Configure Statement Descriptors

Contents

Overview

The Statement Descriptor controls how a payment appears on a customer's bank or card statement. A clear descriptor helps customers recognize transactions and reduces the likelihood of disputes or chargebacks.

In the application, the Statement Descriptor is dynamically populated using a custom field configured on the Payment object. When a payment is created, the value from the selected custom field is passed to the configured payment gateway as the statement descriptor. Supported gateways process and display this value according to their respective capabilities.

This descriptor helps customers identify the merchant responsible for the charge when reviewing their bank or card statements. Supported payment gateways allow merchants to pass a custom statement descriptor during payment processing.

Supported Payment Gateways

Statement Descriptor is supported for the following payment gateways:

How Statement Descriptor Works

The system allows you to configure a custom field whose value will be used as the statement descriptor.

Workflow

1. Configure a Statement Descriptor field mapping in Setup → Settings.
   
2. The mapping references a custom field on the Payment object.
   
3. When a payment is created:
   • The system retrieves the value from the configured custom field.
   • This value becomes the statement descriptor.
   • During payment processing, the configured payment gateway receives the statement descriptor. Depending on the gateway, the descriptor may appear in the gateway portal and on the customer's bank or card statement.

Create a Custom Field

Create a custom field that will store the statement descriptor value.

1. Navigate to Setup → Customize.
2. Create a new Text-type custom field.
   

Example

For more information about creating custom fields, refer to Manage Custom Fields – Ordway Support Portal. 

Configure Statement Descriptor Field

You must configure which custom field will be used as the Statement Descriptor.

Steps

1. In the left navigation menu, click Setup → Settings. The Settings page is displayed.
2. Under Payment section, locate the Statement Descriptor setting.
   
3. Select a custom field from the drop-down list.
4. Click Save to update the configuration.

Result

Once configured:

• The selected custom field becomes the source for the statement descriptor value.
• The field is automatically available when creating a payment.
• The value entered in the field will be sent to the payment gateway as the statement descriptor.

Create a Payment with Statement Descriptor

When creating a payment, the configured custom field determines the descriptor sent to the payment gateway.

Steps

1. Select a Customer from Customer Accounts page.
   
2. In the customer details page, under the More Details section, click Payments. 
   
3. Click Add. The New Payment page is displayed.   For more details, refer to Create a Payment for an Account – Ordway Support Portal
4. Locate the configured custom field.
   
5. Enter or modify the value if required.
6. Confirm the payment.

Behavior

When the payment is processed:

• The system reads the value of the configured custom field.
• The configured payment gateway processes the statement descriptor. Depending on the gateway, the descriptor may be displayed in the gateway portal and on the customer's bank or card statement.
• The value is passed to the payment gateway as the statement descriptor.
  

Using Formula Fields for Statement Descriptor

You can configure a Formula custom field to dynamically generate the value used as the statement descriptor.

A formula field allows you to construct the descriptor using predefined text combined with dynamic values, such as the Payment ID, Invoice ID, or other available fields.

This is particularly useful during Payment Runs, where multiple payments are generated automatically. A formula-based descriptor ensures that each payment receives a unique and identifiable statement descriptor without requiring manual input.

For example, you can configure a formula to concatenate a fixed prefix with the payment identifier.

Example Formula

Example Result

When this formula field is mapped as the Statement Descriptor field, the generated value is automatically sent to the payment gateway during payment processing.

Configure a Formula Field for Statement Descriptor

Follow these steps to configure a formula field for use as a statement descriptor.

Step 1: Create a Formula Custom Field

1. Navigate to Setup → Customize → Payments.
   
2. Click Add Custom Field.
3. Select Formula as the field type.
4. Define the formula using supported functions (for example, CONCAT). 

For more details, see Manage Custom Fields

Step 2: Configure the Statement Descriptor Field

1. Navigate to Setup → Settings → Statement Descriptor.
   
2. Select the created Formula Custom Field from the dropdown list.
3. Click Save to apply the configuration.

Step 3: Create a Payment

1. Navigate to Customer Accounts → More Details → Payments.
   
2. Click ADD.
3. Enter the required payment details.
4. Click SAVE.
5. When a payment is created, the system evaluates the formula and dynamically generates the statement descriptor.
   

For more details, see Create Payment Run

Gateway Behavior

The configured Statement Descriptor is sent to the payment gateway during payment processing.

Depending on the payment gateway, the descriptor may be:

• displayed in the gateway transaction details
• displayed on the customer's bank or card statement
• validated according to gateway-specific formatting rules

Supported payment gateways process and display the configured Statement Descriptor according to their individual capabilities.

Example: Stripe

When the payment is processed through Stripe:

• The generated value is sent to Stripe as the statement_descriptor parameter.
• The descriptor appears in:
  • The Stripe Dashboard
  • The customer's bank or card statement
    

Example: Adyen

When a payment is processed through Adyen, the configured Statement Descriptor is displayed in the payment details as the Shopper statement.

Example: Braintree

When a payment is processed through Braintree, the configured Statement Descriptor is displayed in the payment details as the Descriptor Name.

Default Behavior

If no statement descriptor value is configured or provided, the payment gateway uses its default merchant descriptor or configured business descriptor, subject to gateway-specific behavior.

This applies to all gateways.

API Usage - Create Payment

When creating a payment through the API, the client must include the configured custom field.

Example Request: POST /payments

Example Response

Limitations

Current limitations include:

• Only Text, inherited, and formula custom fields are supported.
• Statement descriptor length restrictions depend on the payment gateway.

Custom Field Requirements

• The custom field must exist on the Payment object.
• The field value can be a maximum of 22 characters in length.
• If a value longer than 22 characters is provided, it will be automatically trimmed to 22 characters.
• Special characters allowed
  • underscore (_)
  • hyphen (-)

Best Practices

Use clear and recognizable descriptors to reduce payment disputes.

Recommended practices:

• Include your business or product name
• Avoid generic values
• Keep descriptors short and identifiable

Troubleshooting

Statement Descriptor Is Not Displayed