Getting started
Agreement with the bank
Before you can start using the Autogiro service, your company must sign an agreement with the bank. You must then send a test file to Bankgirocentralen. The test file must contain both consents and payment assignments.
When your company is ready to sign an agreement with your bank concerning Autogiro, there are a number of points to consider. These are described in the following section.
Autogiro Privat or Autogiro Företag
- Autogiro Företag is used by companies whose customers are primarily companies. In the case of Autogiro Företag, the payer must be affiliated to Bankgirot and have a Bankgiro number.
- Autogiro Privat is aimed at companies whose customers are primarily private individuals. In the case of Autogiro Privat, the payer has no Bankgiro number and the debits are made directly from the payer’s bank account.
Block on credits
In the agreement, your company can state that credits are not permitted. If a payment assignment which you send to Bankgirot contains a credit, Bankgirot will reject it and not process it further. It will be reported in the Format error list provided by Bankgirot.
Retries
When you sign an agreement with your bank, you must decide whether Bankgirot is to attempt retries to determine whether there are sufficient funds in accounts. You can agree on up to three retries. A description of how retries are carried out is given below:
| STEP | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 1 | On the morning of the payment day, Bankgirot will send a data file to the banks of all payers. The bank will then approve the debit from the payer’s bank account, provided there are sufficient funds in the account. Note that as the balance check is performed early in the morning on the payment day, the payer must have sufficient funds in his or her bank account on the bank working day before the payment day. |
| 2 | If the bank does not approve the debit, it will notify Bankgirot accordingly. Bankgirot will report this payment item to the payee in the Sufficient funds checklist (Täckningskontrollista). If the payee has not chosen the retries option, the payment item will be marked with the comment Non-sufficient funds (Täckning saknas). If the payee has chosen retries, the payment item will be marked with the comment Renewed coverage (Förnyad täckning). |
| 3 | On the following business day, Bankgirot will perform another test for the payment items that were marked Renewed coverage on the previous bank working day. If the bank does not approve the payment on this occasion either, repeated attempts will be made until either the agreed maximum number of retries is reached or the payment is approved by the payer’s bank. |
| 4 | If the payment is not approved on the last attempt, Bankgirot will notify the payee accordingly in the Sufficient funds checklist by inserting the comment Non-sufficient funds. |
Payer number and weighing code
In Autogiro Privat, the payer number is used to identify a payer and to link the payer to the right bank account number. Each payer must therefore have a unique payer number. As payer number, you can use different types of terms which you use in your customer register to identify your customers. To increase the security of Autogiro Privat, the agreement contains information on a weighing code for the payer number. Depending on the weighing code you specified in the agreement, Bankgirot will check the payer number on the basis of, for example, a 10-module control.
NOTE! Only use the type of payer number that you have agreed with your bank.
This table shows the checks that are available and the weighing code you should specify in the agreement:
| TYPE OF PAYER NUMBER | WEIGHING CODE |
|---|---|
| Bank account number (not recommended) | 1 |
| National ID number | 2 |
| Other number which must be checked in accordance with 10-module | 3 |
| Other number which must be checked in accordance with 11-module | 4 |
| Other number which is not to be checked | 5 |
Recipient directory
Bankgirot’s website and the internet banks have a directory of payees. The banks’ customers can search for the payees they wish to make payments to via Autogiro. By participating in the payee directory, your company can market the fact that you use Autogiro, which may encourage more payers to use this method of payment. Contact your bank if you wish to participate in Autogiro’s payee directory.
Test sendning
Before you can start using Autogiro, you must carry out a test sending with satisfactory results. The procedure for carrying out a test sending is as follows:
| STEP | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 1 | When you have signed the agreement with the bank, you will receive a welcome letter from Bankgirot, informing you that you can now carry out the test sending. |
| 2 | Create some consents and payment assignments using authentic data in Pagero Autogiro Mikro. |
| 3 | Send the data file to Bankgirot. Use the delivery method that you agreed with your bank. State that it is a test file you are sending. For instructions on how to indicate in your communication program that it is a test file and how to use a test authentication key, see the program documentation or contact the communication program supplier. |
| 4 | Bankgirot will receive and check your test file. If the file is correct, you will receive written confirmation that you can start using Autogiro. If the file contains errors, your company will be contacted by Bankgirot’s customer test group, who will state what the errors consist of and advise what your company should do to rectify them. |
The payer in autogiro
This section is intended to provide support for your company if you need to answer questions from your customers concerning Autogiro.
Signing consent
The payer can sign to give their consent in one of two ways:
- By completing, signing and sending in a form (Autogiro notification, consent or BG 600 P) to your company.
- By giving their consent via their internet bank (if your company has chosen to participate in Autogiro electronic consent).
In connection with each change, when a customer signs a new consent form or when a consent is cancelled, the payer will receive confirmation from his bank.
Confirmation of completed payment
The payer in Autogiro receives confirmation from their bank that the payment has been completed.
Stopping of payment assignments
- Stopping an individual payment: The payer can stop an individual debit by contacting their company no later than two banking days before the due date.
- Stopping all payments concerning a particular consent: The payer can stop all debits concerning a particular consent by contacting their bank. All payments that are based on the consent that has been stopped will be rejected until the stop is cancelled at the request of the payer. If the payer does not ask for the stop to be cancelled within 45 banking days, the consent will be cancelled by Bankgirot. The payer’s bank will give instructions on what the payer should do in order to request that the consent be stopped.
Change of account number or bank
If a payer wishes to change bank account number for their payments in Autogiro, they should contact their bank.
Cancellation of consents
The payer’s bank may cancel a payer’s consent in certain circumstances, e.g. if:
- The payer has closed their bank account with the bank.
- The payer has misused their bank account with the bank.
- The payer has asked the bank to terminate the consent.
- The payer’s bank is entitled to terminate the payer’s affiliation to Autogiro 30 days after the bank has notified the payer.
- A consent will remain valid until cancelled. The payer may terminate a consent by contacting their bank or your company. The consent will cease to apply no later than five banking days after the recall is received by the payer’s bank or your company.
Step-by-step
A brief description is given below of the steps which must be followed in order to receive payments from a new Autogiro customer.
| STEP | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 1 | The payer signs a consent form and thereby gives his consent to the payee requesting debits from the payer’s bank account. There are two ways in which the payer can give their consent:
|
| 2 | The payer invoices the payer. |
| 3 | The payee summaries the payment assignments in a data file and sends it to Bankgirot. |
| 4 | On the payment date, the payer’s bank checks to ensure there are sufficient funds in the payer’s account. |
| 5 | If there are sufficient funds in the account, the money will be deposited in the payee’s bank account. |
| 6 | The payee will receive a report on payments from Bankgirot. |
| 7 | The payer will be notified of completed payments from their bank. |
Consent
The basis for the payee being entitled to request payments from the payer’s account is that the payer gives his consent to the payee. The payer can give his consent to the payee in one of two ways:
- Consent on a form to the payee.
- Electronic consent to their internet bank.
A description of how these consents work is given below:
Form-based consent
| STEP | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 1 | The payee sends consent forms to their customers (payers). |
| 2 | The payer fills in and signs the form and then returns it to the payee. |
| 3 | The payee registers the consent and sends the information to Bankgirot. The payee archives the consent that they received from the payer (in accordance with the Swedish Annual Accounts Act). |
| 4 | Bankgirot enters the information concerning the new consent in its consent register. |
| 5 | If the payer or the specified bank account is not already listed in the consent register, Bankgirot will check that the payer’s bank will allow the bank account to be debited in Autogiro. |
| 6 | Bankgirot will collate a data file: Consent notification, which the payee receives from Bankgirot. The file contains confirmations of approved consents and error messages for rejected consents. The payee can also receive this information in a list. The payer’s bank sends a notification to the payer when the consent has been approved by the bank. |
| 7 | No earlier than six calendar days after the information on the new consent has been received by Bankgirot, the payee can execute the first payment from the payer’s account. |
Electronic consent
Electronic consent means that the payer can give, change or cancel their consents via their internet bank. Electronic consent is simpler for the payee, as the process can be automated.
| STEP | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| 1 | The payer registers a new electronic consent with their internet bank. Information on the consent is forwarded by the internet bank via Bankgirot to the payee. |
| 2 | The payee receives information on new electronic consents in a data file from Bankgirot. Pagero Presentation will help you to view incoming material. |
| 3 | The payee checks that the information in the electronic consent is correct. If the payer number specified by the payer is incorrect, the payee may alter it to the correct payer number. Within no more than six banking days, the payee must send a reply to Bankgirot, stating whether they approve or reject the consent.
If the payee receives information on electronic consents in a data file, the payee must return a data file containing information on whether the consent is approved or rejected. When the payee receives information concerning electronic consents in lists (forms), the payee will approve or reject them and return the list to Bankgirot. |
| 4 | Bankgirot will send a notification to the payer’s internet bank, stating that the consent has been approved or rejected (in the case of some banks, the payer will be notified by post). |
The main window
The program’s main window contains a number of icons and headings. These are explained below:
| Open file: | Opens an existing Autogiro file. |
| Save file: | Based on the information that has been registered, an Autogiro file will be created. The file follows Bankgirot’s standard and is ready to be sent. |
| View file: | Displays the file which is currently open as it was when it was last saved. This applies if you have Pagero Presentation. |
| Consent: | Creates a new consent; see the section entitled ‘Consent’. |
| Payment assignment: | Creates a new payment assignment; see the section entitled ‘Payment assignment’. |
| Cancellation: | Creates a new cancellation or change; see the section entitled ‘Cancellations and changes’. |
| Edit: | After a row has been highlighted in one of the three lists, the information can be altered here. |
| Delete: | After a row has been highlighted in one of the three lists, the information can be deleted here. |
| Settings: | Adjusts the program settings; see the section entitled ‘Settings’. |
| Help: | Opens the help file. |
| Payment assignment: | The list containing information on all payment assignments which are contained in the open file or which have recently been created. |
| Consents: | The list containing information on all consents which are contained in the open file or which have recently been created. |
| Cancellations and changes: | The list containing information on all cancellations which are contained in the open file or which have recently been created. |
Settings
The information that is specified in this dialog box will be used in the creation of all files.
- Bankgirot’s customer number: Specify the customer number at the Bankgirot at which the Autogiro agreement was signed.
- Bankgiro number: Specify the bank giro number to which the money will be transferred (and where applicable from). The bank giro number may be specified with or without hyphens.
- Privat or Företag: Specify the service in accordance with your agreement. For information on how these services differ, see the section entitled ‘The Autogiro service’.
Consent
- Type of consent: If your customer gave their consent on a form, “Consent on paper” should be selected. If information on the consent was received from Bankgirot, this means that the customer applied for consent via their internet bank. In this case, Autogiro electronic consent should be selected. You should then fill in the information you have received and approve or reject the consent.
- Payer number: See the section on Payer number.
- The payer’s account number: Account numbers are specified with the sort code on the left (four characters) and the account number on the right.
- Unique ID number: When replying to an electronic consent, it is not the account number that is specified but a unique ID number created by Bankgirot. This unique ID number always starts with ‘9918’.
- National ID number or organisation number: National ID numbers are specified according to the format YYYYMMDD-XXXX. The program automatically formats the national ID number if it is written in a different format. If organisation number is used, it must always start with 00.
Payment assignments
- Type of payment assignment: In the case of normal debits from the payer’s account, Debit should be selected, while in order to make a deposit in the payer’s account Creditshould be selected.
- Amount: Specify the amount that is to be debited from the payer’s account.
- Payment date: The date on which the money is to be deducted should be a bank working day in the future, but must not be further forward in time than the current year plus two calendar years.
- Periodicity: In cases where money is to be debited repeatedly, the occasions when this is to take place should be specified here.
- Number: The number of times the debit is to take place should be specified here. If single payment has been chosen as the periodicity, the specified number will be ignored.
- Payer number: See the section on Payer number.
- Reference: It is possible to enter a reference number, e.g. invoice number or other reference for each payment item in the payment basis. The reference is included in feedback reports from Bankgirot. It is not mandatory.
Cancellations and changes
Using this dialog box, it is possible to cancel payment assignments and consents, and change existing payment assignments. It is not possible to alter any information other than the payment date (e.g. amount). It is also not possible to change the payment date for self-renewing assignments.
In order to alter information other than the payment date or alter the payment date for self-renewing assignments, the original payment assignment must be cancelled and a new payment assignment created with the correct information.
- Type of cancellation or change: When cancelling, it is possible to select a consent. There are also alternatives for which transactions are to be cancelled/altered.
- Payer number: If the bank account number is used as the payer number (not recommended), zeroes must be specified between the sort code and the account number, so that the total length is 16 characters. See also the section on Payer number.
- Payment date: The date on which the transaction is to take place should be specified here. It is important that this date corresponds with the information that was previously submitted for the payment assignment.
- New payment date: In cases where a transaction is to be rescheduled to a new date, this should be specified here. For information on the applicable rules, see the section on Payment date.
- Amount: The transaction amount should be specified here. It is important that this value corresponds with the information that was previously submitted for the payment assignment.
- Transaction type: Here, you should state whether it is a debit or a credit that is to be cancelled/altered.
Payer number
In Autogiro Privat, the payer number is used to identify the payee’s payer and to link the payer to the right bank account number. Each payer must therefore have a unique payer number. For payer number, the system can use different types of terms which the payee uses in its customer register to identify its customers, e.g. national ID number, customer number or similar.
NOTE!
- It is important that the type of payer number that is used in the payee’s accounts system corresponds with the weighing code that the payee specified in the agreement with their bank. See the table in the section entitled “Getting started”.
- If the bank account number is used as the payer number, zeroes must be specified between the sort code and the account number, so that the total length is 16 characters.