Domestic versus International Payee Verification
PaymentWorks applies a strong core verification model to both U.S. and international payees. International capabilities are country- dependent and do not carry the same ACH fraud indemnification as qualifying domestic payments.
| Verification Area | Domestic / U.S. | International |
|---|---|---|
| Tax ID / Identity | U.S. TIN and legal name are validated against IRS records. | A U.S. TIN, where the Payee has one, is validated against IRS records. Foreign tax IDs are not universally validated. |
| Address | U.S. Payee addresses are validated and standardized. | International Payee addresses are validated and standardized. |
| Sanctions & Debarment | Payees are screened against applicable sanctions and debarment lists. | Payees are screened against applicable global sanctions and exclusion lists. |
| Banking Requirements / Format | U.S. bank information is validated using domestic banking rules and account data. | Supported countries receive country-specific banking requirements and format validation, including IBAN, account number, and routing/bank code formats. |
| Bank Account Ownership | U.S.-based account ownership is verified against both the legal name and Tax ID. | Account ownership is verified in supported countries on a name-only basis. Where a Payee has a foreign Tax ID, ownership cannot be tied to both the name and Tax ID. The result displays as Valid Account – Ownership Match (name only). Coverage is not universal worldwide. |
| Fraud Indemnification | Qualifying fraudulent domestic ACH payments are eligible for up to $2M per occurrence when PaymentWorks requirements are met. | Domestic ACH indemnification does not extend to international payments. International bank validation and indemnification are handled separately. |
Important Notes
- Coverage follows the bank account, not the Payee. Indemnification and full validation are determined by the location of the bank account, not the Payee's location. An international Payee submitting a U.S. bank account is eligible for indemnification at payment time and follows the same validation process as a domestic Payee.
- Domestic verification is broader and paired with qualifying ACH fraud indemnification.
- International verification includes country-specific banking requirements, format validation, and bank account ownership verification where supported — exact coverage varies by country.
- Exact country support should be confirmed against the latest approved coverage documentation, as it may change.
Coverage Snapshot
| Domestic / U.S. (U.S. bank account address) | International (Foreign bank account address) |
|---|---|
| Tax identity validated against IRS records | Address and sanctions screening |
| Address validated and standardized | Applicable U.S. TIN validation where relevant |
| Sanctions & debarment screening | Country-specific banking data/format validation in supported countries |
| U.S. bank account ownership verified | Account ownership verified name-only where supported |
| Qualifying ACH payments eligible for up to $2M fraud indemnification per occurrence | Bank validation coverage varies by country; no domestic ACH indemnification |