Bacs References Explained

A Bacs reference is the unique identifier which is applied to each Direct Debit Instruction and is the only part of the Direct Debit Instruction that cannot be amended. Due to these being unique, there are various requirements and restrictions outlined within the Bacs rules & guidelines that must be adhered to.

Please see below:

• Must be a minimum of 6 and maximum of 18 characters
• May only contain alphanumeric characters (i.e A-Z and 0-9)
• May contain a hyphen(-), right oblique(/), full stop(.), ampersand(&) and space ( ) although these additional characters cannot be included with the minimum require of 6 alphanumeric characters. If you’re Bacs reference is longer than 6 characters, it can be completed within the first 6 alphanumeric characters.

These Bacs references can either be created by yourself via the portal or SmartDebit can auto-create these for you. The benefit of SmartDebit creating these is that you will eliminate the risk of human error in duplicating a reference. When creating a Direct Debit on the SmartDebit Pulse portal, if you enter a duplicated Bacs reference the system will not create the Direct Debit.

If you have any queries regarding Bacs references or would like SmartDebit to generate these for you, please make contact with our Customer Services team on 01276 851820. Alternatively you can email us at [e-mail]