Check a SEPA file before sending it to the bank
A file refused by the bank means a batch that goes out a day late, a supplier paid late, and half a day spent hunting for the offending line in an XML file thousands of lines long. Validation answers one question: will this file go through?
What is checked
The file is measured against the rules that actually get a batch rejected, not just XML grammar.
- Schema structure — conformity to the declared ISO 20022 message, unknown or badly nested tags.
- Mandatory tags — presence and order of the elements required by the message and the applicable rulebook.
- Bank details — IBAN format and check digits, IBAN / BIC / country consistency.
- Character set — characters outside the accepted banking set, accents and signs that make a batch fail.
- Lengths and formats — truncated fields, execution dates, currencies, amount formats.
- Totals and counters — declared number of transactions and control sum against the actual content.
- Addresses — detection of unstructured addresses, as the ISO 20022 format takes over.
What you get
A readable report, not a pile of parser errors. Every finding points to the tag concerned and its position in the file, with what to fix and why the rule exists.
- The list of findings, ranked from blocking to warning.
- The exact tag and line, so you can fix it in your source system.
- The originating rule: rulebook, schema or banking practice.
- The batch summary: number of transactions, total, dates, debtor.
What the checks are based on
The rules are not inferred from examples: they come from the reference texts, and are updated when those change.
- The EPC rulebooks in force for SEPA credit transfers and direct debits.
- The CFONB guides, in particular for addresses and the character set.
- The ISO 20022 schemas for pain.001, pain.008, pain.002 and pacs.002.
- The known gaps between the standard and what banks actually accept.
Frequently asked questions
Is my file sent to a server?
No. The analysis runs in your browser: the file is neither transmitted nor stored. That is what makes it usable on real payment batches without a security review.
Which file types are accepted?
SEPA credit transfers and direct debits (SCT, SCT Inst, SDD Core and B2B), as well as non-SEPA and international credit transfers (XCT, ICT), in the pain.001 and pain.008 messages. Status reports pain.002 and pacs.002 are read by the diagnosis module.
Is validation a paid feature?
No, file validation is free and unlimited, as is comparing two files and consulting the reference data.
Does this replace a test with my bank?
No. Validation removes format rejects, which are the vast majority of refusals, but every bank keeps its own checks. The tool does flag the points where banking practice diverges from the standard.