The SDD B2B scheme gives both the billers and the business payers efficiency gains thanks to the automation of payment processing, and an improved liquidity, as the bills are automatically paid when they are due.
Scheme participants can find on this page the rulebooks, the Implementation Guidelines (IGs), and other relevant documents to implement the SDD B2B scheme in their systems.
The SDD B2B rulebook currently in effect up to and including 16 March 2024 is the 2021 SDD B2B rulebook version 1.3. Version 1.3 has no specific impact on the business and operational rules compared to versions 1.1 and 1.2 of the 2021 SDD B2B rulebook.
Read more about the 2021 SDD B2B rulebook version 1.3
The Implementation Guidelines of the 2021 SDD B2B rulebook are based on the relevant ISO 20022 XML message standards.
Read more about the 2021 SDD B2B scheme Customer-to-PSP IGs version 1.0
Read more about the 2021 SDD B2B scheme Inter-PSP IGs version 1.0
Read more about the 2021 SDD B2B scheme e-Mandate service IGs version 1.0
Do you want to use the EPC’s Intellectual Property Rights related to its SEPA payment schemes’ rulebooks and implementation guidelines for non-euro transactions? Click here for more information.
The 2023 SDD B2B rulebook version 1.1 enters into force on 17 March 2024 and is applicable up to and including 22 November 2025. Version 1.1 formally replaced version 1.0 of the 2023 SDD B2B rulebook at its publication on 14 November 2023.
Read more about the 2023 SDD B2B rulebook version 1.1
The Implementation Guidelines of the 2023 SDD B2B rulebook are based on the 2019 message version of the ISO 20022 standard.
Read more about the 2023 SDD B2B Customer-to-PSP IGs version 1.1
Read more about the 2023 SDD B2B Inter-PSP IGs version 1.1
Read more about the 2023 SDD B2B e-Mandate service IGs version 1.1
The EPC also published a separate guidance document about the migration to the 2019 message version of ISO 20022.
- To formally enable the SDD B2B 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’ (PSU) including an appropriate definition for this new term. The definitions of the terms ‘Creditor’ and ’Debtor’ are amended whereby also payment service providers (PSPs) 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 PSP as well. Also, some obligations of the Creditor PSP and of the Debtor PSP in the rulebook sections 5.7 and 5.8 are amended.
- Provision of the structured address of the payment service user:
As of 17 March 2024, payment service users are allowed to send a structured address of the Creditor and/or the Debtor in electronic Customer-to-PSP files based on at least the EPC SDD B2B Customer-to-PSP Implementation Guidelines (IGs). From that same date, also SDD B2B scheme participants are allowed to provide structured addresses in their Inter-PSP SDD B2B collection messages and r-transactions.
In view of the above, all SDD B2B scheme participants must be able to support the delivery of structured addresses when payment service users and SDD B2B scheme participants want a structured address in their outgoing and incoming SDD B2B collections. SDD B2B scheme participants cannot reject SDD B2B collections only due to the inclusion of a structured address.
The use of an unstructured address will still be possible and supported by the SDD B2B scheme up to and including 22 November 2025.
As of 23 November 2025, the use of the structured address will become mandatory for Inter-PSP SDD B2B collection messages where applicable, and for payment service users when they send electronic Customer-to-PSP files based on at least the EPC SDD B2B Customer-to-PSP IGs. 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.
Important reminder: back in 2020, the EPC already decided upon the following changes for the 2023 SDD B2B rulebook:
- Migrate all ISO 20022 standard-based XML payment messages used under the SDD B2B scheme, to the 2019 version of the ISO 20022 standard. This migration now takes place on 17 March 2024 instead of 19 November 2023. More information about the change of this migration date can be found in the EPC news item published on 24 October 2023.
- Align the attribute numbering between the four SEPA payment scheme rulebooks as of the respective 2023 rulebooks.
Annex IV of the 2023 SDD B2B rulebook version 1.1 lists all changes since the version 1.0 of the 2021 SDD B2B rulebook.
Guidance on the migration to the 2019 version of the ISO 20022-based XML messaging standard
Guidance on the use of structured addresses under the SEPA payment schemes as of November 2025
Guidance on reason codes for SEPA Direct Debit r-transactions
Clarification paper on SEPA Direct Debit Core and SEPA Direct Debit Business-to-Business rulebooks
Clarification Paper on the Use of Slashes in References, Identifications and Identifiers
Clarification letter on electronic mandates to SEPA Direct Debit scheme participants
Recommendation on customer reporting of SCT and SDD
Explanatory note on use of ‘COR1’ and ‘SMNDA’ in SDD R-transactions
SEPA requirements for an extended character set (UNICODE subset) - best practices
Yearly update of the Payment Threats and Fraud Trends Report