pain.008.001.08
The ISO 20022 Customer Direct Debit Initiation message used by the 2025 EPC implementation guidelines for SEPA Direct Debit. The scheme you select is written into the file as the local instrument, CORE or B2B.
SEPA Direct Debit
SEPA Direct Debit XML Generator for pain.008
SEPA Generator Pro turns CSV, XLS, and XLSX files into standards-based pain.008.001.08 SEPA Direct Debit XML for both the Core and B2B schemes. Enter your creditor identifier once, bring your mandate references and sequence types with your collections, and validate the finished file against the official schema bundled with Pro before you upload it. Everything runs locally on your computer, and the application does not connect to your bank.
Direct Debit generation is a Pro capability · €119/year · 3 activations · Files processed locally
What the generator produces.
One file per run, containing your creditor details and every collection row with its mandate information — ready to review, validate, and upload through your own banking channel.
Complete mandate information
Creditor identifier (ICS), mandate reference (RUM), mandate signature date, and the sequence type of each collection, so the file carries what the scheme expects for every row.
All four sequence types
FRST, RCUR, OOFF, and FNAL are set per collection row, and the rows are grouped by sequence type in the generated XML.
FRST · RCUR · OOFF · FNALFrom your own spreadsheets
Import CSV, XLS, or XLSX. Use the bundled direct debit template, or map your own column names once and save the mapping. Payment profiles keep your creditor setup between runs, in the desktop interface and on the command line.
Core and B2B, side by side.
The two SEPA Direct Debit schemes differ in who may be debited, how the mandate is handled by the debtor's bank, and what happens after the debit. Pro generates both.
| Aspect | Core | B2B |
|---|---|---|
| Who can be debited | Consumers and businesses | Non-consumers only |
| Refund of an authorised collection | Possible for eight weeks after the debit | No refund right |
| Mandate at the debtor's bank | Not checked per collection | Confirmed before the first debit |
| Availability | Offered for euro direct debits | Optional — confirm with the bank |
| Typical use | Subscriptions and invoices | Business contracts |
| In SEPA Generator Pro | pain.008.001.08 · CORE | pain.008.001.08 · B2B |
These points summarise the 2025 SEPA Direct Debit Core and B2B rulebooks (version 1.1) published by the European Payments Council; they are a practical orientation, not legal advice. The refund row concerns collections the debtor authorised: in the B2B scheme there is no such refund right, while claims about unauthorised collections sit outside the scheme and follow payment services law. Banks implement the schemes within those rules but do not all offer B2B or register mandates the same way, so confirm availability and the mandate procedure with the debtor's bank before you collect. SEPA Generator writes the scheme you choose into the file; it does not decide which scheme your contract should use.
The data a pain.008.001.08 file needs.
Two levels: the creditor configuration that applies to the whole file, and one row per collection. The column names below are the SEPA Generator Pro import format — they are a convenience of the application, not an EPC or ISO 20022 CSV standard, and you can map your own headers instead.
Creditor configuration, once per file
| Field | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Creditor name | The name that appears as creditor in the file. Up to 70 characters. |
| Creditor IBAN | The account the collections are credited to. Checked, including the checksum. |
| Creditor BIC | Optional. When it is left empty, the file is generated with NOTPROVIDED for the creditor agent. |
| SEPA creditor identifier (ICS) | Required. The identifier your bank issued you as a creditor; its format and check digits are validated. |
| Scheme | Core or B2B. One scheme per file. |
| Requested collection date | The due date written into the generated file. |
One row per collection
| Column | What it holds |
|---|---|
name | Debtor name. Up to 70 characters. |
IBAN | Debtor IBAN. Checked, including the checksum. |
BIC | Debtor BIC. Optional. |
amount | Positive, at most two decimals, up to 999,999,999.99. |
end_to_end_id | Your own reference for the collection. Up to 35 characters. |
information | Remittance information for the debtor. Up to 140 characters. Optional. |
mandate_id | The mandate reference (RUM) from the signed mandate. Up to 35 characters. |
mandate_signature_date | Date the mandate was signed, as YYYY-MM-DD. Not in the future. |
sequence_type | FRST, RCUR, OOFF, or FNAL. |
Missing creditor details or unmapped required columns stop the run and are listed with the row they came from, so no half-valid file is written. Direct Debit generation does not read or write postal address fields: the pain.008 files it produces carry no debtor or creditor address, which the scheme allows.
From spreadsheet to submitted file.
- Choose the scheme: Core or B2B.
- Enter the creditor name, IBAN, creditor identifier, and collection date — or load a saved payment profile.
- Import your CSV, XLS, or XLSX collections.
- Map or confirm the columns; a saved mapping is reused automatically.
- Review the validation findings, row by row.
- Generate the pain.008.001.08 file.
- Check the result: schema validation runs on the generated file, and you can export a detailed HTML report.
- Upload the file through your bank's or payment service provider's own channel.
SEPA Generator prepares and checks payment files. It does not connect to your bank, transmit files, or initiate collections, and it never asks for your banking credentials — submission stays entirely in your hands, through the channel you already use.
Mandates, sequence types, and identifiers.
A direct debit file is only as good as the mandate data behind it. These are the values the generator expects, and the scheme rules worth keeping in mind while you prepare them.
Creditor identifier (ICS)
The identifier issued to you as a creditor, used in every collection you present. Its format and check digits are validated before generation, so a typo is caught locally instead of at the bank.
Mandate reference and date
The unique mandate reference (RUM) and the mandate signature date identify the authorisation your debtor signed. Keep them stable across every collection presented under the same mandate.
Sequence types
FRST for the first collection of a recurrent series, RCUR for the following ones, OOFF for a single collection, FNAL for the last. Under the current rulebooks FRST is optional: a collection sent as "first" is processed as a recurrent one.
Two scheme details that live outside the file: the creditor must pre-notify the debtor before a collection — at the latest 14 calendar days before the due date, unless another period is agreed between the parties — and a mandate under which no collection has been presented for 36 months must be cancelled rather than reused.
What is checked before the file leaves your computer.
Four different things are easy to confuse: whether the XML matches the schema, whether the data follows the scheme rules, what the application can detect for you, and whether your bank accepts the file. Pro covers the first three.
Input and mandate checks
IBANs and BICs are validated and normalised, amounts are checked for format, decimals, and the EPC ceiling, and mandate references, signature dates, sequence types, and field lengths are checked row by row. Findings name the row they came from.
Schema validation and warnings
The generated file is validated against the official direct debit schema bundled with Pro, and generation stops if it does not pass. Duplicate collections and characters that are legal in XML but known to cause trouble in bank systems are flagged as warnings.
Summary and detailed report
Every run ends with a summary — number of collections, control total, collection date — and you can export a detailed HTML report listing each finding by row, field, severity, and suggested correction. See an example report.
Where the checks stop
A file that passes XSD validation is structurally correct; it is not a promise. Acceptance can still depend on your bank, upload channel, account configuration, the message version required, and bank-specific rules, so test your first production file with your banking portal.
Mandate and debtor data stays on your machine.
Local processing
Debtor names, IBANs, amounts, and mandate references are read, checked, and written on your computer. Payment files are never uploaded to Niryosys or to any third party, and the application collects no usage telemetry.
What Pro does use the network for
Activating, validating, and deactivating your license, checking for updates, and opening links to this website. Those requests never carry the contents of your payment files. See the privacy note.
Already have direct debit XML?
Pro also works on files it did not create — useful when another system produces your collections, or when an older message version is still in use.
Validate an existing file
Run Pro's schema validation and detailed report against a pain.008.001.08 or pain.008.001.02 file produced elsewhere, to understand its problems before you send it.
Migrate .02 to .08
Pro converts supported pain.008.001.02 files to pain.008.001.08, keeping the Core or B2B scheme, and normalising the retired COR1 local instrument to CORE with a clearly reported finding.
Address Readiness
An Address Readiness run inspects the address data already present in an existing pain.008 file and reports what is incomplete. It reports; it does not rewrite your files.
From 15 November 2026, where a postal address is supplied it must use the structured format; the hybrid format also remains valid, and the change is about the format of an address rather than an obligation to add one. See what changes on 15 November 2026. Migration converts the message version and preserves your data; it does not restructure addresses for you, and a generated or migrated file cannot be loaded back into editable collection rows.
Community or Pro?
Community — free and open source
The Community Edition generates SEPA Credit Transfer files, pain.001.001.02 and pain.001.001.09, on unlimited devices with no activation. It is a complete credit transfer tool, not a cut-down preview: the source is public, so you can inspect it and put the local import-to-XML workflow through your own files first. Download Community.
Pro — Direct Debit and more
Direct Debit generation requires SEPA Generator Pro: pain.008.001.08 for Core and B2B, with mandate data, sequence types, saved profiles and mappings, schema validation, detailed reports, migration, and Address Readiness. Explore Pro.
Add Direct Debit to your SEPA workflow.
SEPA Generator Pro is €119/year at the founding price, an annual subscription with 3 device activations, and every charge is covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee. Checkout and invoicing are handled by Lemon Squeezy as our Merchant of Record.
Pro launches soon
Questions about licensing or billing? Pro support · Terms, licensing & refunds
SEPA Direct Debit questions
What is a pain.008 file?
pain.008 is the ISO 20022 Customer Direct Debit Initiation message: one XML file containing your creditor details, the collection date, and a batch of collections with their mandate information. It is the format banks and payment service providers expect when you upload SEPA direct debits.
Which pain.008 version does SEPA Generator Pro create?
pain.008.001.08 — the message version used by the 2025 EPC customer-to-PSP implementation guidelines for SEPA Direct Debit Core and B2B. Pro can also read and validate pain.008.001.02 files and migrate them to pain.008.001.08.
Does it support both Core and B2B?
Yes. You choose the scheme before generating, and it is written into the file as the local instrument. A file holds one scheme. B2B debtors must be non-consumers, and the debtor's bank has to offer the B2B scheme and register the mandate, so confirm both before you start.
Can I create the file from CSV or Excel?
Yes. CSV, XLS, and XLSX are supported in the desktop interface and on the command line. Start from the bundled direct debit template, or keep your own column names and save a mapping once so the same export works every time.
What are RUM, FRST, RCUR, OOFF, and FNAL?
RUM is the unique mandate reference identifying the mandate your debtor signed. FRST, RCUR, OOFF, and FNAL are sequence types: first collection of a recurrent series, a recurrent collection, a one-off collection, and the final collection. You set the sequence per row, and the generator groups the rows accordingly.
Does the application send the file to my bank?
No. SEPA Generator prepares and validates the file on your computer. It does not connect to your bank, transmit files, or initiate collections — you upload the finished file through your normal banking or payment service provider channel.
Can the free Community Edition generate Direct Debit XML?
No. The Community Edition generates SEPA Credit Transfer files (pain.001.001.02 and pain.001.001.09). Direct Debit generation, including pain.008.001.08 for Core and B2B, is a SEPA Generator Pro capability.
Official references
Scheme statements on this page follow the current European Payments Council documents. The EPC publishes the schemes; it does not endorse SEPA Generator.