Domestic
PAYMENTS SIGNAL · REFERENCE CARDBacs Direct Credit
A UK Bacs Direct Credit pushes a salary payment from employer to employee through a fixed three-working-day batch cycle, where nothing moves until entry day.
Actors
- Asha Traders (employer)customer
- Bank Alfa (payer bank)bank
- Bacs (Pay.UK)infrastructure
- Nordbank (payee bank)bank
- Riya (employee)customer
Messages
- Bacs Standard 18 payment file
The sequence
| # | Step | Route | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 1 · Submit file — Day 1 — Asha Traders submits the Bacs payment file | Asha Traders → Bacs | message |
| 2 | Day 1 · Validate — Day 1 — Bacs validates and accepts the file | Bacs | internal |
| 3 | Day 2 · Process — Day 2 — Bacs processes the file and passes entries to the banks | Bacs → Nordbank | clearing |
| 4 | Day 3 · Settle — Day 3 — Interbank settlement in central bank money | Bank Alfa → Nordbank | settlement |
| 5 | Day 3 · DR payer — Day 3 — Asha Traders is debited | Bank Alfa | posting |
| 6 | Day 3 · CR payee — Day 3 — Riya is credited | Nordbank | posting |
Exception rails
| Rail | Trigger | Where the money ends up | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automated Return: invalid account | On entry day Nordbank finds the payee's account details are wrong or the account is closed, so the credit cannot be applied. | Returned to Asha Traders after the Automated Return worked back through the cycle — Riya was never credited. · The original entry settled on Day 3; the return is reversed through a later cycle, not instantly. | Nordbank — Asha Traders corrects Riya's sort code and account number and resubmits on the next cycle. |