If you receive an error when you create the payments file, click Yes to view the payment error log. This provides more information to determine what's wrong with the file.
This file is added to each time you receive errors, the previous errors don't clear. To make it easier to find the errors specific to the payments you're posting, delete the payment error log file and post the payments again. The error log is within the accdata folder in the data directory and the file name consists of the sort code and account number for the bank account you're sending the e-Payments from. To find your data directory click Help then click About.
An error occurs if there's incorrect information in Sage Accounts. The following information is included in the output file. You must check these details are correctly entered in Sage Accounts:
| Record | Tab | Box | Can be left blank? | Validation |
| Supplier | Bank | Account Name | No | You can enter up to 60 characters in Sage Accounts but the output file only includes up to 18 characters. |
| Supplier | Bank | Sort Code | No | This must be 6 digits.
You may enter dashes but they aren't included in the payment file. |
| Supplier | Bank | Account Number | No | This must be 8 digits. |
| Supplier | Bank | BACS Ref | Yes | You can enter up to 60 characters in Sage Accounts but the output file only includes up to 18 characters. |
| Bank | Bank Details | Account Number | No | This must be 8 digits. |
| Bank | Bank Details | Sort Code | No | This must be 6 digits.
You may enter dashes but they aren't included in the payment file. |
When you generate the payments file and select the Bulk List Payments option, the output file includes a letter C in the header row.
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The file is correct to include the C, for the following reasons:
- This is the specification that was provided to us originally by the bank.
- The C indicates that a remittance will be printed from Bankline.
- For any newly created bulk list payment in Bankline, this is the default setting and can't be switched off.
For older bulk lists, this wasn't the case and it was possible to create a bulk list where a remittance wouldn't be printed and this is where a problem arises.
If you generate a payment file from Sage Accounts and combine this with an old bulk list that doesn't require a remittance, the payment file is rejected. In this case, you must remove the letter C from the payment file then try importing the payment file again. Alternatively, in the bank software you can select the option to form a remittance advice however we strongly advise that you contact your bank to ensure this doesn't have any other implications before doing so.