How to set up a SEPA direct debit?

Modified on Mon, 2 Oct, 2023 at 3:37 PM

Requirements

To be able to set up SEPA debits, several conditions must be met concerning the folder, the customers to be debited and the invoices themselves:

  1. Concerning the folder of the invoicing company:
    • It is essential to have full bank details, including IBAN and ICS;
    • The debit payment mode has to be configured in the settings.
  2. For each customer to be debited:
    • It is essential that the IBAN to be debited is entered correctly;
    • Debit mandates must also be provided.
  3. For invoices :
    • The specified payment mode has to be "debit";
    • Each invoice must be associated with a corresponding debit mandate;
    • Each invoice must be validated.



Set up the folder


1. In the "Settings", click on "General", then on "Payment"

2. In the accepted payment modes, select "Debit"

3. In the Bank section, add an Iban, taking care to enter the SEPA Creditor Identifier.


Set up customers to be collected


  1. In "Customers" menu, select the concerned customer and click on the "Payment" widget
  2. Enter the customer's bank details (IBAN and BIC to be debited)
  3. Add a SEPA mandate



It is possible to create several direct debit mandates on a customer.


You can not collect before a period of 15 days between the signature of the mandate and the first invoice (= retraction delay)


Set up invoices


1. In "Documents" menu, select the concerned invoice and click on the "Payment" widget in the right-hand panel.

2. Select the "debit" payment mode and link the appropriate mandate to the invoice

3. Validate the invoice.


Collect invoices


To create a debit, go to the "Payments" menu, in the "Debits" tab:


1. Click on "Add a debit" button


2. In the creation window, tick the invoices to be debited, then click on the "VALIDATE" button.


List of invoices that can be debited

When an invoice meets the debit eligibility criteria (it is validated and the payment method is defined as "debit"), but some information is missing*, it can not be debited and will therefore not be visible in the list of invoices available for selection.


However, it can still be found and consulted using the "Invoices incomplete for debit" filter. 

* Possible missing information :

  • The recipient bank details are incorrect (e.g. ICS not entered) 
  • and/or the customer file is incomplete (no Iban to be debited or mandate) 
  • and/or the invoice is not associated with a mandate.


Once created, the debit appears in the list with the "Validated" status :

  • You can download the SEPA file (.XML file) to send it to the bank. 
  • To do this, simply click on the button with the three small dots to the right of the debit line and then click on "Download".


To simplify debit management and avoid having to approve each payment individually, payments are considered to be validated by default by the bank.



So, when a direct debit is validated :

  • Payments included in the debit are generated automatically;
  • The status and balance of the concerned invoices are updated.



Creation in draft format

It is possible to save the debit in "Draft" format. In this case :
Payments are not created. The balance and status of the invoices remain unchanged.
The direct debit file cannot be downloaded.
New constraints appear on the invoices concerned:
> If the sum of the debit draft and the other payments on the invoice reaches the invoice total, it is no longer possible to create a payment.
> If the sum of the draft debit and other payments is less than the invoice total, it is possible to add a payment. However, this payment must be less than the balance remaining on the invoice after deducting the payments already made and the direct draft.



It is possible to reject all or part of a direct debit (see next paragraph).

Reject all or part of a direct debit


From the list of debits, you can reject all or part of a debit:

  • by clicking on the line of the concerned debit ;
  • or by selecting "Reject/cancel payments" from the available actions at the end of the line.




A window opens listing all the payments in the debit and their status. To reject a payment, simply select it from the list and click on "REJECT SELECTION".




  • The reject feature is available for validated or partially rejected debits.
  • In a debit, it is not possible to reject a payment if it relates to an invoice already linked to a credit note.



When a payment in a debit is rejected :

  • The status "Rejected" appears for this payment both in the list of payments and in the concerned document.
  • The document balance is updated (the payment is no longer taken into account) and so is its status.
  • If the payment has already been sent to accounting, a reverse entry is sent.
  • The payment in question can no longer be modified or deleted.




Additional information


The different statuses of a debit


DRAFTVALIDATEDPARTIALLY REJECTEDREJECTED
WAITING
Payments are not yet officially created and don't be displayed in concerned documents or in payments list.

They don't change the invoice balance or status.
All payments are validated.

They are taken into account in the invoice balance and status.
Some payments are validated and others are rejected.All payments are rejected.

Rejected payments are no longer taken into account as payments on the concerned invoices.
This is a status that has been used in previous versions of Fact. It is no longer possible to generate new debit transactions in this status.


A pending debit contains payments in draft status, validated payments and rejected payments.

Available actions:
  • Validate
  • Delete
Available actions:
  • Download
  • Reject
Available actions:
  • Download
  • Reject
Available actions:
  • Download
  • Reject

Available actions:
  • Validate *



* To reject a waiting debit, you must first valide it. Once validated, it can be rejected in the same way as any traditional direct debit.

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