The SEPA direct debit functionality in Fact allows the automatic generation of XML files compliant with SEPA standards, ready for submission to banks to collect payments from customers.
Prerequisites
Some conditions must be fulfilled to enable SEPA direct debit payments.
Company Settings
Bank information: The IBAN and SEPA Creditor Identifier (ICS) of the company must be provided.
Payment mode: Direct debit must be activated in Settings.
Customer requirements
Bank details: The customer’s IBAN and BIC must be correctly entered.
SEPA Mandate: A signed SEPA mandate is mandatory, with a minimum waiting period of 15 days between the mandate's signature and the first payment.
Invoice requirements
The payment mode must be set to "Direct debit."
Each invoice must be associated with a valid SEPA mandate.
Invoices must be validated and generated in PDF format.
Configuration Process
1. Company information
Access Settings > General > Payment.
Activate debit in the list of accepted payment modes.
Provide the IBAN and SEPA Creditor Identifier (ICS) in the bank information section.
2. Customer data
Open the Clients section and select the relevant client.
Enter the client’s bank details (IBAN and BIC) in the Payment widget.
Add one or more SEPA mandates.
3. Invoices
Open the Documents section and select an invoice.
Define the payment mode as Debit in the Payment widget and associate the appropriate mandate.
Validate the invoice.
Generate the PDF version of the invoice by downloading it.
Creating a debit
Access Payments section and open Debits tab.
Click Add a debit.
Select eligible invoices and choose Save as Draft or Validate (up to 500 invoices per operation).
Incomplete invoices
Invoices configured for "debit" but not meeting all eligibility criteria will appear in the incomplete invoices for debit filter. Potential issues include:
Missing or incorrect SEPA Creditor Identifier (ICS).
Incomplete client data (missing IBAN or mandate).
The absence of an associated mandate for the invoice.
Post-creation actions
If the debit is a draft
When a direct debit is saved as a draft:
No payments generated: The invoices remain unchanged, with no payments created or reflected in their balances or statuses.
SEPA file unavailable: The XML file required for bank submission cannot be downloaded until the draft is validated.
Invoice constraints: The draft's amount is factored into the remaining balance of the associated invoices:
If the draft amount and other payments equal the invoice total, no additional payments can be added.
If the total is not reached, additional payments can be made, but only for the remaining balance after deducting the draft and other payments.
Validate a debit
To finalize a draft and generate the SEPA XML file:
Open the draft by selecting the relevant entry in the Direct Debits list.
Validate the draft in the pop-up window displaying its details.
Once validated:
Payments are automatically created, updating the balances and statuses of the associated invoices.
The SEPA XML file can be downloaded from the options menu (three-dot icon) next to the validated direct debit.
Manage rejected direct debits
Rejected direct debits can be partially or fully canceled:
Select the relevant debit in Debits list.
Choose Reject/Cancel payments from available actions.
.In the displayed window, select the payments to reject and confirm the action (up to 200 payments per operation).
Impact of Rejections
Rejected payments are flagged with the status Rejected.
Invoice statuses and balances are updated accordingly.
If the payment was already sent to accounting, a reverse entry is created.
Debits status
Statut | Description | Available actions |
Draft | Payments are not created, and the invoices remain unchanged. | Validate, Delete |
Validated | All payments are created and reflected in the associated invoices. | Download, Reject |
Partially Rejected | Some payments are validated, while others are rejected. | Download, Reject |
Rejected | All payments are rejected and no longer considered for the associated invoices. | - |
Pending * | Contains payments in draft, validated, or rejected states. | Validate * |
* Pending status is inherited from previous versions of Fact and cannot be used for new debits. Validation is required before rejecting a pending direct debit.
Handling large volumes
For direct debits involving numerous invoices, operations such as creation, validation, rejection, or deletion may take several minutes due to processing requirements.
Processing limits
Creation, validation, and deletion operations are limited to 500 invoices per operation.
Rejection operations are limited to 200 payments per batch.
Progress indicators
A progress banner is displayed at the top of Fact’s main pages during ongoing operations, keeping the user informed of the status.
Temporary action restrictions
While the operation is processing:
Actions on other debits, such as creation, validation, or deletion, are unavailable.
New payments cannot be created.
Actions involving payments on the affected invoices, such as payment creation or credit note validation, are temporarily blocked.