AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
A UK transfer app asks for payslips because the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require it to monitor transactions and, where necessary, check the source of funds. It is a routine check, not an accusation. Recent payslips that match the money arriving in your bank account usually satisfy it, with bank statements, a P60 or sale and gift documents for money that did not come from wages.
Why the request arrives
Regulation 28 of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 tells regulated firms, including money transfer companies, to identify and verify customers, to assess the purpose and intended nature of a transaction, and to conduct ongoing monitoring, including scrutiny of the source of funds where necessary. Regulation 28(13) lists risk factors such as the purpose, size and regularity of transactions. A payslip request is the firm doing that job.
Common triggers include:
- A transfer much larger than your usual amount.
- Several transfers close together that add up to a large total.
- Reaching a verification tier in the app, after which the next tier needs more evidence.
- A new recipient, or a recipient account that has received money from many senders.
- Paying from a card or account in a different name from your profile.
Western Union's UK identity page, for example, says it may ask about source of funds, the purpose of the transfer and your relationship to the recipient regardless of the amount. Other providers word it differently but work from the same rules.
What to send, by where the money came from
| Source of the money | Documents that usually work |
|---|---|
| Salary | Last two or three payslips, plus a bank statement showing the salary credits |
| Self-employment | Invoices, a bank statement showing client payments, your latest tax return or HMRC calculation |
| Savings built over time | Statements showing the balance growing over several months |
| Sale of a car or property | Sale agreement or completion statement, and the statement showing proceeds arriving |
| Gift from family | A signed gift letter stating amount and source, and the giver's statement |
| Inheritance | Executor's letter or estate account statement |
This list follows the kinds of evidence one UK bank's published source-of-funds guidance names (bank statements, proof of income, sale agreements, gift letters, executor's letters). Each provider decides what it accepts, so read the exact wording of the request.
How to make the documents pass first time
- Upload full pages, not cropped screenshots; all four corners should show.
- Make sure your name and, if shown, address match your app profile exactly.
- Use recent documents; three months is a common window.
- If a payslip shows a different employer name from your bank credit (payroll bureau, umbrella company), add one sentence explaining it.
- Download PDFs from your payroll portal or bank app rather than photographing a screen.
A worked example
Example only: Ada usually sends £150 a month to her mother. In March she sends £3,500 towards a roof repair, and the app pauses the transfer and asks for proof of income. She uploads her February and March payslips and a bank statement showing three months of salary credits and her savings balance before the transfer. She adds a line: "Savings from salary, for roof repair at my mother's house in Enugu." The size jump explained, the check clears. Had the money been a gift from her brother, the statement would have shown his transfer in, and a short gift letter from him would have answered the question.
What you can black out
You can usually hide information the firm does not need, such as unrelated transactions on a statement, but not the name, the dates, the salary credits or the balance the request is about. Do not edit figures. Altered documents are treated as fraud and can lead to your account being closed and a fraud marker being filed.
If you cannot provide payslips
Contract workers, new starters and people paid in cash may not have the usual paperwork. Tell the provider what you do have: an employment contract and first bank credit, a letter from your employer, or a reference from your accountant. If the money is not yours, for example a relative abroad sending through you, say so; sending other people's money through your account is how money mule cases start.
If the provider refuses to proceed, it should refund the transfer. You can ask for its reasons, though firms are not always allowed to explain anti-money laundering decisions in detail. A complaint must get a final response within 15 business days for payment services; see the 15-day rule.
Is it safe to send payslips?
Only through the app's own upload screen or the provider's verified website. Scammers copy the wording of verification requests by email and WhatsApp. If a message asks you to send documents to a personal address or to call a number not on the provider's site, ignore it and open the app directly. Our guide on re-verification requests covers how to tell real checks from fake ones.
Where Pryme fits
Checks like these apply to any regulated provider, including Pryme's partners outside Nigeria. Keeping your paperwork in order helps: a Pryme account can produce a regular or a verifiable statement through VerifyDoc.ai, so a recipient or a checker can confirm it is genuine and unaltered. See receipts and statements and sending to Nigeria.
Questions people ask
Why is Remitly or LemFi asking for my payslips?
Under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, firms must monitor transactions and check source of funds where necessary. Larger or more frequent transfers often trigger it.
How many payslips should I send?
Follow the request. Two or three recent payslips plus a matching bank statement is common.
Can I send a bank statement instead of payslips?
Often yes, if it shows salary credits in your name. Some providers ask for both.
Will my transfer be cancelled if I do not send documents?
The provider may refuse to process it and refund you. It must handle any complaint within the payment services time limits.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk: Money Laundering Regulations 2017, regulation 28 (customer due diligence) · accessed Oct 2026
- Western Union UK: Verifying your identity · accessed Oct 2026
- United Trust Bank: Source of funds guidance (ref 12/25) · accessed Oct 2026
- FCA Handbook DISP 1.6.2A: complaints time limits for payment services and e-money (page updated 1 Jun 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.