Important Update: Debit Order Dispute Rules Changing 13 April 2026

We would like to inform you, our valued clients, of important industry-wide changes to debit order dispute rules, which will take effect on 13 April 2026. These changes are being implemented across all South African banks as part of a regulatory initiative led by the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA), in collaboration with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA).

What is changing

From 13 April 2026, the following will apply to EFT, Registered Mandate (RM), and DebiCheck debit orders:

• The period within which a debit order can be disputed will be reduced from 365 days to 60 days
• Manual dispute handling after 40 days will no longer be available
• EFT debit order disputes within 60 days will be reversed automatically
• Electronic mandates, including those created via electronic channels, are recognised as valid legal evidence for dispute resolution, provided a written or electronic record of the mandate is created and retained in accordance with PASA requirements.
• Valid and authorised DebiCheck debit orders remain non-disputable

What does this mean in practice?

• Debit order disputes will only be automatically processed within 60 days from the original collection date.
• Disputed debit orders within this period will reflect as unpaids on statements, using standard descriptions such as “No authority to debit”.
• Disputes raised after 60 days will only be considered by the bank in exceptional circumstances, following an internal investigation.
• In such exceptional cases, mandate documentation may be requested; this will no longer be the standard process and will be treated as a higher-risk exception.

These changes are regulatory in nature and mandatory across the industry. We are sharing this communication to ensure awareness ahead of the effective date.

Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please contact your relationship manager or our support team.