For scam payments: Confirmation of Payee is linked to the mandatory reimbursement rules for Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams. These rules require both the sender’s and recipient’s banks to reimburse the victim within five working days. Depending on the circumstances, liability may fall on the victim’s bank, the scammer’s bank, or the victim.


For mistaken payments: The sending bank contacts the recipient’s bank to request a return of funds. The recipient’s bank will attempt to contact their customer for consent to return the funds. However, recovery is not guaranteed. 3S Money will assist in retrieving misdirected payments where possible.



Last updated: 22/01/25



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