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SEPA Credit Transfer rulebook and implementation guidelines

SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) is among the favourite payment methods of citizens and businesses in Europe, and a convenient alternative to cash and cheques.

SEPA Credit Transfer rulebook

Payment service providers providing services can find on this page information to help them implement the scheme.

SCT rulebook currently in effect

The rulebook currently in effect up to 19 November 2023 is the 2021 rulebook version 1.2. The version 1.2 has no specific impact on the business and operational rules compared to the version 1.1 of the 2021 rulebook.

Read more about the 2021 SCT rulebook version 1.2

The Implementation Guidelines of the version 1.2 of the 2021 rulebook are based on the relevant ISO 20022 XML message standards.

Read more about the 2021 SCT scheme Customer-to-PSP IGs version 1.0 

Read more about the 2021 SCT scheme Inter-PSP IGs version 1.0

Do you want to use the ’s Intellectual Property Rights related to its payment schemes’ rulebooks and implementation guidelines for non-euro transactions? Click here for more information.

2023 SCT rulebook

The 2023 rulebook version 1.0 enters into force on 19 November 2023 and is applicable up to and including 22 November 2025.

Read more about the 2023 SCT rulebook version 1.0  

The Implementation Guidelines are based on the 2019 message version of the ISO 20022 standard. 

Read more about the 2023 SCT Customer-to-PSP IGs version 1.0 

Read more about the 2023 SCT Inter-PSP IGs version 1.0  

The also published a separate guidance document about the migration to the 2019 message version of ISO 20022.
Main changes introduced in the 2023 SCT rulebook
  • To formally enable the scheme to cater for both retail and Financial Institution-to-Financial Institution payment use cases, the term ‘Customer’ is replaced by the term ‘Payment Service User’ ( ) including an appropriate definition for this new term. The definitions of the terms ‘Originator’ and ’Beneficiary’ are amended whereby also payment service providers ( ) can take up these roles. Related to this, the definition of the term ‘Payment Account’ is changed indicating that such account can be held by a as well. Also, some obligations of the Originator and of the Beneficiary in the rulebook sections 5.7 and 5.8 are amended.
  • Provision of the structured address of the payment service user:

    As of 19 November 2023, payment service users are allowed to send a structured address of the Originator and/or the Beneficiary in electronic Customer-to- files based on at least the Customer-to- Implementation Guidelines ( ). From that same date, also scheme participants are allowed to provide structured addresses in their Inter- payment messages and r-transactions.

    In view of the above, all scheme participants must be able to support the delivery of structured addresses when payment service users and scheme participants want a structured address in their outgoing and incoming payments. scheme participants cannot reject payments only due to the inclusion of a structured address.

    The use of an unstructured address will still be possible and supported by the scheme up to and including 22 November 2025.

    As of 23 November 2025, the use of the structured address will become mandatory for Inter- payment messages where applicable, and for payment service users when they send electronic Customer-to- files based on at least the Customer-to- . From that date, the use of an unstructured address will no longer be allowed and will hence lead to rejects.
     
  • Extra clarifications about the charging principles.
     
  • Inclusion of the Proxy/Alias of the payment account of the Originator and/or of the payment account of the Beneficiary as an optional attribute in certain datasets. This attribute is an element supplied by the Originator and cannot substitute the IBAN as unique identifier for a payment account.
     
  • Amendments to the inquiry procedure and datasets which formalise clarifications already published by the in the year 2021. 

Important reminder: back in 2020, the already decided upon the following changes for the 2023 rulebook: 

  • Migrate all ISO 20022 standard-based XML payment messages used under the scheme, to the 2019 version of the ISO 20022 standard.
  • Align the attribute numbering between the four payment scheme rulebooks as of the respective 2023 rulebooks.

Annex IV of the 2023 rulebook version 1.0 lists all changes since the version 1.0 of the 2021 rulebook.