How Direct Debit works
Mandate versus collection, statuses, advance notice, and what appears on the customer's bank statement
A Direct Debit has two jobs that must stay separate: authorising the mandate, and collecting a payment. Mixing them is how customers think they have already paid when they have only set up the instruction.
Mandate versus collection
| Action | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Send a mandate from the customer record | Asks the customer to authorise Direct Debit | Does not schedule or take a collection |
| Customer completes the hosted mandate page | Submits the instruction to Bacs | Does not mark an invoice paid |
| Mandate becomes Active | The instruction is lodged and eligible to collect | Does not take money by itself |
| Advance notice | Tells the customer the amount and date | Is not a receipt |
| Collection | Debits the customer's account under an Active mandate | Cannot run without notice and an Active mandate |
Invoice links and checkout links are the surfaces that can collect. The customer tab is setup only. A subscription can collect only after the same Active-plus-notice rule.
Which invoices can be collected
A Direct Debit collection is only taken against an invoice that has been issued and still has money owing. This applies to every collection RevKeen schedules for you (checkout, invoices, subscriptions, retries) and to collections you schedule through the API. Card payments that RevKeen takes automatically follow the same rule.
| Invoice status | Can be collected? |
|---|---|
| Approved, finalized, sent, overdue | Yes |
| Partially paid | Yes — only the amount still owing |
| Open | Only when the invoice is set to collect automatically |
| Draft | No — issue the invoice first |
| Pending approval | No — it is collected after it is approved |
| Paid, void, uncollectible, refunded, imported | No |
A collection that no longer matches the invoice — because it was paid another way, voided or reduced in the meantime — is refused before anything is sent to the bank.
Who does what
| Party | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Your business | Requests the mandate, answers payment questions, and collects only under an Active mandate after notice |
| RevKeen | Hosts setup, records authorisation, sends customer emails, submits the instruction, and reports status |
| London & Zurich | Bacs bureau: validates bank details, lodges the instruction, and reports lifecycle updates |
| The customer's bank | Accepts or rejects the instruction and applies the Direct Debit Guarantee |
RevKeen sends confirmation letters and advance notices as your nominated agent. London & Zurich does not email the payer those documents. Payment questions about goods, services, or the schedule stay with you.
Mandate statuses
| RevKeen status | Meaning | Collect? |
|---|---|---|
| Awaiting setup | The customer has a live request and has not authorised it | No |
| Submitted | The instruction is with the bureau or bank | No |
| Active | The mandate is lodged | Yes, after advance notice |
| Failed | The instruction cannot become Active without correction | No |
| Suspended | Collections are paused | No |
| Cancelled | The authority has ended | No |
| Expired request | The setup link was not used in time | No |
An instruction received email is not an Active confirmation. Wait for Active before you collect.
If you subscribe to webhooks, wait for mandate.activated. mandate.created is not permission to debit. See Webhook events.
Advance notice
The approved notice period is three working days. The customer is told the collection will be taken on, or within three working days of, the stated date. That wording applies to one-off and recurring collections.
| When | What the customer receives |
|---|---|
| Amount, date, and frequency are all known at sign-up, and the schedule has not changed | One combined confirmation and advance notice for the first collection |
| Any of those facts is missing at sign-up | Confirmation now. A separate advance notice before collection |
| Amount, date, or frequency later changes | A new separate notice. Treat it as a new schedule |
An Active mandate is not permission to collect an undisclosed amount on an undisclosed date.
Card versus Direct Debit timing
Checkout and the hosted invoice page offer both rails when they are enabled. The customer-facing difference is timing, not whether the amount is due.
| Rail | What the customer sees | When money moves | When the invoice is paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Instant payment with Visa, Mastercard, or Amex | Authorised and captured on submit (subject to 3-D Secure) | When the card payment succeeds |
| Direct Debit | Scheduled collection under the Direct Debit Guarantee | After Bacs advance notice, on or after the stated collection date | When the bank confirms the collection |
Hosted checkout and Invoice V6 say this in the payment column: no money leaves the account today for Direct Debit, the collection date when known, and the bank statement name. Card remains available as the instant alternative when that rail is enabled.
Bank statement name
During setup and on notices, the customer sees the name that will appear on their bank statement. On the RevKeen shared arrangement that name is L&Z Re RevKeen Limited. It can differ from your trading name. Show it during setup so the customer can recognise the collection.
Direct Debit Guarantee
The hosted setup page and the instruction-received confirmation show the approved Guarantee for that arrangement, including the notice period. RevKeen does not publish a generic fallback Guarantee here — the customer accepts the wording on the page.
What customers must have
The online journey is for a payer who is the account holder and the only person required to authorise the instruction.
They need:
- Name, email, telephone, and address
- Account-holder name
- Six-digit sort code and eight-digit account number
- Authority to set up Direct Debit on that account
If another person must also sign, the customer stops the online journey and contacts you for the paper route approved for your arrangement. Do not collect bank details by email or chat.
Owner: david · Reviewed 29 Sep 2026