How do I send batch payments?

In this step-by-step guide, we'll show you how to set up, process, send, and manage batch payments from your Client Portal. Let's get started.

Enabling Batch Payments

Before you can use batch payments, you'll need to activate the feature on your account. To do this, get in touch with your Relationship Manager, and they will take care of everything for you.

Accessing Batch Payments

After enabling batch payments, you can access the option in your Client Portal.

• Click on the "Transfer Money" button.

• Select an account to send batch payments from in the dropdown menu.

At the bottom of the 'Transfer Money' form, you'll see a link named "Use our Batch Payment Import". Click it.

Preparing Your CSV File

On the batch payment page, you'll see options to:

• Choose the account you want to send batch payments from.

• Upload a CSV file.

• Download a sample file.

• View information about required fields.

What's in the CSV?

The recommended action is to download the sample file as a helpful reference. Ensure your CSV file contains the specified fields: 

payment type, company, title, name, lname, house, address1, address2, address3, town, county, postcode, country, telephone, mobile, email, gender, dob, idtype1, idnumber1, idtype2, idnumber2, bank-name, bank-address, bank-country, swift, bank-code, bank-key, sort-code, holding-branch, branch-code, account-name, account-number, account-type, iban, amount, account-fees, reference, purpose, transaction-id

Please follow the Fixed Column Structure. You cannot add, rearrange, or remove the number of CSV columns - they must remain the same and in the same order as specified.

Guide to CSV fields

Determining which fields are required in your CSV file is crucial for a successful batch payment process. The actual requirements for the fields can vary based on multiple factors:

• Account Origin: The account you are transferring from can affect which fields are mandatory.

• Payment Type: The payment type, such as "SEPA Payment," can also dictate the required fields.

Payment Type Dropdown

When selecting a payment type from the dropdown menu, you will see a table listing the required or optional fields for that specific payment type.

Populating the 'payment-type' Field

The 'payment-type' field in your CSV file must match the payment type you select in the dropdown menu.

For example, if you choose "SEPA Payment" from the dropdown, your CSV file's 'payment-type' column should also read "SEPA Payment."

Filling in the CSV File

• Mandatory fields: The table you see after selecting a payment type will show you all the mandatory fields. Ensure these are filled in your CSV file.

• Optional fields: Fields marked as optional can be left blank if they do not apply to your transaction.

• 'amount': The 'amount' field is always required regardless of the payment type.

Guide to CSV fields

In addition to the real-time requirements shown in the Client Portal, we have provided a list of all the possible fields below, along with their meanings and general instances of when they might be required or optional.

Please Note: The list only serves as a general guide. For the most accurate and up-to-date requirements tailored to your specific account, payment type, and bank, always refer to the information displayed in your Client Portal.

Is there a limit on how may transfers I can make?

We don't recommend sending more than 100 transfers within one CSV file. If you have difficulty processing large batch payments, you can split them into smaller files and process up to 20-30 payments simultaneously.

Batch payment troubleshooting

You get an error that the file name has already been used

We check if the file has been used before to avoid executing the same payments twice. In some cases, if batch processing is interrupted, it might still register as being used the next time you try to use it again.

To solve this, please, change the file name and try again.

You are returned to the first step after confirming the batch import

On average, processing 30 payments takes less than 1 minute, which may be longer if you have a larger batch file. If, after waiting, you get redirected back to the first step, the processing might be stuck. If this happens, please change the file name and try again.

You receive an error about having 41, 42 or more columns

This happens when your batch file has values outside the accepted range in columns. Please review the file to see if any fields in the “purpose” column are filled with a value, an extra space or additional characters. 

You receive an error about having 38, 37 or less columns

This means that your batch file does not contain all the necessary information. Even if they are not used, batch files require all empty columns to be present. Please compare your batch file to our template example (found in your Client Portal) to see which columns have been removed and restore them to your CSV file.

You receive an error about a value being too long

This error is usually caused by value length exceeding the limit. The most common fields where this error happens are the address and company name. To correct this, please shorten the value within the correct limits as required.

Invalid account number - in case IBAN or account number is 12 numbers or longer

Excel tends to shorten very long numbers. An example of this would be shortening an account number from “90000000000000000” to “9E+16”. Please apply suitable Excel formatting options by switching from “General” to “Number” while ensuring no decimal numbers are included.

Invalid account number 

This error may occur if the account number or bank code starts with zero (0). In Excel, a leading zero is usually removed from a cell, making the account number invalid. When sending money to account numbers starting with zero, please apply Text formatting to the required cells.

Need help setting up batch payments?

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please contact your Relationship Manager or leave us a message, and we'll get back to you.

Last updated: 02/10/23