This article lists answers to common queries relating to the verification checks we perform.
General
- Why do you require documentation to verify my account?
- I’m having trouble getting my account verified. Who can I contact to get this resolved?
- Why can’t I speak to someone regarding my verification?
Address
Identity
- Can I verify my identity with the same document I used to verify my address?
- I have an official photo ID document, however it's now out of date. Can it still be used?
Bank account
- Why do I need to make the verification payment?
- I can’t make the 1p verification payment – what can I do?
- I can’t make outgoing payments of less than £1.00/€1.00 to verify my bank account.
- I’ve made the verification payment. Why is my bank account still not verified?
Why do you require documentation to verify my account?
As an FCA regulated payment processing company, we need to comply with strict regulatory requirements. This will always involve verifying at least one individual’s identity. We aim to do this electronically using the information you provide on the company verification form, but in some instances we may need additional documentation to do this. We will let you know if this is the case.
I’m having trouble getting my account verified. Who can I contact to get this resolved?
Please send an email explaining your situation to verification@gocardless.com and one of our team will get back to you shortly.
Why can’t I speak to someone regarding my verification?
As a regulated payments processor, we’re obliged to conduct checks on merchants who sign up to use our service, as outlined in our Terms and Conditions.
All communication regarding the verification process must be in writing. We’ve taken this decision to ensure that we have an auditable paper trail of the checks we’ve conducted, as well as a record of the communication between both parties.
We do this to ensure that all communication is clear, and in the unlikely instance of a dispute; we both have an accurate record of all relevant correspondence to refer to.
We appreciate that sometimes this can be frustrating, and we do endeavour to respond to all queries within 2 working days. Depending on your query, you may find that the answer is already on our Support Centre.
If you do have an issue you’d like to raise, please email verification@gocardless.com and a member of our team will be in touch.
Why do you need my (the director’s) home address?
What happens if I enter my business address?
If you enter an address other than the home address, we are unlikely to be able to verify your/the director's identity automatically and will likely require further documentation. This will naturally extend the time it takes to complete the verification of your account.
Can I verify my identity with the same document I used to verify my address?
We are not able to accept the same document for two verification checks. For example, if you were to upload a copy of your driving licence or national identity card as proof of address, we would not be able to accept this same document as proof of identity.
I have an official photo ID document, however it's now out of date. Can it still be used?
It is a legal requirement that verification checks are carried out against valid documents. As such, you would need to provide a document that meets our requirements and is currently valid.
Why do I need to make the verification payment?
Our verification process is designed to be fully compliant with our regulatory requirements as an FCA regulated payment processing company, whilst also ensuring that it creates as little inconvenience to you as a GoCardless merchant as possible. It also serves to enhance the security of your GoCardless account and ensure that we will only ever be paying out your money to an account you, your business or your charity owns.
By asking you to make a 1p (or €0.01) verification payment, we can ensure that the details for the payout bank account match those you’ve added on GoCardless and that we’ll be sending your payouts to the right account.
I can’t make the 1p verification payment – what can I do?
That shouldn’t be a problem - we understand that not everyone/every organisation has online banking set up, and that some account types don’t allow outgoing transfers of this nature.
If you’re unable to make the verification payment, please email verification@gocardless.com to let us know, providing a brief description of why you’re unable to make it and we will look into arranging an alternative way of verifying your bank account.
I can’t make outgoing payments of less than £1.00/€1.00 to verify my bank account
We specify £0.01/€0.01 as this is an amount most banks will allow you to transfer for most account types. However, we understand that some banks/account types will have a minimum threshold for outgoing transfers and may not allow you make payments of this amount.
The amount, however, is not important to how we verify accounts. We can still use the verification payment to verify your account regardless of the amount transferred.
If you would rather not make a payment of this size for verification purposes, please email verification@gocardless.com to let us know and we can look into verifying your account another way.
Please be aware that we’re not able to refund verification payments.
I’ve made the verification payment. Why is my bank account still not verified?
Once you’ve made the verification payment, it may take up to two working days for us to verify your payout bank account.
Payments made during banking hours on working days should appear on our statement the following working day (e.g. if you make the 1p transfer on Monday morning, we will see it on Tuesday).
Payments made after the close of banking hours, over the weekend or on bank holidays will not appear on our statement until two working days after you make the transfer (e.g. if you make the transfer on Friday evening, it won’t show on our statement until the following Tuesday).
Each verification payment report we receive is run through an automated check. Providing your bank account details match what we were expecting, your bank account verification will automatically update to verified. If there is a discrepancy in the details we receive a member of our verification team will be in touch to assist you in completing this step in your verification process.