Payment problem guide
The bank says the name and IBAN do not match
A successful IBAN format check cannot resolve a payee-name warning. Pause authorization and establish which name and account the recipient actually uses with their bank.
Read the bank's result first
Verification of Payee (VoP) compares payment details through participating payment providers. The EPC scheme describes responses including a match, close match, no match, or an unavailable check. These are different outcomes; an unavailable check is not a confirmed mismatch.
| Your bank shows | Practical next step | Do not infer |
|---|---|---|
| Match | Review the invoice, recipient, amount and purpose before authorizing. | That the invoice or seller is genuine. |
| Close match or a suggested name | Compare the suggestion with the name the recipient confirms through a trusted channel. | That accepting every suggested name is safe. |
| No match | Stop and confirm both the account-holder name and IBAN. Ask your bank about an unresolved warning. | That recalculating check digits fixes the mismatch. |
| Check unavailable | Read the explanation in your banking app and ask the provider whether a retry or a different verification method is appropriate. | That the details matched or that the account is fraudulent. |
This table is BankCodeKit's practical interpretation, not a reproduction of a bank's decision rules. Follow the explanation and controls offered by your own payment provider.
Separate three questions
- Is the code written correctly? The local IBAN checker can review length, covered character positions and checksum. It does not send a request to a bank.
- Do the recipient details match the bank's records? This requires the provider's payee verification. BankCodeKit has no account directory or name-matching connection.
- Is this the intended payment? You still need to establish the invoice's authenticity, the amount and the reason for paying. A name match does not answer those questions.
When an invoice uses a trading name
An invoice may display a trading name while the bank account uses a legal entity name. Treat that as something to investigate, not an automatic explanation for a warning. Contact the supplier using a number or channel you already trust, especially if the account details have recently changed.
Ask: “What exact account-holder name should appear in my bank's payee check, and can you confirm that it belongs with the payment details on this invoice?” Keep the answer in your own secure records. Do not send the invoice or account details to BankCodeKit.
If the reply comes from the same unexpected message that changed the account, it is not independent confirmation. Use an established contact or ask your bank for help before proceeding.
Timing and geographical scope
The European Commission describes the 9 October 2025 rollout of free payee verification under the EU instant-payments rules for the euro area. That date should not be applied indiscriminately to every SEPA country, payment product or provider. Ask your bank which service and jurisdiction cover your transaction.
The EPC's scheme overview lists version 1.1 as effective from 20 September 2026. A scheme version and a statutory implementation deadline describe different things; neither proves that a specific provider supports your intended payment.
Sources checked on 3 October 2026
- European Commission: new instant euro payment rules, 10 October 2025 — rollout and free payee-verification context.
- EPC: Verification of Payee scheme overview — response categories and version calendar. This page does not reproduce the scheme rulebook or matching algorithms.