There are 4 steps available in the Direct Debit Process

• Direct Debit Start
• Direct Debit Assigned To Batch
• Direct Debit Processing
• Direct Debit Error

Direct Debit Start
When a new Payment Txn is created as part of a Reoccurring Payment. Only Txns with this status will be available to add to Direct Debit Batches. If a Txn has been marked as Direct Debit Error, the Reoccuring Processor updates it back to Direct Debit Start the following day when it runs so it becomes available again to add to other Batches.

Direct Debit Assigned To Batch
Once Txns have been selected and the Add to Batch button has been pressed, the Txns will be updated to Direct Debit Assigned to Batch. Only Txns with this status will be added to the ABA file when it is extracted.

Direct Debit Processing
To created and ABA file, press the Extract button on the Batch. Once this happens, all Txns in the batch will be updated to Direct Debit Processing.

If you need to created a new ABA file from the same batch to make corrections, make sure all Txns you wish to be included are reverted back to Direct Debit Assigned to Batch. Otherwise they will not be included in any subsiquent ABA files created.

Direct Debit Error
Any Txns that were not successfully deducted, or are incorrectly added, mark these as Error (do not click the delete option next to the Txn). This number of attempts on the Recurring Payment will increase by 1.

Similar to credit card attempts, the following day the Recurring Processor will create a new Payment Txn set to Direct Debit start to be available to add to the next Direct Debit batch.

This process will repeat until it has reached the attempt amount specified on the Direct Debit attempts amount on the Merchant Facility. When it reaches the limit, it will change the Recurring Payment status to Suspended.

Additional information can be found here on the Direct Debit Process

Please Note: As of March 2020 the Direct Debit process has changed

• Direct Debits has it's own retry attempts field on the Merchant Facility, rather than using the same field as credit card Recurring Payments. This field is set to 1 by default,. This can be edited.
• Direct Debits create a new Payment Txn per attempt. Previously the status of an errored Payment Txn would be changed back to Direct Debit start so it could be re-attempted in a future Direct Debit batch if more attempts were available.

For Regular Payments, the next Payment Txn will not be created until the date of the next payment due. So therefore only payments due today or before today will be available to add to a Direct Debit Batch.

Eg: Your client pays on the 16th of each month, the Payment Txn will be created when the Reoccurring Processor runs on the 16th. The Reoccurring Processor is set to run automatically at 1am each morning.

The correct way of removing is to select the Payment Txn tick box of any that you would like removed and click the Mark Error(s) button. This will then change their Status to Direct Debit Error and not include them in that batch. This is the same process. Any Direct Debit Error Txns will be updated the following day

If a particular Payment Txn needs to be available straight away to another batch, update the Status manually to Direct Debit Start.

The first time a Batch is extracted, it will update all Txns to the status Direct Debit Processing. Txns that have Direct Debit Processing therefore be added to subsiquent ABA files that are extracted. Only Txns with the status Direct Debit Assigned to Batch are available.

Update the Txns to be included as Direct Debit Assigned to Batch and then extract again.

The first time and ABA file is extracted it will populate the No. in Batch and Total Batch Amount details.

Any ABA files that are extracted after that, the fields No. In Last Extracted File and Total Amount in Last Extract will update with each new file with the latest file totals.

When a batch is completed, the original with the totals from the latest ABA file.

Direct Debit Payment Txns will only be available to add to a Direct Debit Batch if they have the exact Merchant Facility and Payment Form as each other. Double check that they are the same on both the Payment Txn and the new Direct Debit Batch.

This FAQ is applicable to those using the Australian ABA banking format.https://www.xappex.com/

The Statement Descriptor used on the ABA file and hence on the payer/donors statement and on the returns reference is derived from:

1. If the Statement Text on the Direct Debit Batch then this is used
2. Otherwise, if specified on the Recurring  Payment in the field Statement Text then that is used
3. Otherwise, if specified on the Merchant Facility in the field Statement Text then that is used
4. Otherwise, the Payment Txn Name is used

Please check the related Payment Form->Recurring Payments Type field.  Check if the Recurring Payments Type is assigned to Variable?

Variable means the Payment Txn gets generated.  Then you can update the Amount and change the Status to "Payment Start" to initiate the transaction.  This is useful for us internally as an example.  We generate the transaction, run a process that calculates the monthly charge based of the number of transactions a customer has completed, then change the status to payment Start to charge the customer.

If the above is the case, you can change the status to Payment Start.

Then, update the Payment Form "Recurring Payment Type" to "Regular" for future processing.

If the above is not the case, please check the Error logs for a date/time created that is similar to the Payment Txn generation.

The Status "Direct Debit Processing" means the Payments have been submitted to EziDebit for processing and we are waiting for a response back from EziDebit (and in turn the account holders bank).  

For Direct Debits, this takes several days to process.  Each of the transactions go through different banks and they can get a response at different times.  Generally 3 - 5 days after charging.  It will change to Payment Complete (and through other status's) if successful or Error if not.

You'll probably get an email from EziDebit when the transactions have processed as well.

The updates happen at 1 am in the morning. Please wait for 3-5 days to let the transactions to complete.

You will need to use a tool such as Salesforce's Data Loader or 3rd parties such as Xappex to update all Payment Txns where the field AAkPay__Direct_Debit_Batch__c on the Payment Txn matches the record Id for the Direct Debit Batch.

If you are seeing no entries to add to a Direct Debit Batch, then check:

1. The Merchant Facility and Payment Form entered at the Batch Level are exactly the same as the ones entered against the Direct Debit "Recurring Payment" records.
2. The previous months batch was correctly closed off.
   1. After the bank has imported your file, you will need do one of the following for transactions in error:
      Check errors - Manual Method (This is for marking a small number of transactions in error one at a time)
      Check errors - Import Returns (This is a bulk way of importing transactions that are in error)tt
   2. AND for transactions that do not have an error:
      Mark transactions as complete (this will activate recurring payment processes)
      
      Please check the below article which explains the step: How to process Direct Debits after banking

The "Inactive" status means the Payment Txn would not have been generated.  Please see FAQ: What is required to make a Recurring Payment available to be charged.

HOWEVER, The following scenario may exist:

1. There is an active Direct Debit Recurring Payment  with "Next Payment Date" is 6th of January. 
   On the 6th, a the Recurring Payment Processor will create Payment Txn.
   This is waiting to be added to a Direct Debit batch.
2. If the Direct Debit Recurring Payment is then made "Inactive" of the 7th of January.
3. If a Direct Debit batch were to be created on the 8th of January and Payment Txn's for processing were to be added, then the one created on the 6th of Jan would be added as it is still open.
   Making the Recurring Direct Debit inactive on the 7th, does NOT close/cancel the ones that have already been generated for processing.