Solution Properties
Solution ID:
200427112411959
Last Modified Date:
Thu Oct 01 12:58:23 UTC 2026
Taxonomy Path:
Case category//How do I...//setting up
Author:
[email protected]
Direct Debit - Customers and mandates
Description

To take payments by Direct Debit, your customer must complete a Direct Debit mandate.

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What is a mandate?

Before you can collect payment by Direct Debit, your customer must issue you with a mandate. A Direct Debit mandate is an authorisation from your customer to collect future payments. This mandate is a Direct Debit Instruction, or DDI, although it’s commonly referred to as a Direct Debit mandate.


The details of each authorisation are:

  • You can collect any amount from your customer at any time
  • Notify your customer of each payment before you collect it. When you request a payment, the system automatically sends an email to your customer

  • The Direct Debit Guarantee covers all payments, protecting customers from payments taken in error.

     Find out more about the Direct Debit Guarantee
Customers often authorise a DDI for a set payment schedule, such as a subscription. DDI notification requirements and the Direct Debit Guarantee help protect them from incorrect or fraudulent payments.

TIP:

You can see an error message if you request a mandate from a record that has special characters in the company or contact name. To resolve this, remove any special characters from the record or contact.

Requesting mandates

You can generate a generic mandate request link. Use this on your website or in general communications to encourage customers to set up Direct Debit with you. It isn’t customer-specific.

  1. Select Customers, then double-click the required customer.
  2. Enter your customer's Direct Debit email, then select Setup mandate and press Yes.
    Select Setup the mandate if there's already a direct debit email on the record.
  3. Press Send Direct Debit request. the Direct Debit Manager Status now shows Requested.
  4. Press Close.
  5. The customer receives an email with a link to authorise the Direct Debit mandate. They press the link and enter their contact and bank details on the secure page.
    If your customer doesn't receive the email, select the customer, then press Request Mandate. Then, select Send Direct Debit request to resend it.
  6. Once the customer has authorised the mandate, the Direct Debit Manager Status changes to Active.
    To refresh the status, select Refresh mandate on the toolbar.

You're now ready to request direct debit payments from your customer.

Mandate status

To refresh the mandate status, select Customers then press Refresh mandate.

Below is what you can see and what the status means.

NOTE:

The wording will match the status on the GoCardless website.

 

<> No mandate or request exists.
Requested The mandate exists but the customer has not set up the mandate yet.
Setup Failed The customer has failed to set up the mandate.
Pending customer approval

The second customer hasn't signed the mandate yet, if required.
Pending submission

You haven't submitted the mandate to the customer's bank yet.
Submitted The customer's bank hasn't processed the mandate yet.
Active The customer's bank has set up the mandate.
Failed Creating the mandate has failed.
Cancelled You, or the customer cancelled the mandate.
Expired The mandate has expired.

Delink a customer from GoCardless

If you no longer collect payments from a customer, or the wrong mandate ID is linked to their record, you can delink them from GoCardless.

  1. Log in to your company data as MANGER.
  2. Open the relevant customer record, go to the Bank tab, then select Delink.

You can now match the mandate to a different account or request a new mandate.

You may need to do this if the mandate status doesn't match the GoCardless dashboard. Then, match again via Settings, Company Preferences, GoCardless Match, if refreshing the mandate doesn't work.

Update customer bank details or an email address

  • Open the relevant customer record, select the Bank tab, then press Delink.

You can now set up the new mandate with the new details.

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