ABA File Format
ABA is the payment instruction file format. DEEDS and DERPS are the associated response file formats returned for ABA files.
Related file formats: DEEDS · DERPS
ABA File Structure
An ABA file consists of three record types:
| Record Type | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Header | "0" | Contains file-level information. There is one Header record at the beginning of the file. |
| Detail | "1" | Represents a single debit or credit transaction. There can be one or more Detail records in a file. |
| Trailer | "7" | Contains the total number and value of transactions in the file. This record is used to verify that the entire file has been received. There is one Trailer record at the end of the file. |
The records always appear in the following order:
Header (0)
↓
Detail (1)
Detail (1)
...
Detail (1)
↓
Trailer (7)Example File Structure
Header Record
0 01WBC USER NAME 123456WAGES 300926Detail Record
1032-001 123456 500000015800EMPLOYEE 01 000001121 032-000 4567890WAGES Payment 00000000Trailer Record
7999-999 000001580000000158000000000000 000001File Specification
Header Record
| No | Field Name | Position | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record Type | 1 | 1 | "0" |
| 2 | Blank | 2-18 | 17 | Blank filled. |
| 3 | Reel Sequence Number | 19-20 | 2 | "01" |
| 4 | Name of User's Financial Institution | 21-23 | 3 | Must be the approved Financial Institution abbreviation. Westpac's abbreviation is "WBC". |
| 5 | Blank | 24-30 | 7 | Blank filled. |
| 6 | Name of User Supplying File | 31-56 | 26 | Must be the User Preferred Specification advised in the application. Left justified and blank filled. Must not contain all blanks. |
| 7 | Number of User Supplying File | 57-62 | 6 | Must be the User Identification Number allocated by APCA. Numeric only, right justified, and zero filled. |
| 8 | Description | 63-74 | 12 | E.g. "PAYROLL". Must not contain all blanks. Left justified and blank filled. |
| 9 | Processing Date | 75-80 | 6 | The date on which transactions are released to all Financial Institutions, in the format DDMMYY. Must be a valid date. Numeric only, zero filled. |
| 10 | Blank | 81-120 | 40 | Blank filled. |
Detail Record
| No | Field Name | Position | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record Type | 1 | 1 | "1" |
| 2 | Bank/State/Branch Number | 2-8 | 7 | Must be numeric with a hyphen in character position 5. Character positions 2 and 3 must equal a valid Financial Institution number. Character position 4 must equal a valid State number (0-9). |
| 3 | Account Number | 9-17 | 9 | Must contain a valid account number. May contain digits, hyphens, and blanks only. Leading zeros that are part of the account number must be shown, e.g. 00-1234. Westpac recommends that, except in the above example, all hyphens are removed. Where the account number exceeds nine characters, remove the hyphens. Right justified and blank filled. |
| 4 | Indicator | 18 | 1 | "N" - for a new or varied Bank (FI)/State/Branch number or name, otherwise blank filled. Withholding Tax Indicators: "W" - dividend paid to a resident of a country where a double tax agreement is in force. "X" - dividend paid to a resident of any other country. "Y" - interest paid to all non-residents. The amount of withholding tax must appear in character positions 113-120. Note: Where withholding tax has been deducted, the appropriate Indicator shown above must be used and overrides the normal indicator. |
| 5 | Transaction Code | 19-20 | 2 | Must be a valid industry-standard transaction code (see Transaction Types). Numeric only. |
| 6 | Amount | 21-30 | 10 | Numeric only. Must be greater than zero. Shown in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled, and unsigned. |
| 7 | Title of Account | 31-62 | 32 | Surname followed by a period, a blank, and the given names separated by blanks (e.g. "SMITH. JOHN PAUL"). Must not contain all blanks. Left justified and blank filled. |
| 8 | Lodgement Reference | 63-80 | 18 | Reference submitted by the User indicating the origin of the entry, e.g. payroll number, invoice, or contract number. Left justified and blank filled. Must not contain all blanks. |
| 9 | Trace BSB Number | 81-87 | 7 | Bank (FI)/State/Branch of the User, to enable the entry to be traced to its source if necessary. Required format: XXX-XXX. Numeric and hyphens only. 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. |
| 10 | Trace Account Number | 88-96 | 9 | Account number of the User, to enable the entry to be traced to its source if necessary. Right justified and blank filled. |
| 11 | Name of Remitter | 97-112 | 16 | Name of the originator of the entry. This may differ from the User's name. Must not contain all blanks. Left justified and blank filled. |
| 12 | Amount of Withholding Tax | 113-120 | 8 | Numeric only. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled, and unsigned. |
Trailer Record
| No | Field Name | Position | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record Type | 1 | 1 | "7" |
| 2 | BSB Format Filler | 2-8 | 7 | "999-999" |
| 3 | Blank | 9-20 | 12 | Blank filled. |
| 4 | Net Total Amount | 21-30 | 10 | Numeric only. Must equal the difference between File Credit Total and File Debit Total. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled, and unsigned. |
| 5 | File Credit Total | 31-40 | 10 | Numeric only. Must equal the accumulated total of the credit Detail Record amounts. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled, and unsigned. |
| 6 | File Debit Total | 41-50 | 10 | Numeric only. Must equal the accumulated total of the debit Detail Record amounts. Show in cents without punctuation. Right justified, zero filled, and unsigned. |
| 7 | Blank | 51-74 | 24 | Blank filled. |
| 8 | Record Count | 75-80 | 6 | Numeric only. Must equal the number of Detail records in the file. Right justified and zero filled. |
| 9 | Blank | 81-120 | 40 | Blank filled. |
Transaction Types
| Transaction Type | Description |
|---|---|
| 13 | Externally initiated debit items |
| 50 | Externally initiated credit items with the exception of those bearing Transaction Codes 51-57 inclusive. |
| 51 | Australian Government Security Interest |
| 52 | Family Allowance |
| 53 | Pay |
| 54 | Pension |
| 55 | Allotment |
| 56 | Dividend |
| 57 | Debenture/Note Interest |