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# Payment descriptors

> Control the statement text that appears on Pay Out funding debits and vendor credits

A payment descriptor is the text that appears on a bank statement for a transaction. For Pay Out, descriptors help both the paypoint and the vendor recognize what a payment was for when they review their bank activity. Instead of a generic label, a descriptor can name the vendor, list the bills a payment covers, or show the transaction amount.

Payabli builds descriptors from a template. You combine static text with dynamic placeholders, and Payabli replaces each placeholder with the real transaction data when the payment processes. For example, the template `Debit for {{VendorName1}} for bill(s): {{BillNumberList}}` might render as `Debit for Acme Supplies for bill(s): 1043, 1044`.

Payabli sets up descriptors for you, per paypoint. Every paypoint starts with a set of default descriptors, and you can request custom templates by working with your Payabli representative.

Custom payment descriptors are available for on-demand payables.

## Descriptor contexts

A payout has two sides: Payabli debits the paypoint to fund the payment, then credits the vendor. Each side has its own descriptor.

| Context         | Where it appears                                                                                                 | Default descriptor                                                |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Funding (debit) | The debit that pulls funds from the paypoint to cover a payout. Applies to ACH, check, and virtual card payouts. | `Debit for {{VendorName1}} for bill(s): {{BillNumberList}}`       |
| Vendor (credit) | The ACH credit that pays a vendor. Applies to vendors paid by ACH.                                               | `Credit from {{PaypointDbaName}} for bill(s): {{BillNumberList}}` |

Payabli applies these defaults when a paypoint is created. You can request custom templates for a paypoint.

## Available placeholders

Use these placeholders in a descriptor template. Payabli replaces each one with the corresponding value when the payment processes.

| Placeholder                  | Replaced with                           |
| ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `{{BillNumberList}}`         | List of bill or invoice numbers         |
| `{{TransactionTotalAmount}}` | Total transaction amount                |
| `{{BillDateList}}`           | List of bill dates                      |
| `{{LotNumber}}`              | Batch or lot number                     |
| `{{PayabliTransactionId}}`   | Payabli transaction identifier          |
| `{{PaypointDbaName}}`        | The paypoint's "doing business as" name |
| `{{VendorName1}}`            | Primary vendor name                     |
| `{{VendorName2}}`            | Secondary vendor name                   |

A descriptor template must include at least one placeholder. You can mix static text with more than one placeholder in a single template.

## Configuring descriptors

When you request custom descriptors from the Payabli team, you can:

* Apply one funding descriptor across all payout methods, or use a separate descriptor for each method (for example, a different template for ACH and virtual card payouts).
* Set the vendor credit descriptor for ACH payments to vendors.

Each descriptor is specific to its context: funding descriptors control the debit to the paypoint, and vendor descriptors control the credit to the vendor. You can't use a funding descriptor as a vendor descriptor, or the reverse.

## Related resources

See these related resources to help you get the most out of Payabli.

* **[Understanding payables](/guides/pay-out-payables-overview)** - Learn about managing your payables and payouts with Payabli
* **[Manage payouts with the API](/guides/pay-out-developer-payouts-manage)** - Learn how to use the Payabli API to create, capture, and cancel payout transactions