What is Positive Pay? A Guide to Protecting Your Business Against Fraud

In 2024, 79% of organizations experienced payments-fraud attempts, and business email compromise (BEC) remained the top vector. Thanks to AI advancements like ChatGPT, fraudsters have become more cunning, crafting more complex scams. This is especially risky for companies using old-fashioned payment methods like checks, which are less secure than digital options. Checks remained the payment method most subject to fraud in 2024; 63% of organizations reported attempted or actual check fraud, and 91% still use checks.

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So, what exactly are these scammers targeting? Insights from Trustpair's 2023 B2B Payment Fraud Survey revealed a concerning trend: more than half of the fraud attempts in 2022 involved tamperingwith the payment details of real suppliers, and a third involved hacking company emails or tricking employees through phishing.

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With the complexity of payment fraud constantly evolving, it’s essential for today’s finance teams to adopt effective security measures. Positive pay stands out as a key solution, designed to combat these fraud risks. In this blog, we’ll explore how positive pay works, its benefits, and why it’s becoming an indispensable tool for businesses looking to protect themselves from B2B payment fraud.

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Defining the Safeguard: What Is Positive Pay?

Positive pay is a popular automated cash service that helps banks detect fraud by matching the company's issued check with the check presented for payment. Baseline Positive Pay typically compares check number, amount, and date from your issue file; Payee Positive Pay adds payee-name verification to catch altered payees.

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Think of positive pay as your company's financial security guard. When your company issues checks, it's akin to creating a guest list for an exclusive event. However, just like any high-profile event, there's a risk of uninvited guests attempting to sneak in.

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Positive pay steps in as the security guard, cross-referencing every presented check against your issued "guest list". This list contains critical details such as the check number, payment amount, and payee name to verify the legitimacy of each payment.

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If a presented check doesn't match the details on your list, it's stopped at the door, preventing unauthorized access to your funds. In this way, positive pay acts as a robust line of defense for your business's finances, ensuring your bank only processes authorized transactions.

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This system plays a pivotal role in safeguarding your company against the ever-present threat of check fraud, making positive pay an indispensable tool.

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Operational Dynamics: How Does Positive Pay Work?

Now that we’ve covered the basics of positive pay, it’s time to explore its mechanics. In the next section, we’ll explore how exactly positive pay's fraud detection works.

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When a business opts for positive pay, it provides its bank with a detailed list of checks it has issued in the last 24 hours, including critical data like the check date, amount, number, and the account it's drawn from. This list is known as the check-issue file and is a daily requirement for businesses using positive pay. Payee Positive Pay requires your issue file to include the payee field and—depending on bank specs—may need check-stock formatting that supports machine reading of the payee line.

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Each time a check is presented for payment, your bank's positive pay system immediately checks it against this file. It looks for exact matches in the date, amount, check number, and account details. If anything is amiss, the check is flagged and included in an exception report sent to your business for further review. Only with explicit approval from your business will the bank process a check that initially raised a red flag.

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Targeted Protection: Who Benefits from Positive Pay?

Positive Pay can be a valuable addition to most businesses looking to enhance their financial security, though it's worth noting that the additional cost may not be feasible for every team.

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Businesses that often use check payments, depend on manual accounts payable processes, or have limited fraud protection mechanisms stand to gain the most from adopting Positive Pay. This is especially true given the 2025 check-fraud environment: many firms still rely on checks, and reported check fraud attempts are widespread. Positive Pay (and Payee Positive Pay) provides a front-line control while you modernize AP.

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While your team may be weary of taking on additional operating costs, it’s important to look at the larger picture. Given that invoice fraud drains an average of $280,000 each year from mid-sized businesses, investing in positive pay can very quickly pay off its initial cost and support the financial well-being of your company.

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Strategic Defense: How Does Positive Pay Minimize Fraud?

By requiring businesses to submit a detailed list of issued checks to their bank—complete with check numbers, amounts, and dates—positive pay enables banks to meticulously cross-check each presented check against this list. Any discrepancies trigger an alert, prompting the bank to seek confirmation from your company before processing the payment. Ask your bank about Teller Positive Pay (or similar) to cover over-the-counter presentations at branches; pairing this with Payee Positive Pay raises detection on altered payees.

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This rigorous verification process not only thwarts unauthorized transactions but also empowers your business with greater oversight and control, significantly mitigating the risk of fraud.

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Advantageous Features: What Are the Benefits of Positive Pay?

By bridging the gap between traditional banking practices and the need for advanced security measures, positive pay offers a compelling suite of benefits designed to safeguard your business's financial integrity.

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Benefits of positive pay for finance teams and their businesses include:

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Enhanced Fraud Protection: By verifying each check against a pre-approved list submitted by your business, positive pay drastically reduces the risk of fraudulent checks being cashed, offering a robust layer of security against potential financial fraud.
Streamlined Accounts Payable Process: Automating the generation and delivery of the check issue file not only lightens the workload for finance teams but also minimizes the chance of human error, making the accounts payable process more efficient and reliable.
Immediate Discrepancy Detection: Positive pay's real-time verification process alerts businesses to any mismatches between issued checks and those presented for payment, enabling quick resolution of potential issues and preventing unauthorized transactions.
More Control Over Payments: With positive pay, businesses retain control over which checks are cleared, ensuring that only legitimate transactions are processed and unauthorized or altered checks are flagged for review.
Decision window protection: Many banks allow clients to return flagged checks within the required 24-hour timeframe, limiting loss exposure when exceptions hit.

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By integrating positive pay into your financial operations, you can not only protect your business from the risks associated with check fraud but also enjoy a more streamlined, efficient, and secure financial management process.

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Considerations and Concerns: What Are the Limitations of Positive Pay?

Positive pay, like any technology solution, has its limitations. One key limitation is its inability to protect over-the-counter checks. Banks often don't apply positive pay's fraud prevention measures to these checks, meaning a teller might not check them as carefully. This oversight can create a loophole for fraud. Ask about Teller Positive Pay to extend protection to in-branch items.

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Baseline Positive Pay typically omits payee-name verification, but enrolling in Payee Positive Pay adds a payee match against your issue file to help catch altered payees.This means that even if a check's numbers and dates are correct, fraud can still happen if someone tampers with the payee's name, leading to funds potentially going to the wrong person.

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Cost Analysis: How Much Does Positive Pay Cost?

The cost of using positive pay can vary widely and depends on factors like your bank, your monthly check payment volume, and your company's net worth.

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Some banks offer this service for free, while others might charge you for each transaction or ask for a monthly fee, which may or may not include a limit on the number of checks they'll verify. Pricing often differs by module (e.g., Payee Positive Pay and ACH Positive Pay may carry add-on fees); check your bank’s treasury schedule and reference guides.

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Beyond these costs, you might also face extra charges for going over the transaction limit, for payee matching, and for issuing checks.

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If you're considering positive pay, it's a good idea to talk to your bank or payment provider to understand the full cost, including any additional fees.

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Balanced Overview: What Are the Pros and Cons of Positive Pay?

Positive pay presents a compelling case for businesses seeking to fortify their financial defenses against fraud. Its ability to detect discrepancies and offer control over transaction verification is invaluable.

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However, businesses must also consider its limitations and costs to make an informed decision on whether positive pay aligns with their financial management strategies.

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Pros of Positive Pay:

Enhanced Fraud Protection: At its core, positive pay functions as a vigilant gatekeeper, meticulously verifying each check against a pre-approved list from your company. This precision drastically cuts down the risk of fraudulent checks being cashed, fortifying your financial bulwarks against deceit.
Streamlined Accounts Payable Process: Automation is a game-changer. By automating the delivery and generation of the check issue file, positive pay not only eases the workload of your finance teams but also curtails the likelihood of errors, making your accounts payable process both efficient and dependable.
Immediate Discrepancy Detection: The real-time nature of positive pay's verification process means your business is swiftly alerted to any mismatches between issued checks and those presented for payment. This promptness allows for quick intervention, nipping potential fraud in the bud.
Greater Control Over Payments: With positive pay, your business holds the reins, deciding which checks clear and which don't. This control is pivotal, ensuring that only verified transactions proceed while suspicious or altered checks are promptly flagged for review.

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Cons of Positive Pay:

Limited Coverage: One notable gap in positive pay's armor is its inability to safeguard over-the-counter checks. Since these checks may bypass the system's scrutiny, they could potentially become a loophole for fraudsters to exploit.
Lack of Payee Verification: Another limitation is the system's disregard for payee name verification. This oversight means that even if a check's numerical details match, discrepancies in the payee's name can slip through, potentially diverting funds to unintended recipients.
Cost Considerations: While positive pay offers robust protection, the associated costs can be a deterrent for some businesses. Charges can vary from free services at some banks to per-transaction fees or monthly subscriptions at others, not to mention additional fees for exceeding limits or specific services like payee matching.

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The Flip Side: What Is Reverse Positive Pay?

Positive pay and reverse positive pay are two sides of the same coin, both designed to safeguard your business from the pitfalls of check fraud, yet they operate in distinctly different manners.

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Think of positive pay as your proactive, detail-oriented friend who meticulously checks every guest against the invite list before they enter your party. When you issue checks, you send a list of those checks, including details like amount, check number, and payee, to your bank. The bank then uses this list to verify each check as it's presented for payment, ensuring a perfect match before clearing the check.

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On the flip side, reverse positive pay is like having a friend who lets guests into the party first but keeps a watchful eye on them, ready to act if someone doesn't quite fit in. With this approach, the bank notifies your business of all checks presented for payment, and it's up to you to review these and alert the bank if any should not be processed. This method places the onus on your business to identify and flag any suspicious checks, providing a broader net but requiring your active involvement to catch any potential fraudsters.

Trade-off: Reverse Positive Pay provides broad visibility but shifts more review workload to your team; consider staffing and decision cut-off times.

Both methods offer valuable protection against check fraud, but the choice between them depends on your business's preference for proactive versus reactive control, and how hands-on you wish to be in the monitoring process.

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Centime’s Solution: How Centime’s Positive Pay Stands Out

Protecting your financial assets has never been more crucial. That's why we introduce positive pay for Centime customers, an advanced security feature that adds an extra layer of defense to your bank accounts. In a world where fraud can slip through even the most diligent banks, positive pay empowers you to take control and safeguard your hard-earned money.

Centime’s positive pay offers clear advantages you can count on:

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Comprehensive Fraud Protection: Positive pay guards against fraud related to traditional paper checks and ACH debit transactions. No more worrying about bad checks slipping through the cracks.
Take Control of Your Finances: Enrolling in positive pay means you decide which checks get cleared. No more relying solely on the bank – prevent unauthorized checks from causing losses.
Daily Check-Issue Compilation: When you sign up for positive pay, you submit a daily check-issue file to the bank, containing essential details like date, amount, check number, and account number.
Real-time Cross-Verification: The positive pay system cross-references incoming checks against your check-issue file. If a discrepancy is detected, the bank generates an exception report for your review.
Prevent Rejected Checks: Don't let oversight lead to rejected checks. Ensure timely submission of your check-issue file to avoid disruptions in your transactions.

Take charge of your financial security – enroll in Centime’s AP automation with positive pay today and enjoy the benefits of proactive fraud prevention and streamlined payables.

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Conclusion: Is Positive Pay the Ultimate Answer to Business Fraud?

In the face of rising payment fraud, which affected over half of US companies in 2022, the need for robust financial security measures has never been more apparent.

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Positive pay offers a reliable defense against the sophisticated tactics of fraudsters. This system cross-checks each check against a company-issued list, ensuring only authorized transactions proceed. Its benefits, from enhanced fraud protection to streamlined accounts payable processes and immediate discrepancy detection, underscore its value in today's business landscape.

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However, it's crucial to weigh the pros and cons of positive pay before making a final decision. While positive pay provides unparalleled security and control over transactions, it does have limitations, such as its inability to cover over-the-counter checks and verify payee names. Moreover, the cost, which varies across banks, might be a consideration for some businesses.

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As we conclude, the choice between positive pay and its counterpart, reverse positive pay, boils down to a business's preference for proactive versus reactive fraud management.

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Combine Positive Pay + Payee Positive Pay + (optionally) Teller Positive Pay, and enforce bank-detail change callbacks to counter today’s BEC and check-washing risks.

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Centime's positive pay stands out by offering comprehensive fraud protection, giving businesses control over their finances and peace of mind. Embracing positive pay means not just defending against fraud but also taking a significant step towards a more secure and efficient financial operation.

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What is Positive Pay? A Guide to Protecting Your Business Against Fraud

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