Bank payment files and cheques

You can pay several supplier bills in one go by making a file your bank accepts. You can also print cheques. Both are built in the engine.

Check with your bank first

The bank file layouts follow the published formats. They were not uploaded to a real bank and were not checked with a bank's own checker. Before you rely on a file, ask your bank for its sample or validator and compare. Start with one small payment.

Not available on screen yet

There are no screens for payment files or cheques in the app today. The engine works and is tested, but you cannot yet reach it with a button.

Bank files

The file is made from issued bills that are still owing. It uses the bank details saved on each supplier. A supplier with no saved bank details cannot be included.

• NACHA (United States): credit entries only. There is no offsetting debit, because your bank's own agreement decides that.
• ABA (Australia): adds a balancing debit record.
• SEPA pain.001 (euro area): euro payments only, version pain.001.001.03.
• CSV: a plain table you can open in a spreadsheet.

Checks built in: routing numbers, BSB numbers and IBANs are checked for form, and a bad one is refused. Line lengths and totals are checked for NACHA and ABA.

After you upload

Making a file does not mark any bill paid. Upload the file to your bank. When the bank has taken it, record the payments in the books. Each file is recorded in the audit trail.

Cheques

• The cheque PDF has three cheques per page.
• It shows the amount in figures and in words. The words follow the country style: US and Canada use "and 56/100", Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the euro area use words, and India uses lakh and crore.
• The layout is lines and a table. It is not matched to pre-printed cheque stock. Test on plain paper and then on a real cheque before you use it.

Who can use it

Bank files and cheques need the right to write bills. Cheques also need the right to write bank entries. See users-and-roles.

Good to know

• Payment files take the currency of the company file. Foreign currency has not been considered.
• The words and layout were not printed on a real cheque printer.