Supplier payments · checked 23 October 2026

Vendor bank account verification

Before you pay a new supplier, or pay an existing one at new bank details, you want to know two things: that the account exists, and that it belongs to the supplier. Most checks prove only the first. Here's what each method tells you.

The five methods

Call back on a number you already had. Ring the supplier on a number from your records or their website, not from the email or invoice, and read the new details back to them. It's free, and it's the only check that beats a hacked supplier mailbox. How to run the call.
Name-matching checks. In the UK, Confirmation of Payee tells you whether the name you entered matches the account. In the EU, Verification of Payee does the same for euro transfers. These prove the account holder's name, which is a strong check.
US account validation services. There's no free US-wide name check yet. Some banks and payment platforms offer paid account validation, which confirms an account is open and sometimes the owner's name. Ask your bank what it offers. Name checks in the US.
Micro-deposits. You send two small amounts and the supplier tells you what arrived. That proves someone controls the account, not that it's the supplier. A fraudster can confirm micro-deposits too.
Bank letters and voided cheques. Useful as supporting paperwork, but easy to fake with an image editor. Never accept one as the only proof, especially when it arrives with a change request.

When to verify

When you add a new supplier.
Every time bank details change, however the request arrives.
Before a first payment, or an unusually large one, to details not paid before.

Keep a record

Write down who checked, how, the number called, who confirmed, and the date. It stops the same question being asked twice, and insurers often ask for it after a loss. What insurers ask for · free change form.

The whole set of controls: how to prevent invoice fraud.

Check a suspicious email free Set up call-backs and approvals