payees

Those receiving funds

Payees are people or entities designated to receive payment.

A check has a payee—the person named on the "pay to the order of" line.

Insurance policies, wills, and financial accounts all specify payees: List your spouse as the payee on your life insurance policy.

The word is mostly confined to financial and legal contexts.

financial

recipients

Those who receive

beneficiariesThose who receive advantages
creditorsThose owed payment
vendorsThose who sell goods

suppliers · contractors · account holders · invoicers · billers · merchants · service providers · claimants · grantees · pensioners

business

suppliers

Those who furnish goods

vendorsThose who sell goods
contractorsHired service providers
freelancersSelf-employed contract workers

consultants · subcontractors · service providers · licensors · lessors · affiliates · partners · distributors · wholesalers · manufacturers

banking

depositors

Those who bank funds

governmental

social security recipients

Those receiving federal retirement benefits

veteransFormer armed forces members
retireesPeople finished working permanently

Opposites

direction of payment

payeespayers

Those who remit funds

payors · remitters · disbursers · senders · drawers

Phrases

single payerOne entity funds healthcare
bill payerOne settling financial obligations

Family

payer, payers, payee, nonpayer

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G