Payment Error & Reason Codes Reference

A comprehensive reference of all error, return, rejection, and status reason codes used across Australian and international payment systems.

ISO 20022 — Payment Status Reason Codes

Used in: pacs.002 (status report), pacs.004 (return), camt.055/056 (cancellation)

Code	Full Name	Meaning	Action
`AC01`	IncorrectAccountNumber	Account number invalid format or check digit	Verify account format; request correct details
`AC02`	InvalidDebtorAccountNumber	Debtor account number invalid	Check debtor account
`AC03`	InvalidCreditorAccountNumber	Creditor account number invalid	Check creditor account
`AC04`	ClosedAccountNumber	Account has been closed	Obtain updated account details
`AC05`	ClosedDebtorAccountNumber	Debtor account closed	Contact debtor
`AC06`	BlockedAccount	Account is blocked/frozen	Contact account holder's bank
`AC07`	ClosedCreditorAccountNumber	Creditor account closed	Update creditor account details
`AC10`	InvalidDebtorAccountCurrency	Currency mismatch with account	Verify payment currency
`AC11`	InvalidCreditorAccountCurrency	Creditor account currency mismatch	Verify payment currency
`AC13`	InvalidDebtorAccountType	Account type cannot receive this payment	Use correct payment method
`AC14`	InvalidAgentAccount	Intermediary agent account invalid	Contact intermediary

Code	Full Name	Meaning	Action
`AM01`	ZeroAmount	Amount is zero	Correct payment amount
`AM02`	NotAllowedAmount	Amount not within allowed range	Check scheme/account limits
`AM03`	NotAllowedCurrency	Currency not supported	Use supported currency
`AM04`	InsufficientFunds	Debtor account has insufficient funds	Advise customer; retry later
`AM05`	Duplication	Duplicate payment detected	Confirm if duplicate; void if confirmed
`AM06`	TooLowAmount	Amount below minimum	Increase amount or use different channel
`AM07`	BlockedAmount	Amount held/blocked	Contact bank for details
`AM09`	WrongAmount	Amount differs from agreed/expected	Verify agreement and resubmit
`AM10`	InvalidControlSum	Batch control sum doesn't match	Recalculate and resubmit batch
`AM11`	InvalidTransactionCurrency	Transaction currency invalid	Correct currency code
`AM12`	InvalidAmount	Amount format invalid	Fix amount format
`AM14`	ForbiddenAmount	Amount forbidden for this payment type	Use appropriate payment channel

Agent / Routing Codes (AG)

Code	Full Name	Meaning	Action
`AG01`	TransactionForbidden	Transaction not permitted to/from this account	Contact bank for authorisation
`AG02`	InvalidBankOperationCode	Bank operation code invalid	Correct bank operation code
`AG03`	TransactionNotSupported	Transaction type not supported	Use alternative method
`AG04`	InvalidAgentCountry	Agent country code invalid	Correct country code
`AG05`	InvalidAgentAddress	Agent address details incorrect	Correct agent address
`AG06`	UnknownEndCustomer	End beneficiary unknown to bank	Verify beneficiary details
`AG07`	UnsuccesfulDirectDebit	Direct debit unsuccessfully executed	Check mandate; contact customer
`AG08`	InvalidAccessRights	No authority to debit/credit this account	Verify payment authority
`AG09`	UnsupportedMessageType	Message type not supported	Use correct message format
`AG10`	InvalidAgentBIC	Agent BIC code is invalid	Correct BIC code

Mandate Codes (MD)

Code	Full Name	Meaning	Action
`MD01`	NoMandate	No mandate/authorisation exists	Obtain mandate before initiating
`MD02`	MissingMandatoryInformationInMandate	Mandate missing required fields	Complete mandate details
`MD03`	InvalidFileFormatForOtherThanPaymentInitiationAndCustomerPaymentStatusReport	File format error	Correct file format
`MD04`	InvalidFileFormatForPaymentInitiation	Payment initiation file format error	Correct format
`MD05`	CollectionNotDue	Collection date is not valid	Correct collection date
`MD06`	RefundRequestByEndCustomer	Customer requested reversal/refund	Process customer request
`MD07`	EndCustomerDeceased	Account holder is deceased	Contact estate/executors

Narrative / Miscellaneous

Code	Full Name	Meaning	Action
`NARR`	Narrative	Free text explanation provided	Read narrative field in `<AddtlInf>`
`FF01`	InvalidFileFormat	Generic file format error	Fix and resubmit
`FF05`	InvalidLocalInstrument	Local instrument code invalid	Correct local instrument
`MS01`	NotSpecifiedReasonAgentGenerated	Reason not specified (agent)	Investigate with sending bank
`MS02`	NotSpecifiedReasonCustomerGenerated	Reason not specified (customer)	Contact customer
`MS03`	NotSpecifiedReasonFinancialInstitutionGenerated	Reason unspecified (FI)	Contact FI
`RC01`	BankIdentifierIncorrect	BIC/routing code incorrect	Correct bank identifier
`RC07`	InvalidCreditorBICIdentifier	Creditor BIC invalid	Fix and resubmit
`RR01`	MissingDebtorAccount	Debtor account missing	Complete debtor details
`RR02`	MissingDebtorNameOrAddress	Debtor name/address missing	Add debtor information
`RR03`	MissingCreditorNameOrAddress	Creditor name/address missing	Add creditor information
`RR04`	RegulatoryReason	Blocked for regulatory reasons	Provide regulatory information
`SL01`	SpecificServiceOfferedByDebtorAgent	Service offered by debtor agent	Contact debtor's bank

BECS Direct Entry — Return/Dishonour Codes

Used in BECS DE return files sent back to originating banks.

Code	Reason	Common Cause	Creditor Action
`01`	Refer to customer	Bank declines without explanation	Contact payer directly
`02`	Refer to customer with caution	Potential fraud concern	Do not resubmit; investigate
`03`	No authority to debit	No valid DDR/mandate	Obtain fresh mandate
`04`	Account closed	Account permanently closed	Obtain new account details
`05`	Account transferred to another ADI	Account moved to different bank	Get new BSB/account
`06`	Account inactive	Dormant/not transacting	Contact customer
`07`	Invalid BSB	BSB does not exist	Verify BSB format and value
`08`	Amount not agreed	Amount different from mandate	Reconcile with customer
`09`	Invalid account number	Format or checksum error	Verify account number
`10`	Customer deceased	Account holder has died	Contact estate
`11`	Account not found	BSB/account combination not found	Verify both BSB and account
`12`	Account not eligible for debits	Credit-only account type	Use different payment method
`13`	Non-sufficient funds (NSF)	Insufficient balance at debit time	Retry in future / contact customer
`14`	Funds withheld	Account under attachment or hold	Contact account holder
`15`	Duplicate transaction	Same debit already processed	Confirm duplicate; void if needed
`19`	Account number invalid for BSB	Account number doesn't match BSB	Verify account details

NPP / Osko Rejection Codes

NPP payments rejected by the receiving bank use ISO 20022 reason codes (subset):

Code	Reason in NPP Context
`AC01`	Invalid PayID or BSB/account format
`AC04`	Closed account — PayID or BSB/account no longer active
`AC06`	Account blocked — compliance hold or fraud flag
`AM04`	Insufficient funds (NPP debit side)
`MD01`	PayTo payment: no active mandate
`AG01`	Payment forbidden — sanctioned party
`RR04`	Regulatory hold — AML review required

SWIFT Error Codes

General SWIFT Errors (in FIN/gpi)

Error Code	Category	Meaning
`T00`	Format	Format error in field
`T01`	Format	Character set error
`T26`	Code word	Invalid code word in field
`T28`	Format	Field too long
`T32`	Format	Amount format error
`T40`	Content	Invalid date
`T43`	Content	Invalid currency code
`T44`	Content	Amount exceeds maximum
`T50`	Business	Duplicate transaction reference
`D01`	Business	Funds insufficient
`D07`	Business	Beneficiary account closed

SWIFT gpi Rejection Codes

Code	Meaning
`CNCL`	Cancelled by sender
`RJCT`	Rejected — see reason code
`PDNG`	Pending — compliance review
`ACSC`	Accepted, settlement completed
`ACCC`	Accepted, credit to customer completed

pacs.002 Transaction Status Codes

Used in the <TxSts> field of pacs.002 status report:

Code	Full Name	Meaning
`ACTC`	AcceptedTechnicalValidation	Message technically valid; not yet business-validated
`ACCP`	AcceptedCustomerProfile	Passed customer-level validation
`ACSC`	AcceptedSettlementCompleted	Settlement confirmed (RTGS)
`ACSP`	AcceptedSettlementInProcess	Settlement initiated but not yet final
`ACWC`	AcceptedWithChange	Accepted but with modifications
`PDNG`	Pending	Awaiting processing (manual review, compliance hold)
`RJCT`	Rejected	Rejected — see `<StsRsnInf>` for reason code
`PART`	PartiallyAccepted	Some transactions in batch accepted, some rejected

camt.055/056 Cancellation Status Codes

Code	Meaning
`CNCL`	Cancellation accepted
`RJCT`	Cancellation rejected
`PDNG`	Cancellation pending — under investigation
`PART`	Partially cancelled (batch)

Cancellation rejection reasons (<RjctRsn>):

Code	Meaning
`LEGL`	Legal decision — cannot cancel
`ARDT`	Already returned
`NOAS`	No answer from beneficiary's bank
`NOOR`	No original transaction found
`PTNA`	Payment too near to processing; cannot cancel
`CUST`	Beneficiary customer declined cancellation
`AGNT`	Incorrect agent details

Error Code Lookup Approach in Code

public enum Iso20022ReasonCode {
    AC01("IncorrectAccountNumber", "Account number invalid format"),
    AC04("ClosedAccountNumber", "Account has been closed"),
    AM04("InsufficientFunds", "Insufficient balance"),
    MD01("NoMandate", "No active mandate found"),
    NARR("Narrative", "See narrative for details");

    private final String shortName;
    private final String description;

    public ReturnAction getRecommendedAction() {
        return switch (this) {
            case AC04, AC07 -> ReturnAction.REQUEST_NEW_ACCOUNT_DETAILS;
            case AM04 -> ReturnAction.RETRY_LATER;
            case MD01 -> ReturnAction.OBTAIN_MANDATE;
            case AC01, AC03 -> ReturnAction.VERIFY_ACCOUNT_FORMAT;
            default -> ReturnAction.INVESTIGATE;
        };
    }
}

// Map BECS dishonour to ISO 20022 (for PayTo migration)
public Iso20022ReasonCode fromBecsDishonour(String becsCode) {
    return switch (becsCode) {
        case "04" -> Iso20022ReasonCode.AC04; // Account closed
        case "13" -> Iso20022ReasonCode.AM04; // NSF
        case "03" -> Iso20022ReasonCode.MD01; // No mandate
        case "07" -> Iso20022ReasonCode.AC01; // Invalid BSB (= account format)
        case "15" -> Iso20022ReasonCode.AM05; // Duplicate
        default   -> Iso20022ReasonCode.NARR;
    };
}