Skip to content
English - United Kingdom
Sign in
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Payment Sent in Error - How Do I Get It Back?

If you've sent a payment in error, try to contact the beneficiary directly first. If that doesn't work, the next step depends on which account the payment was sent from:

  • Griffin client bank accounts (sort code 04-36-14) - submit our online recall form and separately email us the additional details Griffin requires to raise a Credit Payment Recovery (CPR) request, which can take up to 20 working days.
  • Modulr accounts (sort code 04-00-72) - submit our online recall form.

See below for full details on both processes. Please note: recovery isn't guaranteed either way.

A payment sent in error

If you know the beneficiary of the payment, or the payment amount or reference was incorrect, you should first attempt to contact the beneficiary directly to arrange the return of funds.

If the beneficiary is not known, or is not responding to contact, a recovery request can be raised as follows:

  • If the payment was sent from a Griffin client bank account (sort code 04-36-14): submit our online recall form to log your request, and separately email us at support@calmony.co with the following, which the form doesn't capture:
    • Confirmation that no refund has been received
    • Whether you have any vulnerabilities
    • If the recipient is known to you, any further detail on attempts made to contact them beyond what's captured in the form
    We (Griffin) may get back in touch with requests for further information. If the case meets the relevant criteria, this request is handled through our Credit Payment Recovery process, covered in detail below.

  • If the payment was sent from a Modulr account (sort code 04-00-72): submit a formal recall request using our online recall form. Calmony forwards your request to Modulr, who contact the recipient's bank requesting the funds be returned. Response times can vary from a few weeks to up to 2 months, and there's no guarantee of recovery - Calmony and Modulr have no control over the recipient bank's processes or timescales.


Credit Payment Recovery (Griffin accounts)

Credit Payment Recovery (CPR) is an industry procedure that brings consistency to the recovery method for Faster Payments (FPS - same-day bank transfers) and settled Bacs payments (Bacs - the UK's standard 2-3 day bank transfer system). The Bacs recall pre-settlement process remains unchanged.

Caution: the CPR process works on a best-endeavours basis - recovery of funds isn't guaranteed.

The CPR process recovers payments sent in error. If the payer and payee know each other, it's usually more straightforward to resolve directly between themselves. If they don't know each other, or direct contact has failed, CPR is the next step.

In scope

Payments of £25 or above made in error through FPS or Bacs by customers or banks within the last 36 months, to an account at the same or another bank.

Info: CPR is not completed for payments under £25 individually. However, bulk payments to the same beneficiary totalling more than £25 are in scope, even if some individual payments within that total are under £25.

Out of scope

  • Direct Debit payments and debit card payments
  • Non-sterling payments (e.g. SWIFT, SEPA)
  • Payments or recovery requests where there's any suspicion of fraud or potential abuse
  • Trade disputes
  • Underpayments (where too little has been sent)
  • A single claim for a payment under £25

SLAs

  • Once a claim is confirmed in scope, the end-to-end process takes no more than 20 working days.
  • A customer receiving a disputed payment has 15 working days to challenge the claim before funds are returned to the sender.
  • We (Griffin) may get back in touch with requests for further information throughout the process. There's no guarantee we'll recover the full amount.

Types of claims

There are three types of CPR claims:

  • Inbound claims - someone else is claiming back a payment that was credited to your account. If Griffin receives this claim, we'll contact you to discuss it. You'll have 15 working days to dispute it. After 20 days, Griffin gives a final outcome to the sending bank - either the payment is returned (you'll see an outbound payment from your account) or no return is required (no action needed from you).
  • Outbound claims - you're claiming back a payment you sent in error. Submit our online recall form and email support@calmony.co. We may ask for more information. Griffin then runs the recovery process with the receiving bank and updates you within 20 working days. 
  • Bank error claims - Griffin (not you) made the error when processing your payment. We refund you the same day, and you keep that refund regardless of the CPR outcome - even if the payment was under £25.

Business responsibility and risk management

If the error occurred due to a mistake by your business, we recommend the following approach:

  • Pay the correct payee immediately to fulfil your obligation.
  • Continue pursuing recovery of the misdirected funds separately.
  • Do not leave the correct payee waiting while the recall process unfolds.

This protects your business relationship and maintains trust with the intended recipient.

What happens if funds cannot be recovered?

The payee's bank can only request voluntary return of funds. If:

  • The payee has already spent the money and their account has insufficient funds, or
  • The payee refuses to return the payment, or
  • The payee's account has been closed

Then recovery may be impossible through the standard recall process.

Options if recall or recovery fails:

  1. Legal action - you may need to pursue civil recovery through the courts against the unintended recipient.
  2. Write-off - in some cases, particularly for small amounts, you may need to write off the loss.

Insurance considerations

Check your business insurance policies, particularly:

  • Professional Indemnity Insurance - may cover losses arising from administrative errors.
  • Fidelity Guarantee Insurance - may cover employee errors leading to financial loss.

Contact your insurance broker to discuss whether you can make a claim. You will typically need to demonstrate you have taken reasonable steps to recover the funds first.

Prevention tips

  • Implement dual authorisation on adding payees' bank account details.
  • Verify account details before first payments to new recipients.
  • Train staff on payment verification procedures.

If you need assistance or have questions about a specific case, please contact the Calmony support team at support@calmony.co