Direct Entry and Bulk Fast Payments File Specification
The file specification below applies to the following payment types:
- Direct Entry
- Bulk Fast Payments
Payment files submitted to the Commonwealth Bank for processing require the following file structure:
- A header record (one per user)
- Detail records (variable number)
- A File trailer record (one per user)
Payment files consist of a single header record, followed by at least 2 detail records, followed by a single trailer record. Each record should be 120 characters in length. Only the final fields in the header and trailer records can be dropped; the length in this case must be 80 characters.
Payment files must include a contra entry to the user’s nominated account(s) to ensure the files are self-balancing. The last field in each record must be followed by a carriage return line feed (CRLF) character (ASCII values 13 & 10).
The file specification also applies to file-based payment requests submitted through Fast Payments (NPP). Eligible customers may upload files that comply with the specification for processing via the Fast Payments rails. Any requirements that differ for Fast Payments are identified below.
1. Header Record Format
| Character Position | Field Length | Description | Mandatory / Optional | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Record Type 0 | M | Must be "0" |
| 2 - 18 | 17 | Blank | M | Unused, space filled |
| 19 - 20 | 2 | Reel Sequence Number | M | First Payment Group Must be "01" Fast Payments - Each additional Payment Group must use the next sequence number. |
| 21-23 | 3 | Name of User Financial Institution | M | Must be "CBA" |
| 24 - 30 | 7 | Blank | M | Unused, space filled |
| 31- 56 | 26 | Name of User Supplying File | M | Username (Preferred Name) • Must not be left blank • Left justified, space filled |
| 57 - 62 | 6 | Number of User Supplying File | M | User Identification Number (APCA ID) • Must be 6 digits • Right justified, zero filled • Fast Payments - APCA/UserlD remains a mandatory field, but details included will be ignored for payments subject to re-routing via Direct Credit. Any payments rerouted via Direct Credit will use a default CBA APCA ID. |
| 63 - 74 | 12 | Description of Entries on File (e.g. salaries) | M | • Must not be left blank • Left justified, space filled |
| 75 - 80 | 6 | Date to be Processed | M | Date for processing in DDMMYY format. Must be valid date less than 5 days in the past and less than 420 days in the future. Fast Payments - Must be the current date or less than 31 calendar days in the future |
| 81- 120 | 40 | Blank | M | Unused, space filled |
2. Detail Record Format
| Character Position | Field Length | Description | Mandatory / Optional | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Record Type 1 | M | Must be "1" |
| 2-8 | 7 | BSB Number | M | Must be in format nnn-nnn where n is numeric |
| 9-17 | 9 | Account Number to be Credited/Debited | M | • Alpha-numeric, hyphens and spaces allowed only • Must not contain all blanks or all zeros • Leading zeros, which are part of an account number must be shown • Right justified, space filled |
| 18 | 1 | Indicator | 0 | See Indicator section below |
| 19-20 | 2 | Transaction Code | M | See Transaction Code section below |
| 21-30 | 10 | Amount | M | • Must be 10 numeric characters • In cents, without decimal point • Right justified, zero filled |
| 31-62 | 32 | Title of Account to be Credited/Debited | M | • Must not be left blank • Left justified, space filled |
| 63-80 | 18 | Lodgement Reference (e.g. Payroll Number) | M | • Left justified, space filled Note: Fast Payments - This field may be used as a unique payment transaction identifier. Will be included in the Final Payment Status Report to support customer reconciliation. |
| 81-87 | 7 | Trace BSB Number (BSB Number and account number of User, to enable retracing of the entry to its source if necessary). | M | • Must be in format nnn-nnn where n is numeric |
| 88-96 | 9 | Trace Account Number (BSB Number and account number of User, to enable retracing of the entry to its source if necessary). | M | • Alpha-numeric, hyphens and spaces allowed only • Must not contain all blanks or all zeros • Leading zeros, which are part of an account number must be shown • Right justified, space filled |
| 97-112 | 16 | Name of Remitter | M | Name of originator of the entry. This may vary from Name of User • Left justified, space filled |
| 113-120 | 8 | Amount of withholding tax | M | • In cents, without decimal point • Right justified, zero filled |
2.1 Notes for Detail Record
(1) INDICATOR
Must be one of "N", "W", "X", "Y" or blank. Care should be exercised to ensure inclusion of "N" symbol. Failure to do so may render the user liable in the event that incorrect processing occurs as a result.
However, for Withholding Tax, valid indicators are:
Care should be exercised to ensure inclusion of:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| "W" | Dividend paid to a resident of a country where a double tax agreement is in force |
| "X" | Dividend paid to a resident of any other country |
| "Y" | Interest paid to all non-residents |
(2) TRANSACTIONS CODES
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| "13" | Externally initiated debit item (Fast Payments - files can only contain 1 debit line item per transaction group or block) |
| "50" | Externally initiated credit items with the exception of those items bearing transaction |
Codes "51" - "57" inclusive
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| "51" | Australian Government Security Interest |
| "52" | Family Allowance |
| "53" | Pay |
| "54" | Pension |
| "55" | Allotment |
| "56" | Dividend |
| "57" | Debenture/Note Interest |
3. Trailer Record
| Character Position | Field Length | Description | Mandatory / Optional | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Record Type 7 | M | Must be "7" |
| 2-8 | 7 | BSB Number | M | Placeholder value and must be 999-999 |
| 9-20 | 12 | Blank | M | Unused, space filled |
| 21-30 | 10 | File (User) Net Total Amount | M | Must be the difference between the File Credit and File Debit total amounts • In cents, without decimal point • Right justified, zero filled |
| 31-40 | 10 | File (User) Credit Total Amount | M | Must equal the accumulated total of CREDIT Detail Record amounts • In cents, without decimal point • Right justified, zero filled • Unsigned |
| 41-50 | 10 | File (User) Debit Total Amount | M | Must equal the accumulated total of DEBIT Detail Record amounts • In cents, without decimal point • Right justified, zero filled • Unsigned |
| 51-74 | 24 | Blank | M | Unused, space filled |
| 75-80 | 6 | File (User) Count of Record Type 1 | M | Must equal accumulated number of Record Type 1 (Detail records) on the File • Numeric only • Right justified, zero filled |
| 81-120 | 40 | Blank | M | Unused, space filled |
4. Allowable Character Set
The below characters are permissible. Characters outside of this range will be replaced with a space character.
| Character | Symbol | ASCII Code | Hex Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space | 32 | 0x20 | |
| Exclamation | ! | 33 | 0x21 |
| Hash | # | 35 | 0x23 |
| Dollar | $ | 36 | 0x24 |
| Percent | % | 37 | 0x25 |
| Ampersand | & | 38 | 0x26 |
| Apostrophe | ' | 39 | 0x27 |
| Dash | - | 45 | 0x2D |
| Dot | . | 46 | 0x2E |
| Fwd Slash | / | 47 | 0x2F |
| Digits | 0-9 | 48-57 | 0x30-0x39 |
| Colon | : | 58 | 0x3A |
| Semicolon | ; | 59 | 0x3B |
| Equal | = | 61 | 0x3D |
| Question | ? | 63 | 0x3F |
| At | @ | 64 | 0x40 |
| Uppercase Letters | A-Z | 65-90 | 0x41-0x5A |
| Lowercase Letters | a-z | 97-122 | 0x61-0x7A |
| Underscore | _ | 95 | 0x5F |
| Asterisk | * | 42 | 0x2A |
| Parenthesis | () | 40,41 | 0x28, 0x29 |
| Plus | + | 43 | 0x2B |
| Comma | , | 44 | 0x2C |
| Tilde | ~ | 126 | 0x7E |
| Left square bracket | [ | 91 | 0x5B |
| Right square bracket | ] | 93 | 0x5D |
| Circumflex | ^ | 94 | 0x5E |
5. Sample File
0 01CBA ABCD COMPANY PTY LTD 301500PAYMENTS 080824
1123-456 12345678 500000001200John Smith CREDIT 1 063-001 10012002Acme Pty Ltd 00000000
1222-222 12345679 500000000800Jane Doe CREDIT 2 063-001 10012002Acme Pty Ltd 00000000
1333-333 33333333 500000000600Alpha Services Pty Ltd CREDIT 3 063-001 10012002Acme Pty Ltd 00000000
1444-444 44444444 500000000900Beta Consulting CREDIT 4 063-001 10012002Acme Pty Ltd 00000000
1010-010 99990000 500000001500Omega Supplies CREDIT 5 063-001 10012002Acme Pty Ltd 00000000
1063-001 10012002 130000005000Acme Pty Ltd BATCH DEBIT 063-001 10012002Acme Pty Ltd 00000000
7999-999 000000000000000050000000005000 000006