SEPA Direct Debit: How It Works for Merchants

• The customer signs a mandate that authorises you to collect from their account.
• You notify the customer of the amount and date, normally at least 14 calendar days before collection unless you have agreed a shorter time.
• You submit the collection through your provider so that it reaches the customer's bank at least one business day before the due date.
• The bank debits the account and the money is settled to you.
• The customer can still claim a refund within the scheme's time limits.

The Core scheme is for consumers. They have an unconditional right to a refund for eight weeks after the debit, with no reason needed, and up to 13 months if they say the collection was never authorised.

The B2B scheme is only for business payers. They have no refund right for authorised collections, but their bank must check the mandate before debiting the account, so every new mandate has to be confirmed with the payer's bank first. Choosing the right scheme changes your exposure completely.

• Every mandate carries your creditor identifier and a unique mandate reference.
• Keep the signed or electronically confirmed mandate, because it is your evidence in a dispute.
• If you do not collect on a mandate for 36 months, you must cancel it and ask for a new one.

• How you collect, store and evidence mandates.
• Your return and refund rate, if you already collect by direct debit.
• Billing frequency and the average amount per collection.
• Whether the service is delivered before or after the money is collected.
• Whether your payers are consumers or businesses.

Direct debit usually costs less per payment than cards and avoids failed renewals from expired cards, but it settles more slowly and is easier to reverse. Most subscription businesses in the euro area offer both. For one-off payments where speed matters, euro instant credit transfers are an alternative: since 9 October 2025, banks in the euro area must check the payee's name against the account before the payer sends money.

Acquipayer is not a payment provider. We match businesses with a provider that supports SEPA Direct Debit alongside cards for their markets, through one online application.

• Add your business, billing model, markets and volumes once.
• We match you with a provider that supports the payment methods you need.
• Your account is prepared with the provider so you can start collecting.