> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lightspark.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What Recipients See

> The sender name and payment reference a recipient sees on their bank statement, by rail and corridor

Recipients need to know who paid them and why. What they see on their bank statement depends
on two things:

* **The sender name.** This comes from the account the money leaves. On US rails and some
  other corridors that's the account holder, and on others it's a fixed Lightspark entity. You can't set it per payment.
* **The payment reference.** You set this on each quote with `remittanceInformation`, and on
  ACH also with `statementDescriptor`. Grid puts it in the right field for the rail.

On every corridor, the recipient gets at least a payment reference or a clearing ID to
identify the payment.

## Fields you control

Set these on `POST /quotes`. Both are optional, but send them on every payout.

| Field | Rails | Limit | Where it appears |
| - | - | - | - |
| `remittanceInformation` | All bank rails | 80 printable ASCII characters. Some rails take fewer (see below) | ACH addenda record; RTP and FedNow remittance information; wire OBI (Originator to Beneficiary Information); the payment reference on other local rails |
| `statementDescriptor` | ACH only | 10 printable ASCII characters | The ACH Company Entry Description, the short label shown next to the sender name on the recipient's statement |

```json theme={null}
{
  "statementDescriptor": "ABC CORP",
  "remittanceInformation": "ABC Corp invoice 4471"
}
```

<Note>
  `statementDescriptor` is rejected with `400 INVALID_INPUT` on a quote that moves no ACH entry,
  so leave it out for non-ACH destinations. When you omit it on ACH, Grid uses its default.
</Note>

If you leave `remittanceInformation` empty on a cross-border payout, Grid may fill the
reference with the sending customer's name: the company legal name for a business, or the first
and last name for an individual. Don't rely on this. Set the reference yourself.

## Sending from US accounts

On US rails, **the recipient sees the account holder name of the account the payout leaves**.
Depending on how your platform is configured, that's either your platform's own account or an
account held by your customer:

* **Payouts from your customer's account** show your customer's name as the sender.
* **Payouts from your platform's account** show your platform's name as the sender. Add your
  customer's name in the payment reference.

The name you give each internal account in Grid is for your own reconciliation. Recipients
don't see it.

For example, your platform, Acme Pay Inc, pays Ben from its own account on behalf of your
customer ABC Corp:

| Rail | Sender shown | Where your customer's name goes | What Ben may see |
| - | - | - | - |
| ACH | Account holder name (up to 16 characters) | `statementDescriptor` (10 characters) | `ORIG CO NAME:ACME PAY INC CO ENTRY DESCR:ABC CORP` |
| RTP / FedNow | Account holder name | `remittanceInformation` (up to 80 characters) | `Acme Pay Inc`, plus `ABC Corp invoice 4471` in full |
| Wire | Account holder name and address | `remittanceInformation`, sent as the OBI | `Acme Pay Inc`, plus `ABC Corp invoice 4471` |

If the payout leaves an account held by ABC Corp instead, Ben sees `ABC CORP` as the sender, and
you can use the descriptor and reference for your own invoice details.

Outbound wires aren't enabled for every platform. Contact Lightspark if you need them.

Each bank decides what to display. Some show every field, and others shorten or hide names, so
treat these examples as the best case. On ACH, the 10-character descriptor is the field banks
show most reliably, so lead with your customer's name there.

To set references when you pay out from your platform's account on a customer's behalf:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Send from the account tied to that customer">
    Send each payout from the internal account you use for that customer, so the payment is tied
    to them in Grid.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set statementDescriptor on ACH payouts">
    Set `statementDescriptor` to your customer's name in capitals, 10 characters or fewer.
    Abbreviate long names yourself so the bank doesn't cut them off. Leave it out on RTP, FedNow,
    and wire payouts.

    Grid rejects blank values, all zeros, `MISC`, and the values NACHA reserves for system entries
    (`REVERSAL`, `RETURN FEE`, `AUTOENROLL`, `NONSETTLED`, `RECLAIM`) with `400 INVALID_INPUT`, in
    any letter case. If a customer's name matches one of these, use a different abbreviation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set remittanceInformation">
    Set `remittanceInformation` to the customer's name plus your reference, most important words
    first. Use plain letters, numbers, and punctuation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Sending to other countries

On cross-border payouts, the sender name depends on how the corridor settles locally. Corridors
fall into three groups:

| Group | Sender name the recipient sees | What to put in `remittanceInformation` |
| - | - | - |
| Account holder name shown | The account holder name of the originating account, from the sender details on the quote | Your reference, such as an invoice number |
| Fixed sender name | A Lightspark entity | Your customer's name first, then your reference |
| Reference only | Set by the local clearing system, or not shown | Your customer's name first, then your reference |

| Currency | Country | Sender name shown | Reference limit |
| - | - | - | - |
| AED | United Arab Emirates | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| BDT | Bangladesh | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| BRL | Brazil | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| CAD | Canada | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| CNY | China | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| COP | Colombia | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| DKK | Denmark | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| EGP | Egypt | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| GBP | United Kingdom | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| GHS | Ghana | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| GTQ | Guatemala | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| HKD | Hong Kong | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| HTG | Haiti | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| IDR | Indonesia | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| ILS | Israel | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| INR | India | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| JMD | Jamaica | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| MYR | Malaysia | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| PHP | Philippines | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| PKR | Pakistan | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| SGD | Singapore | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| THB | Thailand | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| TRY | Turkey | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| USD | El Salvador | Account holder name | 16 characters |
| VND | Vietnam | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| USD, EUR (SWIFT) | International wires | Account holder name | 18 characters |
| EUR | SEPA countries | Fixed: Lightspark Payments Europe AS | 15 letters and digits. Spaces and punctuation are removed |
| MXN | Mexico | Reference only | 40 characters |
| Other corridors | | Varies by corridor | Varies by corridor |

The payment reference on every row is `remittanceInformation`. Each recipient bank decides how
much of the sender name and reference to display.

<Tip>
  Before you go live, contact Lightspark to confirm the sender name on the corridors you plan to
  use, and send a test payment on each one.
</Tip>

## Best practices

* **Always send `remittanceInformation`.** On fixed-name and reference-only corridors, it's the
  only way the recipient can tell who the payment is from.
* **Put the most important words first.** Many rails shorten the reference, sometimes to 15 or
  16 characters. `ACMELTD INV4471` survives shortening and `Payment for invoice 4471 from Acme
  Ltd` doesn't.
* **Use plain letters and digits.** `remittanceInformation` accepts printable ASCII only, so
  remove accents before you send it (`Jose`, not `José`). Some rails, such as SEPA, then keep
  only letters and digits.
* **Don't promise a sender name you can't control.** Tell your customers that the sender name
  depends on the corridor, and that the payment reference is the reliable way to identify a
  payment.

## Common questions

**Can I change the sender name to my brand or my customer's name?**
Not per payment. On US rails, the sender is the account holder name of the account the payout
leaves, which is your customer when you send from their account. On fixed-name
corridors, it's the Lightspark entity that settles the payout.

**What if I leave `remittanceInformation` empty?**
On cross-border payouts, Grid may use the sending customer's name as the reference. On US rails, the reference is left empty and only the sender name and, on ACH, the
default descriptor appear.

**Why does the recipient see a shorter reference than I sent?**
Each rail and bank has its own length and character limits. Grid shortens the value to the
rail's limit, and the recipient's bank may shorten it further.

## Related

* [Sending payments](/payouts-and-b2b/payment-flow/send-payment)
* [Reconciliation](/payouts-and-b2b/payment-flow/reconciliation)


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