Direct Debit Accounts
Direct debit accounts let you collect payments from your customers’ bank accounts. The platform currently supports GoCardless as the payment provider. Once set up, you can collect payments automatically when invoices are due, or collect individual payments manually.
The platform does not collect or store bank account details directly. Customers supply their details to GoCardless, and the platform holds only a reference to the GoCardless mandate. All sensitive data remains with GoCardless.
Adding a Direct Debit Account
Section titled “Adding a Direct Debit Account”Customer Self-Service (Recommended)
Section titled “Customer Self-Service (Recommended)”The easiest way to add a direct debit account is to send the customer a payment link. They complete the mandate setup directly with GoCardless, and the account appears on their record automatically. See Sending Payment Links below.
Manual Addition
Section titled “Manual Addition”To add an account manually:
- View the customer’s record
- Go to Add menu > Direct Debit Account
- Enter the account details:
- Account Name: The account holder’s name
- Sort Code: The bank sort code
- Account Number: The bank account number
- Account Storage Method: The payment provider to use for this account (e.g. GoCardless)
- Account Collection Order: The priority for this account when the customer has multiple accounts. 1 is collected first.
- Use For Collection: Which collection types this account can be used for (manual, automatic, or both)
- Use For Payment Types: Restrict to specific payment types, or leave blank for all types
- Click Save
GoCardless Provider Fields
Section titled “GoCardless Provider Fields”When using GoCardless, you only need to supply the Provider Reference field. This is the GoCardless mandate ID (beginning MD). The remaining provider fields (Provider Customer Reference, Provider Account Reference, Provider Subscription Reference) are populated automatically from GoCardless once the mandate is linked.
If these fields do not populate, the platform has not been able to link the record to GoCardless. Use Refresh Details from the Actions menu to retry, or check that the mandate ID is correct.
Sending Payment Links
Section titled “Sending Payment Links”You can send customers a link to set up their direct debit mandate without needing a portal login.
Via the Actions Menu
Section titled “Via the Actions Menu”- View the customer’s record
- Go to Actions menu > Generate Payment Links
- The system generates no-login URLs for the available link types:
- Direct Debit Setup: Customer follows the link to set up a mandate with GoCardless
- Instant Bank Pay: Customer makes a one-off bank payment (see Instant Bank Pay below)
- Copy the link and send it to the customer
Via Correspondence
Section titled “Via Correspondence”You can include payment links in billing emails and other correspondence. The platform provides template variables that insert the correct URLs automatically. See Correspondence Workflows for details on setting up templates with payment links.
Finding Customers Who Need a Mandate
Section titled “Finding Customers Who Need a Mandate”To chase up mandate sign-ups, you need a list of customers who should be paying by direct debit but cannot be collected from. The platform builds this list for you.
Go to the main menu > Direct Debits > View / Edit Direct Debit Accounts. The list opens on the Missing Accounts tab.
Why the Missing Accounts Tab Is the Chase-Up List
Section titled “Why the Missing Accounts Tab Is the Chase-Up List”Missing Accounts shows active customers whose payment method is set to direct debit collection, but who have no usable mandate. This means the customer either has no direct debit account at all, or every account they have is Failed, Cancelled, or Expired.
These are exactly the customers to chase. You can then send each one a payment link to set up a fresh mandate.
This is different from filtering customers by payment method. That filter finds customers whose payment method has been changed to something else, such as bank transfer. The Missing Accounts tab finds customers who are still on direct debit but have nothing valid to collect against.
The Other Tabs
Section titled “The Other Tabs”The same view has five tabs:
| Tab | Shows |
|---|---|
| Missing Accounts | Active direct debit customers with no usable mandate. This is the chase-up list. |
| Recently Added | Accounts set up in the last 30 days |
| All Accounts | Every direct debit account across all customers |
| Active Accounts | Accounts ready for collection (Pending, Active, or Confirmed) |
| Inactive Accounts | Accounts that can no longer be used (Failed, Cancelled, or Expired) |
See Account Status for what each status means.
Spotting It on the Customer Record
Section titled “Spotting It on the Customer Record”You do not have to rely on the list to catch these customers. When you view an active customer who is set to direct debit collection but has no usable mandate, the platform shows a warning in the page title: Customer has no valid Direct Debit details.
Downloading the List
Section titled “Downloading the List”Each tab can be exported. Open the tab you want, then go to View/Download menu > Download CSV. This gives you a spreadsheet to work through, share with a colleague, or hand to another team for the mandate chase.
The download includes the customer account numbers. You can copy that column and paste it straight into the Bulk Mailing tool, so you chase every affected customer in one go rather than opening each record. See Bulk Correspondence.
Payment Collection
Section titled “Payment Collection”Manual Collection
Section titled “Manual Collection”To collect a specific payment by direct debit:
- View the payment record
- Go to Actions menu > Collect by Direct Debit
- Select which direct debit account to use
- The system submits the collection to GoCardless
Collecting a Specific Invoice
Section titled “Collecting a Specific Invoice”If you need to collect payment for a particular invoice straight away, you have two options depending on your setup:
-
On-delivery collection (if enabled): Email or download the invoice. The system creates and submits the payment automatically. No extra steps needed. See Automated Collection: On Delivery below.
-
Collect Payment from the invoice (Expert Mode): View the invoice, then use Collect Payment from the Expert menu. Select the direct debit account or payment card to charge and submit. The system creates the payment and submits it to the payment provider in one step. See Collect Payment on the Invoices page for details.
For urgent payments where you need faster settlement, consider Instant Bank Pay instead. Bank transfers via Open Banking typically clear within hours rather than the 3-5 working days that Bacs direct debits require.
Automated Collection: On Delivery
Section titled “Automated Collection: On Delivery”The system can create and submit a direct debit payment automatically when an invoice is emailed, printed, manually delivered, or downloaded by the customer through MyAccount.
When triggered by delivery, the system collects the delivered invoice balance plus any other invoices already due. This means a single collection can cover multiple outstanding invoices.
This behaviour is controlled by system parameters. Contact your system administrator to enable or adjust delivery-triggered collection.
Automated Collection: Time-Based
Section titled “Automated Collection: Time-Based”The system can also create direct debit payments on a schedule based on invoice due dates:
- Create: The system creates the payment a set number of working days before the invoice due date
- Submit: The system submits the payment to GoCardless a set number of working days before the due date
The default is to create payments 5 working days before the due date and submit them 4 working days before. Your system administrator can adjust these timings.
Auto-Resubmit
Section titled “Auto-Resubmit”If GoCardless rejects a direct debit because the charge date has already passed, the system automatically reschedules and retries the collection. This avoids failed payments caused by timing issues between your system and GoCardless.
Payment Status
Section titled “Payment Status”Direct debit payments move through these stages:
- Pending: Payment created, waiting to be submitted to GoCardless
- Processing: Submitted to GoCardless, awaiting bank clearance
- Collected: Payment received successfully
- Failed: Collection was unsuccessful
Failed payments can be retried by submitting another collection against the same direct debit account.
If automatic collection fails or no eligible account exists, the system creates a TODO alerting you to the issue.
Bank Processing Timeline
Section titled “Bank Processing Timeline”Once a direct debit payment is submitted to GoCardless, Bacs processing typically takes 3-5 working days before funds arrive. Weekends and bank holidays do not count towards this period.
This timeline applies regardless of how the collection was triggered: manual, on-delivery, timed, or via Collect Payment on an invoice. The platform cannot speed up bank clearing once a payment has been submitted.
For faster settlement, use Instant Bank Pay. Open Banking payments typically clear within hours rather than days.
Late or Post-Due-Date Invoices
Section titled “Late or Post-Due-Date Invoices”If an invoice is sent close to or after its due date, timed auto-collection may have already attempted collection or missed the window entirely.
The auto-resubmit feature handles the most common timing issue: if GoCardless rejects a payment because the charge date has passed, the system reschedules automatically.
For invoices that still need collecting, use Collect Payment from the invoice’s Expert menu (Expert Mode) to submit immediately. See Collect Payment on the Invoices page.
If late invoices are a regular pattern, consider enabling on-delivery collection. This triggers payment as soon as the invoice is emailed or downloaded, removing the dependency on due-date timing. Contact your system administrator to set this up.
Instant Bank Pay
Section titled “Instant Bank Pay”Instant Bank Pay uses GoCardless Open Banking to collect one-off payments directly from a customer’s bank account. Compared to card payments, bank payments typically:
- Have lower transaction fees
- Arrive faster
- Do not require the customer to store card details
Customers receive a payment link and authorise the payment through their own bank’s online banking. No mandate or ongoing agreement is needed.
You can send Instant Bank Pay links via the Generate Payment Links action or include them in customer correspondence.
Account Fields
Section titled “Account Fields”The fields below make up a direct debit account record.
Direct Debit References
Section titled “Direct Debit References”This section contains reference numbers used to identify the direct debit account across systems, including internal references, customer references, mandate references, and account priority settings.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Our Reference | Internal reference number for the direct debit account |
| Customer's Reference | Customer-provided reference for the direct debit account |
| Customer's Mandate Reference | Customer mandate reference number for the direct debit authorization |
| Account Collection Order | Priority order for payment collection when customer has multiple direct debit accounts |
Account Details
Section titled “Account Details”Account Details contain the banking information for the direct debit account including account holder name, sort code, account number, bank details, storage method configuration, collection settings, and provider-specific references for payment processing integrations.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Account Name | Name of the account holder for the direct debit account |
| Sort Code | Bank sort code for the direct debit account |
| Account Number | Bank account number for the direct debit account |
| Bank Name | Name of the bank holding the direct debit account |
| Bank Address | Address of the bank branch for the direct debit account |
| Account Storage Method | Method used to store and process the direct debit account information |
| Use For Payment Types | Payment types this direct debit account can be used for |
| Use For Collection | Types of payments this direct debit account can be used to collect |
| Provider Customer Reference | Customer reference used by the direct debit payment provider |
| Provider Account Reference | Account reference used by the direct debit payment provider |
| Provider Subscription Reference | Subscription reference used by the direct debit payment provider |
| Provider Reference | General reference used by the direct debit payment provider |
Status
Section titled “Status”The Status section displays current account status information including provider status details, setup dates, payment collection history, and account lifecycle timestamps.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Account Status | Current status of the direct debit account |
| Provider Status | Status information from the direct debit payment provider |
| Provider Status Detail | Detailed status information from the direct debit payment provider |
| Set-Up Date | Date when the direct debit account was set up with the provider |
| Last Taken Date | Date when a payment was last successfully taken from this account |
| Account Ended Date | Date when the direct debit account was ended or cancelled |
System Information
Section titled “System Information”| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Last Modified | Timestamp of the most recent modification to this direct debit account |
| Created | Timestamp when this direct debit account was created |
Managing Accounts
Section titled “Managing Accounts”Multiple Accounts
Section titled “Multiple Accounts”A customer can have more than one direct debit account. The Account Collection Order field controls which account the system uses first for automatic collection. Set 1 for the primary account, 2 for the backup, and so on.
Account Status
Section titled “Account Status”| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | Account is ready for collection |
| Confirmed | Mandate verified by GoCardless |
| Failed | Mandate setup or collection failed |
| Cancelled | Mandate has been cancelled |
| Expired | Mandate has expired |
Available actions:
- Mark Expired: Change an active account to expired status
- Reset Account: Return an account to active status
- Refresh Details: Update the account with the latest status from GoCardless
Ending an Account
Section titled “Ending an Account”When an account is cancelled or expires, the Account Ended Date is recorded automatically. The account remains on the customer’s record for audit purposes but is no longer used for collection.
Looking for hassle-free Direct Debit collection integrated with your billing? see how SAFE Billing Platform automates payment collection via GoCardless