Verification of Payee (VOP)

Previously, if you wanted to make a payment you would provide your bank or payment service provider with all the payee’s details, including the IBAN (International Bank Account Number) together with the name of the person or business that you were intending to pay. However, there was no facility to check and confirm the name of the account being paid into.

With VOP, before making a payment, you must verify that the name of the payee account matches the name of the person or business that you have included on your payment.

VOP will give you greater assurance that your payments are being routed to the intended recipient and help you avoid paying the wrong person or business. However, it is always good practice to verify the IBAN details with your payee via a verified channel (such as calling a known and trusted number) before making a payment to ensure that the payment is genuine and details are correct.

All standard SEPA payments and SEPA Instant payments within the eurozone are included regardless of the banking channel used (online banking, mobile banking, in branches etc.). A VOP check will be completed for Standing Orders when they are set up initially and for in-branch paper payments at the time of being processed.

It may not be possible to receive a VOP check for some types of payee accounts, and you will be notified accordingly.

Some of the payments that will not be checked include:

• Payments in other currencies
• Card payments
• Direct debits
• Paper payments where the customer is not present i.e. received by post
• Standing Orders – a VOP check will be completed for Standing Orders when they are set up initially but not on every payment processed

The VOP check will apply when you:

• Make a standard SEPA payment or a SEPA Instant payment
• It may also apply when you add a new payee or update an existing one in your banking app or online banking

The feature will start rolling out from early October, but the exact timing may vary depending on your bank or payment provider. You can contact your provider for exact timing.

When you make a standard SEPA payment or a SEPA Instant payment, the VOP check will take place automatically and compare the name of your payee with the actual name on the recipient’s account. When the check is complete, your service provider will present you with one of four possible results which you will be asked to review before confirming your payment (the wording displayed may vary slightly from bank to bank).

With VOP, you remain in control — you can choose to proceed, correct the name and retry, or cancel the payment request, regardless of the VOP check result.

Remember to be cautious when making any payment. It is extremely important to check the information that you are inputting with your payee to ensure the details are accurate. Only proceed with the payment if you are confident that the payee and payee account are legitimate, and that the request for payment is genuine. This is especially important where the VOP check alerts you that the payee details are not a match as the payment may be sent to someone other than the intended payee.

Whilst VOP adds an additional layer of security, unfortunately fraud and scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and fraudsters can be very skilled at gaining our trust.

Visit FraudSMART.ie for more information and tips on how to protect yourself from fraud and scams.

No. If a VOP check is not possible or identifies a difference between the name provided and that of the actual account holder, you (the payer) must decide whether to proceed with the payment. We advise that you check the name and IBAN with the payee before continuing with the payment to ensure that the payment is genuine and to avoid paying into the wrong account.

• Increased confidence that your money will reach the intended payee
• Reduced risk of misdirected payments due to errors
• Improved accuracy leading to fewer rejected or returned payments

From October, all customers making individual standard SEPA payments and SEPA Instant payments will automatically have a VOP check performed, and there is no option to opt out. This includes payments to payees whom you may have paid before and whose details may be saved on your online banking or mobile app. This is part of the EU Instant Payments Regulation which aims to make euro payments safer and more reliable. It also aims to enhance trust in electronic payments and reduce certain types of fraud and errors.

However, for business customers who process bulk payment files that contain multiple payments may have the option to opt out of performing a VOP check. Please talk to your bank or payment service provider.

• Always enter the full name (first & last) of the payee account correctly when saving a payee or making a payment.
• If you receive a close match or no match, check the account details with the payee via a trusted channel.
• Keep your saved payee details up to date to avoid delays.
• As a payee, you should always advise your payers of your full name as registered with your bank or payment service provider. For individuals, include both first and last names. For companies, use the full legal or registered business name.

For private individuals, verification is carried out against the first and last names of all account holders, although you only need to enter one first and last name. In the event of a close or partial match, only the name of the account holder whose name was entered will be displayed.

For legal entities or businesses, verification is carried out against the registered legal names with the recipients’ bank or payment service provider, as well as the legal abbreviations and trade names.

Where payee names are very long, it may not always be possible to achieve a match or close match so it is important to check the information that you are inputting with your payee to ensure the details are accurate. Only proceed with the payment if you are confident that the payee and payee account are legitimate, and that the request for payment is genuine. 

You will need to enter one full name (first name and surname) of any account holder. For legal entities or businesses, use the official registered name.

Your name will only be shown when it has been detected that the person sending you the payment has entered a slightly different name i.e. a close match such as Elle Murphy instead of Ellen Murphy.  Otherwise, your name is not disclosed.

Even if an incorrect IBAN is valid and active (i.e. belongs to someone else), the VOP check may still return a match or close match if the name is similar. Always verify payment details with the recipient using a trusted method.

Yes. To avoid issues, make sure your account name with your bank or payment service provider is correct. This account name is the name that should be shared with your payers. Businesses should ensure their registered business name and trading names are up to date.

For SEPA Instant payments and VOP, cross border euro payments to the eurozone are treated the same as payments within Ireland. EU countries that have not adopted the euro such as Poland will be required to provide SEPA Instant payments and VOP in 2027. Other non-EU/EEA SEPA countries such as UK and Switzerland may provide SEPA Instant payments and VOP in the future.

No, the verification of payee feature is offered free of charge for all customers.

No, while VOP will be an additional step to help you protect your money when making a SEPA payment, it will not affect the time taken to send a payment once you have approved it.

Make sure to check your provider’s website for the most up-to-date information.

• VOP for AIB customers
• VOP for Bank of Ireland customers
• VOP for PTSB customers
• VOP for An Post Money customers
• VOP for Credit Union customers