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How do I create a Direct Debit Journal?
How do I create a Direct Debit Journal?

Create a direct debit journal to collect amounts due via SEPA direct debit

Tabea Hördemann avatar
Written by Tabea Hördemann
Updated over 4 years ago

Would you like to send a finished direct debit journal to the bank and have all your contributions collected? No problem!

Too complicated? Take a look at our interactive tutorial!

Start interactive tutorial


Direct debit means the debiting of a sum of money from an account.
In FitogramPro, there is currently a semi-automatic direct debit system: FitogramPro creates a direct debit journal for you at the push of a button (and after entering a few details), which you can then send to your bank.

Basic requirements for use

Activate payment method:
​To create a direct debit journal, the "SEPA Direct Debit" payment method must be activated under Settings > Accounting > Payment methods. Find out how to activate a payment method here.

SEPA Creditor Identification Number:
A SEPA Creditor ID number is required in order to be able to offer the direct debit payment method. This can be applied for online at the German Central Bank.
​
​IBAN, BIC and Payee:
​A further requirement is the specification of your own IBAN and BIC. The payee must also be entered.
​
All further details do not necessarily have to be entered.
Most banks have a lead time of 5-6 days until the direct debit journal is processed and the amounts are debited from the account. You have the option to change this here if your bank is faster.

NOTE: Customers who book online via the shop and select direct debit as their payment method must confirm the SEPA direct debit mandate with a checkbox.

Create a direct debit journal

Basic requirements fulfilled? Then please follow the steps below to create a direct debit journal:

  1. Go to Accounting > Direct Debit.

  2. Click on the "New Direct Debit Run" button to the right.

  3. A new pop-up window will open: "New Direct Debit Journal".

  4. (Optional) Give your direct debit run a name (e.g. Direct Debit January 2018).

  5. Select a date in the future for "When should the direct debit run be carried out?"

  6. Select a date for "Up to which date should transactions be included?".

  7. Click on "Show" under "Options".

  8. Make sure that "Ignore errors during creation?" is set to "No".

  9. Click on "Apply".


For "When should the direct debit run be carried out", enter the day on which the direct debit procedure is to start. The bank's lead time must be taken into account here. For example, if the lead time is 5 days, the direct debit journal should be created at least 5 working days before the start of the run. Otherwise the direct debit procedure will be postponed by a few days.

With "Up to which date should transactions be included?" you can determine which transactions are to be taken into account. If, for example, you want to list all transactions that are due by 01/08, then you should select 01/08 as the date.

"Ignore errors during creation?" should always be set to "No" to avoid errors. For example, if a customer's IBAN is missing, this will be displayed as an error. Otherwise, the customer's transaction will not be recorded in the journal.

Download SEPA file

Once the journal has been created, this can now be checked. All items that are included are listed with customer name, product name and amount. An XML file can now be downloaded by clicking on "Download SEPA file".

This file now only needs to be uploaded to your online banking portal.

Mark the journal as transferred

If the journal was successfully transferred to the bank, it must now be marked as transferred. Click on the green "Mark as transferred" button to do this.

A pop-up window will appear. If the "Journal marked as processed" button is clicked, all the transactions in the journal are marked as paid.

You've now marked all your amounts as paid in one go and have the money in your account :-)

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