EISCD FAQs

The comprehensive extended industry sort code (EISCD) database contains payments-related information for every UK bank and building society that participates in UK clearing systems. These include Bacs, Faster Payments, CHAPS Sterling, plus Cheque and Credit Clearing.

The EISCD extract can be incorporated into computer systems to help automate payment processes. It is commonly used for:

• Checking account details in electronic payments, reducing the number of returned payments and the costly correction process

• Checking whether a particular bank office accepts specific types of Bacs transactions

• Accessing address and telephone number information of bank offices when dealing with customer queries

• Automatically pre-completing documentation, for example, Direct Debit Instructions, with address details

• Accessing BIC information for UK banks.

This depends on what it is you want to do with the EISCD database. The options available are Single Site Licence, Distributor Licence and Master Distributor Licence. Please see below for descriptions of what the licence types mean.

This licence allows the subscriber to use the EISCD throughout their organisation using only ONE copy of the file. The whole organisation should always only access the one original copy. This licence does not allow copying and sharing the file within the same organisation. 

Where an organisation has several branches where each branch requires its own copy of the EISCD file - each branch will have to obtain their own EISCD Single Site Licence in order to comply with the EISCD terms and conditions. Alternatively, the whole organisation can obtain one Distributor Licence to be able to share the EISCD file with other parts of the business. 

This licence allows the subscriber to use the data in-house and to sell it to third parties.
 
Sending copies of the EISCD file to different departments or branches of the same organisation is considered Distribution, therefore the Distributor Licence terms and conditions must be followed. Third parties CANNOT sell the data to others and are effectively licensed as Single Site subscribers.

This licence allows the subscriber to use the data in-house and to sell it to third parties. Third parties can be licensed as Distributors or Single Site subscribers. Third parties can sell the data to others who will be licensed Distributors or Single Site subscribers. 

In order to register for the EISCD we need to know the type of business you require the information for as this may affect your licence type. The various options are:

• Member bank
• Agency Bank
• Bacs Approved Solution Supplier
• Other

A Bacs Approved Solution Supplier is a software supplier who have Bacs approved Bacstel-IP and/or Secure-IP interfaces.

Member Bank is a bank or building society that is a member of the Bacs and/or Faster Payments Services.

An Agency Bank is any bank or building society that is not a member of Bacs but is sponsored to participate in the Bacs and faster Payments Services by a Member bank.

To cancel your EISCD subscription, visit the Account page and select 'I would like to cancel my E/ISCD service'.

To amend your account details, visit the Account page and select 'I would like to amend my current details'.

If you have any questions or queries about the EISCD, or need help with registration then please call our EISCD customer support number on +44 (0)370 165 0018

A Service User Number is the unique six digit number allocated to organisations authorised to use the E/ISCD service.

The security hint is required when you complete your personal registration on the Payments Services Website. The Payments Services Website is where you log on to download the EISCD. We will prompt you to complete your personal registration process via an email once you have completed this registration process. The security hint is also used as a prompt to your security information in the event that you forget your password.

The security information is personal to you and you are required to provide it when you first register for the EISCD. Having this in place ensures limits fraudulent activity.

A second contact is required to ensure that in the event the main contact is not available a second person can access the EISCD. The two individuals will be set up as "contacts" on the payment services website so they can log on to download the EISCD and register other contacts to access the EISCD.

A Direct Debit mandate is the form you complete to set up a Direct Debit agreement, giving a company authority to take money from your bank account.

For existing customers, in order to update your previous EISCD information provided as part of your registration process please select update current details. Your previous details will not be displayed for security reasons. Please fill out any mandatory fields and submit the form. For non-mandatory fields only fill in the details that you wish to change. You will get an email confirmation to the registration email once the form has been received.

We require that you have a minimum of 2 contact details provided at all times. This ensures that in the event the main contact is not available a second person can access the EISCD. This option allows you to add a new contact that is not currently registered to access the EISCD for your organisation. Your previous details will not be displayed for security reasons. Please fill out any mandatory fields and submit the form. For non-mandatory fields only fill in the details that you wish to change. You will get an email confirmation to the registration email once the form has been received.

This option allows you to delete a contact that is currently registered to download the EISCD for your organisation. Please note that you must always have a minimum of 2 contacts registered so before you delete a contact please ensure you have a minimum of 2 contacts registered with us. If you do not then please add a new contact before deleting an existing one. Your previous details will not be displayed for security reasons. Please fill out any mandatory fields and submit the form. For non-mandatory fields only fill in the details that you wish to change. You will get an email confirmation to the registration email once the form has been received.

This field can be used to enter any additional details that explain why you are amending contact details.

The EISCD is available for download from a secure website – the Payment Services Website. As an EISCD subscriber you are set up to access Payment Services Website.

The EISCD contains the following information relating to bank offices or branches:

• Bank Office identifier (BIC/sort code)
• Branch/bank office title
• Contact details (Postal addresses/telephone numbers/email addresses)
• Details of which clearing systems each bank office participates in.

You can download the EISCD as often as you like at no additional expense. A new EISCD is produced on the last working day of the week, usually a Friday. You should download the EISCD at least once a month although UK Payments Council recommends downloading the EISCD each week to ensure that your systems have the most current information. Keeping this data up-to-date in your systems helps to ensure trouble-free processing for you and your customers, and ensures that you are not dealing with outdated information.

The EISCD is available as either a tab delimited file or an XML file. 

Since September 2013 the Current Account Switch Service was introduced by the Payments Council and the banking community to help any customer, small business or small charity that may wish to switch their current account from one provider to another, in a quick and easy manner.

If you require information on the Current Account Switch Service, then you will need to download the XML version of the EISCD format. 

There are multiple benefits, which include:

• Improve the rate of straight through payment processing
• Lower number of payment referrals which means reduced costs
• Instant access to UK bank offices and branch details
• Produced weekly ensuring reliable up to date data
• Can be used for validation of data entry and customer queries
• Can be used for quick and easy searches resulting in time saving activities
• Different licenses available for purchase to suit your specific business needs.

The ISCD stands for the industry sort code directory and is the same as the EISCD but does not include details about the Faster Payments Clearing. Please note that we no longer accept registrations for the ISCD.

Yes you can. It's really easy to do and now be completed online, by yourself, at no additional cost.

Visit the Account page, and select 'I am an existing ISCD customer and I would like to move to EISCD'.

The EISCD contains more details than the ISCD because it includes the Faster Payments Service. We no longer issue licences for the ISCD because it is a database that will eventually become redundant, as per UK Payment's initiative. There is no extra charge for making the upgrade to the EISCD.

No. Your details are only used for EISCD purposes and we do not share your details with any other organisations.

You can pay the EISCD Registration fee by Direct Debit mandate.

International customers can pay by wire transfer.

Direct Debit is a simple, safe and convenient way to make regular or occasional payments from your bank account.

• Better financial management – a regular payment method that enables you to plan your cash flow accurately; you know exactly when the funds will leave your account

• You remain in control – you will always be given at least ten working days advance notice of the amount to be debited through your monthly statement, giving you plenty of time to query any payments

• Reduced paperwork – with Direct Debit, there's only one piece of paper to sign and no cheques, saving you administrative time and cost

• Peace of mind – Direct Debit is an efficient and above all secure method of payment. Under the terms of the Direct Debit scheme, you are guaranteed an immediate refund in the unlikely event of an error.

In order to complete an international wire transfer online, you’ll need the following information about the bank receiving the funds:

• Recipient bank name, address and country
• Recipient bank’s routing code and recipient’s account number
• SWIFT Code, National ID or IBAN number of the bank where the receiving account is located
• Purpose for transfer