The LCR direct debit feature in DoliPlus enables you to collect payments for your B2B invoices via Banker’s Automated Clearing Services (BACS), including magnetic format:

• you narrow the list of invoices to collect down to the due-date range of your choice;
• you prepare the file to submit to your bank in the standard format, with no re-keying;
• you track rejections and redirect them to another payment method;
• you settle every invoice in a batch as soon as the credit appears.

Therefore, you secure your payments and manage your cash flow from a single screen.

What is a Banker’s Automated Clearing Services (BACS) payment?

The Banker’s Automated Clearing Services (BACS) is the electronic version of a bill of exchange. In practice, it’s a deferred payment agreement between businesses (B2B), standardised by the CFONB.

What is it used for?

• It allows the customer to receive goods or services without immediate payment;
• It guarantees the supplier payment on the due date;
• It remains a useful cash flow tool for both parties.

Who is it for?

Moreover, BACS is reserved for businesses and professionals. It does not apply to private individuals.

How does it work?

1. First, the supplier issues the BACS via their bank;
2. The bank then sends the electronic file to the customer;
3. The customer accepts or rejects it;
4. Finally, on the due date, the amount is automatically debited.

Benefits and points to consider

On one hand, BACS offers deferred payment for the customer and secured payment for the supplier. Additionally, it allows for bank discounting, meaning early payment in exchange for a fee.

On the other hand, there is a risk of non-payment on the due date. In this case, the bank issues a notice of non-payment. The supplier can then initiate recovery proceedings, while the customer’s Banque de France credit rating may be affected.

The magnetic LCR direct debit module in DoliPlus

The BACS direct debit module automates the entire process:

• It creates the standardised CFONB electronic file from pending invoices;
• It generates this file for submission to your bank;
• It handles rejections: the invoice returns to pending status for a new direct debit, BACS request, or cheque payment;
• It credits invoices as soon as the bank confirms the payment.

Installation

First, activate the module (depending on your plan). Then, in the configuration, declare the default bank and the user responsible for direct debits.
In practice, the “Direct debit module settings” page (administrator) asks for two things: the current “Bank account” into which the batches will be deposited, and the “User responsible for direct debits”; then “Save”.

Finally, manage permissions to authorise the relevant users.

The menu

Then, a two-level menu provides quick access to the management interfaces.

The BACS tab on the invoice

From the BACS tab on the invoice, you can add or remove the invoice from the pending file. Next, you specify the amount, the due date, and the mode:

1. Due date “E-3” (code 27), to be processed 3 working days before the due date;
2. Due date “E-2” (code 28), to be processed 2 working days before the due date.

Note: If the amount is modified, delete and recreate the request. Additionally, an indicator on the record shows if a BACS request exists.

Tracking requests and withdrawing one

1. Menu Banks › Direct debit › “Direct debit”: on the left, the number of invoices to collect by LCR and the amounts per due-date month; on the right, your last 5 batches, then the pending invoices (green dot: the invoice is already paid, so its request is no longer needed; red: still due).
2. Click the number of pending invoices: one line per request. A red “Debit Amt” flags an LCR that covers only part of the invoice (or more than the invoice). “Account number” shows the bank details copied when the request was made; if the customer has changed banks since, the new details appear in red below.
3. To correct a request, click the invoice reference: the invoice opens on its “Lcr” tab. Its requests are listed at the bottom; “Pending processing” means the request is not yet part of a batch. The bin icon removes it immediately, without confirmation. Then make the request again with the correct amount, type and due date, and click “Direct debit request”.

Once a request is part of a batch, the LCR column shows the batch reference and the bin icon disappears. The Banks › Direct debit › “Invoices” menu lists all the invoices collected by LCR (grey dot: batch not yet deposited; green: credited; red: rejected).

The BACS direct debit interface

This interface allows you to initiate a new direct debit from pending invoices. Invoices must be in a validated status. Additionally, checkbox selection narrows the scope of the debit.

Choosing the period to collect

Your invoices do not all fall due in the same month. Therefore, a date range filter frames the list: enter a start date and an end date, then click « Filter ». As a result, only the invoices due within that period stay listed and selected.

Moreover, the invoice count and the total amount shown at the top of the screen follow the chosen period. You therefore prepare the month’s LCR direct debit in a single step. Finally, the « Remove filter » link brings back the full list.

One useful reminder: a batch only keeps the requests matching the LCR type you selected (cash or discounted). If part of your selection belongs to the other type, the screen tells you so once the batch is created.

The deposit slip

In addition, this interface displays multiple tabs.
Step by step, to check a batch and validate its deposit:

1. Menu Banks › Direct debit › “Direct debit slips”: one line per batch (grey dot: not yet deposited; red: deposited at the bank; green: credited). Click the reference.
2. The record shows the reference, the date, the total amount and the status; “Draft” means the file is ready but not yet deposited.
3. The “Lines” tab lists one draft per line (customer, amount, status); the “Invoices” tab shows, for each invoice, the LCR amount, the invoice amount and the bank details frozen at the time of the request — if more recent bank details appear in red below, do not deposit this file and make the request again; the “Statistics” tab breaks the amounts down by status.
4. Upload the file from the “ECM” tab to your bank’s website, then, on the “Record” tab, click “Validate the bank deposit”: enter the date (today by default) and the transmission method, and confirm. DoliPlus sends nothing to the bank: it only records the deposit, and the batch switches to “Submitted”.
5. When the money reaches your account, “Mark as credited” records the payment of each invoice and the bank entry.

“Delete” erases the batch without confirmation (its requests go back to pending): keep it for the case where the bank has refused the entire file.

Document library tab

The document library tab gathers generated files: a .txt file for bank submission and a plain-language control file.

Once the file is submitted, confirm the bank deposit with a date. Then, once the amount is credited, click “mark as credited” to settle all related invoices.

Deposit structure

160-character payment orders issued consist of fixed-length 160-character records.
Deposits comprise a set of payment orders sharing these common features:

• Same sender account,
• Same payment type,
• Same settlement date.

Deposits must include at minimum:
• One Sender record per settlement date (record code: “03”) containing the ordering party’s details.
• One or two Recipient records per payment to process:
– Record code: “06” (mandatory), containing transaction details including bank details.
• One Total record (record code: “08”) showing the deposit’s total transaction amount.
160-character payment order files may contain 1 to n deposits. These deposits must all be of the same type.