Managing EFT Payments (Payroll UK)

Once a normal or adjustment batch has been processed and closed, an EFT payment file can be created to facilitate payment of payees' earnings directly into their nominated bank accounts via electronic file transfer (EFT).

Creating an EFT pay file involves selecting the appropriate pay batch and then selecting the file location where the EFT file will be created. The EFT file can then be transferred by the pay company's bank via any applicable method supported by that bank.

Only those payees who have a payment method of BACS or SEPA defined on their payee records will be included in EFT pay files.

How to Create an EFT Pay File

To create an EFT pay file, follow the procedure below.

How to Create an EFT Pay File
	Navigate to the Payroll > Pay Process > EFT Pay screen.
2.	In the Search section at the top of the EFT Pay or EFT Deductions screen, key in or select the search criteria to find the pay batch for which you want to create the EFT file. Pay Company Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the pay company to which they belong. This defaults to Any thereby allowing you to list closed pay batches regardless of the pay company to which they belong. You can select a specific pay company in this field to list only those pay batches that belong to the selected pay company. Pay Group Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the name of the pay group to which the pay batches belong. Batch No. From Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the lowest system-defined batch number that uniquely identifies a pay batch. This field can be used in conjunction with the Batch No. To field to return a list of closed pay batches that have batch numbers falling within a specific range. Batch No. To Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the highest system-defined batch number that uniquely identifies a pay batch. This field can be used in conjunction with the Batch No. From field to return a list of closed pay batches that have batch numbers falling within a specific range. Pay Period End Date From Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the earliest pay period end date to which the pay batches correspond. This field can be used in conjunction with the Pay Period End Date To field to return a list of closed pay batches that correspond to specific range of pay periods. Pay Period End Date To Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the latest pay period end date to which the pay batches correspond. This field can be used in conjunction with the Pay Period End Date From field to return a list of closed pay batches that correspond to specific range of pay periods. Created Filters the list of closed pay batches according to whether an EFT file has already been created for the pay batch. Created Date From Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the earliest date on which the pay batches were created. This field can be used in conjunction with the Created Date To field to list a range of closed pay batches that were created within a specific date range. Created Date To Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the latest date in which the pay batches were created. This field can be used in conjunction with the Created Date From field to list a range of closed pay batches that were created within a specific date range. Created By Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the username of the user who created the pay batch. Payment Date From Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the earliest payment date of the pay batches. This field can be used in conjunction with the Payment Date To field to list a range of closed pay batches with a specific range of payment dates. Payment Date To Filters the list of closed pay batches according to the latest payment date of the pay batches. This field can be used in conjunction with the Payment Date From field to list a range of closed pay batches with a specific range of payment dates. EFT Pay Method If multi currency has been enabled for United Kingdom, you need to select the pay method that you wish to produce the file format for. If BACS is selected, this will use the file type set in the Pay Company Banking details EFT File Type. If SEPA is selected, this will use the SEPA file format that is standard for all banks. The default for this option is BACS.
3.	At the top of the screen, click Search. Pay batches that match the search criteria are listed in the Results section of the screen.
4.	In Results section of the screen, tick the checkbox next to the pay batch for which an EFT file is to be generated. You can tick multiple pay batches to combine payments made in multiple batches into a single EFT file.
5.	Click Generate EFT File. The Select Payment Date dialog box opens.
6.	The Payment Date will automatically be populated from the pay group's normal pay date that has been set in Pay Group Period Settings. You can change this date if you need it to be different in the payment file. You also have the option of Faster Payment to check. This will amend the BACS processing date (3 days prior to pay date) to be the same date as the payment date as it will be a same day transfer. If the EFT File type is Santander in your pay company banking details, you must enter the date that is 2 working days prior to the actual date the payment that the payees are to be paid. For example if the pay date is 11/01/2019, the date entered should be 09/01/2019. The Select Payment Date dialog box closes and the EFT file is generated and downloaded to your local device and a download icon is added to the task bar at the bottom of your screen as shown below.
7.	To find where the EFT file has been downloaded to on your local device, click on the download icon and select Show in folder, as shown in the example below. This will allow you to copy the file to another location or to open the file if necessary.

If you change your EFT file format in Pay Company > Banking details and you generate a new EFT file for a pay batch that you have already generated a payment file for, you will see an additional row in the EFT Pay screen for that pay batch.