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

Confirmation of Payee is the process that checks the sort code and account number against the name of the intended recipient.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2023

Related Words

• heir
• recipient