Risk management
PASA Rules
The Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) enforces strict rules for debit order processing. Compliance is mandatory to avoid penalties and processing disruptions.
Valid Mandates
Every debit order requires a valid mandate that complies with PASA and bank minimum requirements.
Penalties: R1,000 per non-compliant mandate during PASA spot audits.
Mandate Retention
Retain all mandates for 7 years after the last transaction. PASA can audit any merchant account at random.
Abbreviated Name
Your abbreviated name:
- Must be PASA-registered
- Appears on customer bank statements
- Should accurately reflect your trading name
- Maximum 10 characters
Minimum Mandate Requirements
Paper Mandates
Requirement
Account number
Type of account
Branch number
Frequency of debit
Abbreviated name on statement
Contract reference
Commencement/action date
Start and termination date
Beneficiary name
Beneficiary contact details
Amount (escalation, variable, max limits)
Signature of account holder
Voice Mandates
Requirement
Abbreviated name on statement
Beneficiary name
Call centre name
Contact telephone number
Contract reference number
Current date
Commencement/action date
Payer's bank details
Surname and initials of account holder
Value of debit amount
Additional voice mandate requirements:
- Written confirmation within 21 days before first debit
- Inform customer of recording
- Inform customer of contract reference and abbreviated name
- Use reliable, preferably SABS-approved recording devices
- Index recordings for easy retrieval
Electronic Mandates
Requirement
Account number
Type of account
Branch number
Frequency of debit
Abbreviated name on statement
Contract reference
Commencement/action date
Start and termination date
Beneficiary name
Beneficiary contact details
Amount (escalation, variable, max limits)
Electronic signature of account holder
IP address and location coordinates
Managing Unpaid Collections
PASA rules for handling failed collections:
| Scenario | Rule |
|---|---|
| Returned "Unpaid" | Cannot resubmit until next mandated date |
| 2 consecutive "Not provided for" | Cannot resubmit without new mandate |
| "Account Closed" or "Payment Stopped" | Cannot resubmit at all |
| System/technical error | May resubmit after corrections |
Unpaid timeframe: Other banks return unpaid instructions within 4 business days of action date (EFT only).
Managing Disputes
Customers can dispute both EFT and DebiCheck collections:
| Timeframe | Process |
|---|---|
| Within 40 days | Bank returns transaction immediately |
| After 40 days | Bank notifies merchant, 30 days to provide mandate |
| No mandate provided | Bank debits merchant, refunds customer |
Dispute Reasons
- The transaction lacks proper mandate authorisation
- Transaction violates mandate terms
- The mandate was cancelled
Note: For voice-recorded mandates, bank immediately debits merchant upon dispute notification.
Cut-off Times Summary
| Service | Weekday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|
| EFT Same-day | 08:00-16:20 | 08:00-09:45 |
| EFT One-day | 08:00-16:00 | 08:00-10:15 |
| EFT Two-day | 08:00-14:30 (2 days prior) | 08:00-09:00 |
| DebiCheck/RMS | 08:00-16:00 (2 days prior) | 08:00-11:00 (2 days prior) |
| DebiCheck TT1/TT2 | 03:00-18:30 | 03:00-18:30 |
| AVS-R | 24 hours | 24 hours |
Bank Codes
Bank Names (API Format)
| Bank | API Value |
|---|---|
| ABSA Bank | ABSA |
| Standard Bank | STANDARDBANK |
| First National Bank | FNB |
| Nedbank | NEDBANK |
| Capitec Bank | CAPITEC |
| Investec Bank | INVESTEC |
| Bidvest Bank | BIDVEST |
Common Branch Codes
| Bank | Branch Code |
|---|---|
| ABSA | 632005, 632500 |
| Standard Bank | 051001 |
| FNB | 250655 |
| Nedbank | 198765 |
| Capitec | 470010 |
| Investec | 580105 |
