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

# Payers

> Manage the individuals and businesses sending funds. Store payer details, reuse across payment flows, and improve reconciliation.

Payers are the individuals or businesses that send funds to you.
A payer represents the source of incoming payments, including their **identity details**, **contact information**, and associated **payment methods or activity**.

By creating and managing payers, you can **reuse information**, reduce friction, and improve reconciliation across payment flows.

***

## Why use payers

Using payers allows you to:

* **Store payer details once** and reuse them across payment requests
* **Prefill payment experiences** to reduce friction
* **Associate payment methods** for future use
* **Track payment activity** at the payer level
* **Improve reconciliation** of incoming funds

***

## How payers work

Payers can be created and used in multiple ways depending on your workflow.

### Create directly

Create a payer via API or the Console by providing **identity and contact details**.

This is useful when:

* You already know the payer
* You want to reuse payer information across payments

***

### Collect during payment

If a payer is not predefined, their details can be collected during a:

* **Payment request**
* **Setup request**

The payer is created or updated automatically once details are submitted.

***

### Associate with virtual accounts

Payers can be linked to **virtual accounts** to improve reconciliation.

* Assign a dedicated virtual account to a payer
* Automatically match incoming transfers to the correct payer

***

## Payer details

A payer typically includes:

* **Name** (individual or business)
* **Contact information** (email, phone)
* **Country and currency context**
* **Associated payment methods or tokens**

Required fields may vary depending on the **payment method** and **region**.

***

## Payment methods and tokens

Payers can have **stored payment methods** associated with them.

These are typically created through **setup requests** and can be reused for future payments.

This allows you to:

* Avoid re-collecting payment details
* Enable faster repeat payments
* Support off-session payment flows

***

## Reuse across payment flows

Once a payer exists, it can be reused across:

* **Payment requests**
* **Setup requests**
* **Virtual account assignments**

This creates a consistent view of each payer across all collection activity.

***

## Updating payers

Payers can be updated at any time via API or the Console.

Changes may:

* Apply to future payment requests
* Update stored contact or identity details
* Affect how payments are associated and reconciled

***

## Payers vs payment requests

* **Payers** represent who is paying
* **Payment requests** represent what is being paid

A payment request can:

* Reference an existing payer
* Create or update a payer during the payment flow

***

## Tracking and activity

You can track all payment activity associated with a payer.

This includes:

* Completed payments
* Failed payments
* Stored payment methods
* Incoming transfers via virtual accounts

This provides a complete view of each payer’s activity.

***

## Best practices

* **Create payers upfront** when you expect repeat payments
* **Associate saved payment methods** for faster future payments
* **Use virtual accounts** for high-volume or transfer-based workflows
* **Keep payer data accurate** to improve reconciliation and reduce errors

***

## Summary

* Payers represent the **source of incoming funds**
* They unify identity, payment methods, and activity across flows
* Payers can be created directly or collected during payment flows
* Reusing payers improves **efficiency, accuracy, and reconciliation**