EFT File Formats

Settings > Accounts Payable > EFT File Formats

This defines the format to use when transferring electronic vendor payments to a bank. This allows you to define the format your bank requires. Double-click any title to make changes.

Settings

Format name: The unique name for this positive pay format.

Line type: This defines multiple record types if the format requires a single record type. If the format requires a single record type, then just use the Detail line type; all other line types should not contain any columns.

Column type: Whether the format is delimited or fixed width/position.

Text Delimiter: This applies only if a delimited column type is used. It surrounds the column with the specified character. Typically, these are quotation marks for the text fields. 

Add pad blocks: Check this if the format requires a certain number of lines to exist. For example, if the number of rows has to be a multiple of 10.

File extension: A group of letters occurring after a period in a file name, indicating the format of the file. 

Show only user-defined columns: If checked, this option will display only columns explicitly specified or customized by the user, hiding any other columns. 

Enable offset record: If checked, an offset record is included in the file. 

Enable addenda record: If checked, allows you to include additional details about the payment, such as: Invoice numbers, Purchase order references, Descriptions of the transaction, and other payment-related information. 

Columns

Column ID: Identifies the column number.

Column Name: A way to identify what this column is. This is only used for documentation.

Length: The length of the data in the column.

Start-End: If fixed width, this shows the positions this column will be placed in.

Data Source: Whether the column is to be blank, a literal, or a constant. A literal outputs the Data Value. A constant is a variable for the payment that outputs the variable Data Value.

Data Value: The literal or constant value to output. A list of the available constants is in the drop-down.

Pad Char: A character to fill any remaining spaces with to fill the length of the column.

Remove Char: If you wish to remove a specific character from the data value, specify it here.

Justify: Whether the column is left or right justified. This will determine where the Pad Char is placed.

Format: Various format options are available under the dropdown, based on the bank specifications. 

Required: If checked it will show an error if this column is not specified during the export.

Description: This is only used for documentation.

The menu option to generate the file is under Daily > Generate ACH File.