Australian banks (CommBank, Westpac, NAB, ANZ and most others) accept bulk payments as an ABA file, also called a Cemtex or direct entry file. PayBatchKit turns a payroll or supplier spreadsheet into one, in your browser.
How it works
- Keep one row per payee: Account name, BSB, Account number, Amount, and optionally Reference (shown on the payee's statement, 18 characters).
- Enter your bank's 3-letter code, your user name and 6-digit Direct Entry User ID (both from your bank), your BSB and account, and the processing date.
- Download the
.abafile and upload it in your online banking.
The format in one minute
- Every line is exactly 120 characters.
- Line type 0 is the header: your bank, user name, user ID, description and the date (DDMMYY).
- Type 1 lines are payments: BSB as
NNN-NNN, account number right-aligned in 9 characters, transaction code (53 pay, 50 general credit, 13 debit), amount in cents, account name, reference, and a trace BSB and account (yours) for returns. - Type 7 is the total line: net, credit and debit totals and the number of type-1 lines.
What gets checked
- BSB is 6 digits and account numbers are 1 to 9 digits
- Amounts in cents, positive, at most 2 decimals; totals recomputed for the type-7 line
- Names and references cut to the field widths (32 and 18) with accents converted
- Optional self-balancing debit line for banks that ask for a balanced file
Our test suite re-reads every generated file with an independent parser that checks each record's positions, totals and counts.
FAQ
Do I need a balancing record? Most Australian banks do not want one and debit your account themselves. Some ask for a balanced file; if your bank does, switch on the self-balancing record.
Where do I find my Direct Entry User ID? Your bank issues it when you sign up for bulk or direct entry payments (sometimes called the APCA or user identification number). Some banks accept a default value; ask your bank which to use.
Is my data uploaded? No. The page runs entirely in your browser.
Free? Files with up to 5 payments are free; Pro removes the limit.