Disbursements (ABA & BPAY): ABA file

Creating and managing ABA and BPAY disbursement files

ABA File

This page details the structure of the disbursements aba file.

Record Selection

  • Contracts / Contract "Company" is the same as the selected company OR Contracts / Contract "Client" is the same as the selected client

  • The contract is linked to an Employees / Item record

  • The transaction is:

    • a claim OR

    • a payment

  • The transaction "Payment Method" is 'Direct Credit'

  • If the "Payee" is:

    • 'Supplier', then the supplier's "BSB Number" and "Bank Account Number" must be populated correctly

    • Otherwise, the "Payee" can be 'Employee' or 'Driver' and the transaction must contain a stored Bank Account

  • The transaction is posted

  • The transaction has not already been paid on a previous aba file

Negative Transactions

When negative Claims and/or Payments have been raised, they will be included / excluded as detailed below.

When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier'

  • Include all transactions (both negative and positive) in data set

  • If batch total is positive:

    • Create the batch

    • Group and Sum transactions by Supplier

  • If batch total is negative:

    • Exclude records, no batch is created

    • Negative transactions will remain pending until the next positive batch's total amount exceeds the total amount of the pending negative transactions

For All Other Setups

"Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Payment Reference' "Payee" = 'Employee' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' "Payee" = 'Employee' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Payment Reference'

  • Negative amounts will be excluded

  • If batch total is positive:

    • Create the batch

    • Payments will be grouped by the Payment Schedule

    • Claims will be grouped by Contract

  • If the batch total is negative:

    • Exclude records, no batch is created

    • Negative transactions will remain pending until the next positive batch's total amount exceeds the total amount of the pending negative transactions

Note: Currently, all Employees / Item records are linked to contracts where the Contract Type "Group" is 'Salary Packaged'. This will be relaxed in future when all claim and payment records have populated "Payee" and "Payment Method" data.

Record Grouping

Suppliers / Account "ABA Format Type":

  • 'Payment Reference' creates a separate ABA file row for each eligible claim and payment transaction

  • 'Supplier' groups claims or payments being paid to a supplier into one totalled row. This grouping will only be done when the claim or payment "Payee" is also set as 'Supplier'

ABA Type = Client

When the selected "ABA Type" = 'Client', the name of the ABA file will be constructed using the Client details.

(yyyymmdd)disbursements_{client_code}_{client_name}.aba

These will display on the file as follows.

ABA Type = Company

When the selected "ABA Type" = 'Company', the name of the ABA file will be constructed using the Client details.

(yyyymmdd)disbursements_{company_id}_{company_name}.aba

These will display on the file as follows.

Header Record

Character Position

Field Size

Field Description

Specification

Company

1

1

Record Type 0

Must be '0'

2-18

17

Blank

Must be blank filled

19-20

2

Reel Sequence Number

Must be numeric commencing at 01. Right justified. Zero filled

21-23

3

Name of User's Financial Institution

Must be approved Financial Institution abbreviation. Westpac's abbreviation is "WBC"

24-30

7

Blank

Must be blank filled

31-56

26

Name of User supplying file

Must be User Preferred Specification as advised in Application. Left justified, blank filled. All coded character set valid. Must not be all blanks

57-62

6

Number of User supplying file

Must be User Identification Number which is allocated by APCA. Must be numeric, right justified, zero filled

where = 'becs'

63-74

12

Description of entries on file e.g. "PAYROLL"

All coded character set valid. Must not be all blanks. Left justified, blank filled

where = 'becs'

75-80

6

Date to be processed (i.e. the date transactions are released to all Financial Institutions)

Must be numeric in the format of DDMMYY. Must be a valid date. Zero filled

new field

81-120

40

Blank

Must be blank filled

Detail Record

Character Position

Field Size

Field Description

Specification

Company

1

1

Record Type 1

Must be '1'

2-8

7

Bank / State / Branch Number

Must be numeric with a hyphen in character position 5. Character positions 2 and 3 must equal valid Financial Institution number. Character position 4 must equal a valid State number (0-9)

9-17

9

Account number to be credited / debited

Numeric, hyphens and blanks only are valid. Must not contain all blanks or zeros. Leading zeros which are part of a valid account number must be shown, e.g. 00-1234. Westpac recommends that (except in the above example), ALL hyphens are edited out. Where account number exceeds nine characters, edit out hyphens. Right justified, blank filled

18

1

Withholding Tax Indicators

Blank

19-20

2

Transaction Code

Must only be valid industry standard trancodes. Only numeric valid. Use Transaction Code '50' = Externally initiated credit items

21-30

10

Amount

Only numeric valid. Must be greater than zero. Shown in cents without punctuations. Right justified, zero filled. Unsigned

31-62

32

Title of Account to be credited / debited

All coded character set valid. Must not be all blanks. credited/debited Left justified, blank filled. Desirable format: - surname (period) blank - given names with blank between each name

63-80

18

Lodgement Reference

All coded character set valid. Reference as submitted by the User indicating details of the origin of the entry e.g. Payroll number, invoice, contract number. Left justified, blank filled. Must not contain all blanks. Content will be truncated when entry exceeds the 18 character limit

If "Payee" is 'Supplier' and "ABA Format Type" is 'Supplier' then where = 'becs'. If payment is for a Contracts / Claim then. If payment is for a Contracts / Payments then

81-96 (81-87)

16

Trace Record (-BSB Numbering format XXX-XXX)

Bank(FI) / State / Branch and account number of User to enable retracing of the entry to its source if necessary. Only numeric and hyphens valid. Character positions 81 & 82 must equal a valid Financial Institution number. Character position 83 must equal a valid State number (0-9). Character position 84 must be a hyphen

(88-96)

9

(-Account Number)

Right justified, blank filled

97-112

16

Name of Remitter

Name of originator of the entry. This may vary from Name of the User. All coded character set valid. Must not contain all blanks. Left justified, blank filled

113-120

8

Amount of Withholding Tax

Numeric only valid. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled. Unsigned

Detail Record - Self Balancing

If the "ABA Type" is 'Company' and is 'no', this record is not generated.

If the "ABA Type" is 'Client' and Clients / Packaging Defaults "ABA Self Balancing" is unchecked, this record is not generated.

Work in progress.

Character Position

Field Size

Field Description

Specification

Company

1

1

Record Type 1

Must be '1'

2-8

7

Bank / State / Branch Number

Must be numeric with a hyphen in character position 5. Character positions 2 and 3 must equal valid Financial Institution number. Character position 4 must equal a valid State number (0-9)

9-17

9

Account number to be credited / debited

Numeric, hyphens and blanks only are valid. Must not contain all blanks or zeros. Leading zeros which are part of a valid account number must be shown, e.g. 00-1234. Westpac recommends that (except in the above example), ALL hyphens are edited out. Where account number exceeds nine characters, edit out hyphens. Right justified, blank filled

18

1

Withholding Tax Indicators

Blank

19-20

2

Transaction Code

Must only be valid industry standard trancodes. Only numeric valid. Use Transaction Code '13' = Externally initiated debit items

21-30

10

Amount

Only numeric valid. Must be greater than zero. Shown in cents without punctuations. Right justified, zero filled. Unsigned

SUM of Credits. If Suppliers / Account "ABA Format Type" is set as 'Supplier'

31-62

32

Title of Account to be credited / debited

All coded character set valid. Must not be all blanks. credited/debited Left justified, blank filled. Desirable format: - surname (period) blank - given names with blank between each name

63-80

18

Lodgement Reference

All coded character set valid. Reference as submitted by the User indicating details of the origin of the entry e.g. Payroll number, invoice, contract number. Left justified, blank filled. Must not contain all blanks

where = 'becs'

81-96 (81-87)

16

Trace Record (-BSB Numbering format XXX-XXX)

Bank(FI) / State / Branch and account number of User to enable retracing of the entry to its source if necessary. Only numeric and hyphens valid. Character positions 81 & 82 must equal a valid Financial Institution number. Character position 83 must equal a valid State number (0-9). Character position 84 must be a hyphen

(88-96)

9

(-Account Number)

Right justified, blank filled

97-112

16

Name of Remitter

Name of originator of the entry. This may vary from Name of the User. All coded character set valid. Must not contain all blanks. Left justified, blank filled

113-120

8

Amount of Withholding Tax

Numeric only valid. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled. Unsigned

Trailer Record

Character Position

Field Size

Field Description

Specification

1

1

Record Type 7

Must be '7'

2-8

7

BSB Format Filler

Must be '999-999'

9-20

12

Blank

Must be blank filled

21-30

10

File (User) Net Total Amount

Numeric only valid. Must equal the difference between File Credit and File Debit Total Amounts. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled. Unsigned. SUM of Credits less SUM of Debits

31-40

10

File (User) Credit Total Amount

Numeric only valid. Must equal the accumulated total of credit Detail Record amounts. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled. Unsigned. SUM of Credits

41-50

10

File (User) Debit Total Amount

Numeric only valid. Must equal the accumulated total of debit Detail Record amounts. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled. Unsigned. SUM of Debits

75-80

6

File (User) count of records

Numeric only valid. Must equal accumulated number of Record Type 1 items on the file. Right justified, zero filled. COUNT of Details Records

81-120

40

Blank

Must be blank filled

ABA Client Summary

This screen report summarises the expected amounts to be paid in this preview BECS Batch, or the next BPAY Batch for the selected client by contract.

If the 'Balance After Payment' column is 0 for each contract, the BECS Batch can be created.

Balance After Payment is Greater Than 0

If the 'Balance After Payment' column for a contract is greater than 0, then creating the BECS Batch will lead to an over-payment of the benefit.

Investigate and correct the transaction issues.

This situation can arise in the following way:

  • Your client confirmed a Pay Run

  • The Pay Run was Receipted

  • Records in the Pay Run were reversed out later

  • But matching claim or payment records were not reversed

Balance After Payment is Less Than 0

If the 'Balance After Payment' column for a contract is less than 0, then creating the BECS Batch will lead to an under-payment of the benefit.

This may be correct. If the benefit is for a Novated Lease and the payments are scheduled to be paid monthly, but the payroll is weekly or fortnightly, a balance will need to accrue until there are enough funds to pay a monthly instalment in full.

If this is not the explanation for the balance, then you will need to investigate and correct the transaction issue.

Report Selection

Records will only be shown if either:

  • There is a payment that should be present in the ABA file being created

  • There is a payment that should be present in the next BPAY file (created afterwards)

  • The contract has a current balance

Report Fields

  • client_code

  • payment_method

  • given_name

  • surname

  • contract_id

  • description

  • tobepaid

  • current_balance

  • balanceafterpayment (should be 0)

  • suspend_date

  • terminated_date

Set-Up

Contact Catch-e Support to add in this report for you.

Visit the Salary Packaging Set-Up page to check through the complete list of set-up steps.

ABA Preview

This report is a default screen report.

Report Details

  • BECS ID - Blank

  • Bank Account - When "ABA Type" is 'Client' [display client bank account]. When "ABA Type" is 'Company' [display company bank account]

  • Payee - When "Payee" is 'Supplier', show the supplier's name. When "Payee" is 'Employee' or 'Driver', show Bank Account Name if populated, Given Name, Surname

  • BSB - When "Payee" is 'Employee' [Employees/Item BSB Number]. When "Payee" is 'Supplier' [Suppliers/Account BSB Number]

  • Account Number - When "Payee" is 'Employee' [Employees/Item Account Number]. When "Payee" is 'Supplier' [Suppliers/Account Account Number]

  • Contract ID - Employees / Item "Contract ID". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then 0

  • Pay Cycle - Contracts / Billing "Periodic Interval". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Approval ID - If the selected record is a Contracts / Claim [Approval ID]. Otherwise 0

  • Reference - Contracts / Claim "Reference". Contracts / Payment "Supplier Ref". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Date - Contracts / Claim. Contracts / Payment "Post Date". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Class - Contracts / Claim "Budget". Contracts / Payment [Payment Type]. When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Description - Contracts / Claim "Description". Contracts / Payments "Payment Type". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Net - Contracts / Claim Row "Net". Contracts / Payments Row "Net". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then Sum of Amount Net for Supplier's Claims and Payments

  • GST - Contracts / Claim Row "GST". Contracts / Payments Row "GST". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then Sum of Amount GST for Supplier's Claims and Payments

  • Total - Contracts / Claim Row "Total". Contracts / Payments Row "Total". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then Sum of Amount Gross for Supplier's Claims and Payments

ABA Report

This report is a default screen report.

Report Details

  • BECS ID - Displays the selected BECS ID

  • Bank Account - When "ABA Type" is 'Client' [display client bank account]. When "ABA Type" is 'Company' [display company bank account]

  • Payee - When "Payee" is 'Supplier', show the supplier's name. When "Payee" is 'Employee' or 'Driver', show Bank Account Name if populated, Given Name, Surname

  • BSB - When "Payee" is 'Employee' [Employees/Item BSB Number]. When "Payee" is 'Supplier' [Suppliers/Account BSB Number]

  • Account Number - When "Payee" is 'Employee' [Employees/Item Account Number]. When "Payee" is 'Supplier' [Suppliers/Account Account Number]

  • Contract ID - Employees / Item "Contract ID". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then 0

  • Pay Cycle - Contracts / Billing "Periodic Interval". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Approval ID - If the selected record is a Contracts / Claim [Approval ID]. Otherwise 0

  • Reference - Contracts / Claim "Reference". Contracts / Payment "Supplier Ref". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Date - Contracts / Claim. Contracts / Payment "Post Date". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Class - Contracts / Claim "Budget". Contracts / Payment [Payment Type]. When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Description - Contracts / Claim "Description". Contracts / Payments "Payment Type". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then blank

  • Net - Contracts / Claim Row "Net". Contracts / Payments Row "Net". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then Sum of Amount Net for Supplier's Claims and Payments

  • GST - Contracts / Claim Row "GST". Contracts / Payments Row "GST". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then Sum of Amount GST for Supplier's Claims and Payments

  • Total - Contracts / Claim Row "Total". Contracts / Payments Row "Total". When "Payee" = 'Supplier' and the Supplier's "ABA Format Type" = 'Supplier' then Sum of Amount Gross for Supplier's Claims and Payments