How to Put Bank Details on an Invoice: Wording, Example and Scam Safety

To put bank details on an invoice in Australia, you need five lines: the account name exactly as your bank holds it, the BSB, the account number, your PayID if you have one, and a payment reference (use the invoice number). Put them in a "How to pay" box next to the total and due date. Then add one sentence that protects your client: "Our bank details will never change by email." That last line matters more than it looks, because payment-redirection scams target exactly this part of the invoice.

What bank details do you put on an invoice?

Put four things on every invoice: account name, BSB, account number and a payment reference. Add a PayID if your bank supports one. That's enough for any Australian client to pay you by bank transfer from any bank.

• Account name. Use the name on the bank account, not just your trading name. If your account is in "S & J Lee" but you trade as "Lee Carpentry", write the account name and show the trading name in your header. A mismatch here now triggers warnings at the client's bank.
• BSB. Six digits, usually written 000-000. Copy it from your banking app rather than an old invoice.
• Account number. Copy it exactly, and group the digits for readability (1234 5678) so clients don't drop one.
• Reference. Ask clients to use the invoice number as the payment reference. It's the cheapest reconciliation tool there is, and it pays off with consistent invoice numbering.
• PayID. An email address, mobile number or ABN registered to your account. Covered in its own section below.

Your bank name is optional for domestic payments, since the BSB already identifies the bank. It is worth adding if you invoice overseas clients (see below).

How to put bank details on an invoice: a layout example

Put the bank details in a clearly labelled "How to pay" block directly under the total, beside the due date. Clients read invoices from the total downward, so the payment block should be the next thing they see. Keep it on the first page.

Here's a payment block that works on a one-page invoice:

• Amount due: $1,980.00 by 24 October 2026
• Pay by bank transfer: Account name Sam Lee Carpentry Pty Ltd · BSB 123-456 · Account 1234 5678
• Or PayID: accounts@samleecarpentry.com.au
• Reference: INV-0142
• Security note: Our bank details will never change by email. If you receive a message saying they have, call us on the number on our website before paying.

Three layout rules prevent most "I paid but you didn't get it" conversations:

1. One account only. Two sets of bank details on one invoice invites the wrong one. If you need a second account (say, for trust money), send separate invoices.
2. Selectable text, not an image. Clients copy and paste BSBs. A screenshot of your details forces them to retype, which is where typos come from.
3. Same position on every invoice. Regular clients learn where to look. A payment block that moves around, or a client who notices your details look different, is a prompt they should call you before paying.

For the rest of the document, see how to write an invoice, and set a due date that matches your payment terms.

Do you put payment details on an invoice?

Yes, always. The ATO's tax invoice requirements list seven details and payment instructions aren't one of them, so an invoice without them is still a valid tax invoice. But an invoice with no way to pay is the one that sits in an inbox.

The clients most likely to stall are businesses with an accounts team. Their process usually needs your bank details on file before they can pay, and when the details aren't on the invoice someone has to email you and wait. That's often a week gone. Put the details on every invoice, even for repeat clients who "already have them", so the invoice is complete on its own.

PayID or BSB: which should go on your invoice?

Put both if you have a PayID. PayID gives the payer a safety check, because their bank shows the name linked to the PayID before they send. BSB and account number remain the details every payer can use.

Australian Payments Plus, which runs PayID, says a PayID can be a mobile number, email address, ABN or Organisation Identifier, and that the payer is shown the name linked to the PayID before they hit send. For a business, an email PayID such as accounts@yourbusiness.com.au looks more professional than a personal mobile number.

Confirmation of Payee: why your account name now matters

BSB payments now get a similar check. Confirmation of Payee launched on 2 July 2025. It compares the account name, BSB and account number the payer types in against the receiving bank's records, and shows a result before the payment goes: match, close match, no match, or unable to check. It never blocks the payment; the payer decides.

By July 2026 it was live with over 100 financial institutions and had been used more than 150 million times. The same release notes one institution saw more than 570,000 payments abandoned after a "no match" result.

The practical lesson for anyone sending invoices: print the account name exactly as your bank holds it. If your invoice says "Lee Carpentry" and the account is "S & J Lee", your client may get a "no match" warning on a genuine invoice and, sensibly, stop to ask. Check the exact account name in your banking app and copy it across.

How do invoice payment-redirection scams work?

A scammer sends your client an invoice or email that looks like yours but has different bank details, so your client pays the scammer instead of you. Scamwatch calls these business email compromise scams. The money is usually gone before either of you notices.

There are two common versions. In the first, the scammer gets into a real email account (yours or your client's), finds a genuine invoice, edits the bank details and sends it from the real address. The Australian Cyber Security Centre describes exactly this "invoice fraud" pattern. In the second, they register a lookalike domain with one letter changed and email your client saying you've "changed banks".

The scale is real. In the National Anti-Scam Centre's figures for 2024, payment redirection was one of the top five scam types by reported losses, out of $2 billion lost to scams in total that year. In the ASD Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024–25, business email compromise fraud with a financial loss made up 15% of cybercrime reports from businesses, the second most common type.

How to protect your clients (and your cash flow)

• Put a fixed statement on every invoice: "Our bank details will never change by email. Call us on a number you already have before paying any changed details." Scamwatch's own advice to payers is to stop and check payee changes by phoning the business on a number they sourced independently.
• If you genuinely change banks, tell clients by phone as well as in writing, and expect them to call you back to check. Thank the ones who do.
• Turn on multi-factor authentication on your email. The ACSC recommends it, with strong passwords, to stop scammers getting into the account in the first place.
• Send invoices from the same address every time, ideally on your own domain, so a lookalike stands out.
• Watch for a sudden "we never received it". If a reliable client says they paid and you have nothing, check whether their copy of your invoice shows your real details before assuming a bank delay.

What to do if a client paid the wrong account

Act the same day. Scamwatch's advice is to contact the bank immediately and ask it to stop the transaction, because the chance of recovering money drops fast. Your client contacts their bank (they sent the payment); you contact yours so it knows a payment meant for you was diverted.

• Change your email password and turn on multi-factor authentication if there's any chance your account was the one compromised.
• Contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 for free help with a recovery plan, and report it to Scamwatch.
• Warn your other clients by phone that anyone may receive fake invoices in your name.

Who carries the loss depends on the facts and any agreement between you, so get advice if a large amount is involved. The invoice itself is still unpaid from your side; handle it calmly, as you would any overdue invoice, while the banks investigate.

Should you add card payments or a payment link?

Add a card or payment link if your clients ask for it, but keep bank details on the invoice too. Bank transfer costs you nothing to receive; card processors charge a fee on every payment. Some clients, especially households paying a one-off bill, will pay faster by card.

If you add a link, put it in the same "How to pay" block, labelled clearly ("Pay by card: [link]"). Don't use link shorteners: clients should be able to see the payment provider's real domain before clicking, and a short link looks exactly like what scammers send.

Bank details for international clients: SWIFT, BIC and IBAN

Overseas clients need more than a BSB. Give them your account name, your bank's SWIFT/BIC code, your BSB and account number, your bank's name, and the address linked to your account. Australia doesn't use IBANs, which confuses some overseas payers.

CommBank, for example, says IBANs aren't used in Australia, but some payers' systems insist on one; in that case it suggests giving your BSB and account number combined, with no spaces or hyphens. Each bank has its own SWIFT code, so check yours in your banking app or your bank's website rather than copying one from a template.

Also state the currency on the invoice (AUD, unless you've agreed otherwise) and who pays transfer fees. Intermediary banks can deduct fees in transit, so a US$1,000 invoice can arrive short. A line such as "Please pay all transfer fees so we receive the full amount" settles it up front.

Should you put bank details on a quote?

Generally no. A quote is an offer, not a request for payment, so it doesn't need payment instructions. If you need a deposit, send a separate deposit invoice once the client accepts.

There are two reasons this works better. First, the client's bookkeeper can't pay a quote: they need an invoice, and a tax invoice if you're GST-registered. Second, keeping bank details on invoices only gives your clients a simple rule: "payment details only ever arrive on an invoice from this address". Anything else is suspicious. See invoice vs quote vs receipt for how the three documents differ, or build the quote with the free quote generator. Builders taking deposits should also check the state deposit caps in our guide to invoicing for building work.

Bank details checklist before you hit send

• Account name matches your bank's records exactly
• BSB and account number copied from your banking app, not an old invoice
• PayID included, if you have one
• Invoice number given as the payment reference
• "Our bank details will never change by email" statement included
• Payment block sits next to the total and due date, as selectable text
• SWIFT code, bank name and currency added for overseas clients

The quickest way to get this right every time is to save it once. The free Australian tax invoice generator saves your invoice, including your BSB, account and PayID, automatically in your browser, or start from the simpler free invoice generator. If your problem is less "where do the details go" and more "clients pay late, or say they paid when they didn't", InvoiceSonic adds invoice open tracking, automatic reminders and overdue tracking on Pro (A$19/month, with a 7-day trial; card required). The free plan covers 3 saved invoices a month.

This article is general information, not legal, financial or tax advice. Scam figures are as published by the sources linked above. If you've been scammed, contact your bank immediately and see Scamwatch for next steps.

Frequently asked questions