payee

American  

[pey-ee] / peɪˈi /

noun

1. a person to whom a check, money, etc., is payable.

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payee British  

/ peɪˈiː /

noun

1. the person to whom a cheque, money order, etc, is made out

2. a person to whom money is paid or due

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Etymology

Origin of payee

First recorded in 1750–60; pay ¹ + -ee

Compare meaning

How does payee compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• payer vs. payee

Explanation

A payee is someone who receives money. If your boss hands you your first paycheck, then you are officially a payee. Congrats. Anyone who is paid is a payee, but the term is most commonly used to mean the person (or organization) whose name is written on a check after the words "pay to the order of." If you write a check to pay your cable bill, the cable company is the payee. And if they make a billing mistake and issue you a refund check, you're the payee. Payee uses the suffix -ee, which means "recipient."

Example Sentences

Sometimes foreign companies will withhold local taxes from dividends before sending them to a U.S. payee.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

As a taxpayer, a Social Security payee, and someone who appreciates efficiency and good government, I am grateful to them.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 28, 2025

Given the gravity of the situation — transferring retirement funds from the participant to the alternate payee — the process can be complex and must meet certain guidelines.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2024

If a bank does not know the payee, it generally sends a paper check on your behalf, but the checks may have your account number and other information on them, leaving them susceptible to fraud.

From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2024

In another case before a note was delivered to and accepted by the payee, A, whose name appeared on the back, was shown the note who said, "Everything is all right."

From Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman by Bolles, Albert Sidney

Related Words

• heir
• recipient