If a direct debit payment fails, Adfin handles the retries automatically. You and your customer both get notified by email at each step.
Why a collection can fail
When a collection fails, Adfin shows the reason on the payment's activity log. Here's what each one means and what to do.
Reason (as shown in Adfin) | What it means | What to do |
Insufficient funds | Your customer's account didn't have enough to cover the payment. | Nothing needed. Adfin retries automatically. |
Customer's bank has rejected the transaction | The bank declined it, often due to insufficient funds, wrong details, or a restricted account. | Adfin retries automatically. If it keeps failing, ask your customer to check with their bank. |
Direct debit cancelled | The mandate was cancelled by your customer or their bank. | Ask your customer to set up a new mandate. See My customer cancelled their direct debit mandate. |
Account or card inactive | The account is no longer active. | Ask your customer to set up a new mandate with an active account. |
Incorrect account details | The account details are wrong or invalid. | Ask your customer to set up a new mandate with the correct details. |
Payment authorisation declined | The bank refused the payment, often without a specific reason. | Adfin retries automatically. If it keeps failing, ask your customer to check with their bank. |
Advance notice disputed | Your customer disputed the advance notice we send before a collection. | Talk to your customer. Once they're happy, set the collection up again. |
Direct debit not due | The collection was attempted before the date on the advance notice. | No action needed, it usually clears on the next attempt. |
Invalid transaction amount | The amount is invalid, or differs from what was agreed on the mandate. | Check the invoice amount and raise a new collection if needed. |
Withdrawal amount exceeded | The account hit a limit on how much or how often it can be debited. | Adfin retries automatically. Your customer may need to speak to their bank. |
Fraudulent transaction detected | The payment was flagged as fraudulent. | Contact Adfin support at [email protected] |
Processing error | Something went wrong while taking the payment. | Usually temporary. Adfin retries automatically. |
What Adfin does after a failed collection
Adfin retries the collection automatically every 7 working days, up to 3 times by default. 7 working days is the fastest retry schedule the direct debit scheme allows. There's no charge for retries.
You and your customer each get an email when a retry fails.
If you'd rather Adfin stopped retrying, for example because your customer has paid you another way, you can cancel future retries. See Why can't I cancel, stop or edit a direct debit payment?.
For the full retry timeline and direct debit setup, see Getting started with direct debits.
When the retries run out
Once Adfin has used up the retries, your customer gets a fresh payment link by email so they can pay another way, like card or pay by bank.
You don't need to chase the customer yourself.
For what your customer sees at each step, see How invoices get paid: Auto Collect payer experience.
If your customer pays you outside Adfin
If your customer pays you directly (a manual bank transfer to your account, for example), how you record it depends on your setup:
Using Xero or QuickBooks: just mark the invoice as paid in your accounting software. Adfin reads it back automatically and updates the invoice to Paid Externally. Reminders stop.
Not using accounting software: go to the Payments view in Adfin, select the invoice, and click "Mark as paid".