Rules & documentation

By-laws, rules, standards and procedure documents are integral parts of the legal framework of the national payment systems that Payments Canada is legislated to establish and operate. They lay out the roles, responsibilities and obligations of our member financial institutions on the appropriate handling of payment items exchanged, cleared and settled via our payment systems. This includes requirements for participation in a payment system or scheme, procedures for the processing of payment items, and the requirements and timeframes for returning payment items, where eligible.

Payments Canada’s rules, standards and procedure documents are updated regularly and versions posted online are in force. You can contact Payments Canada for confirmation by e-mail at info@payments.ca.

Item Title Updated System
Rule B4
Formation, Membership and Management of Regional Clearing Associations
Retail batch payment system
Rule J7
Force Majeure Situations
Retail batch payment system
Rule F8
Direct Payment Routing Numbers
Retail batch payment system
Rule H1
Pre-Authorized Debits (version effective prior to Oct 3, 2022)
Retail batch payment system
Standard 005
Standards for the Exchange of Financial Data on AFT Files
Retail batch payment system
Rule H3
Correction of Electronic Bill Payment Errors
Retail batch payment system
Standard 010
Standards and Guidelines for the Standard Intermember Control Document
Retail batch payment system
Rule D3
Indirect Clearer Requirements
Retail batch payment system
Rule A6
Items in Dispute
Retail batch payment system
Rule L2
Procedures Pertaining to the Default of an Indirect Clearer
Retail batch payment system
Standard 013
Return Replacement Document Design Standard
Retail batch payment system
Standard 014
Clearing Replacement Document Design Standard
Retail batch payment system