Terminated payment interface between Xero and DBS Bank – Alternative options

Terminated payment interface between Xero and DBS Bank – has left many customers searching for fast and easy option without having to manually create each payment in DBS banking portal.

DBS Bank recently terminated a convenient feature to load payments from Xero Accounting via an integration. When running payments in Xero, you were able to select a payment batch and simply approve it and Xero would send the information using the DBS interface to load the payments in the banking portal for the approvals to release the payments. Long time users for Xero would have appreciated using this hassle free interface.

While the reasons for terminating this interface are not very clear, the bank has actually provided an alternative. The payments data can now be uploaded to DBS but it requires a few additional steps.

  1. Download the DBS payment file template in excel.
  2. Read the detailed instructions on how to complete the payment template.
  3. Update the vendor information accurately in Xero before the next step. Vendor Banking details are the most important update item [account number, swift code and bank name]. Vendor contact details are also important if you wish to notify the vendors of the payment. Take extra care to ensure any leading 0’s in the vendor bank details are captured accurately if you want to eliminate rejections. More on this later.
  4. Run the payment batch as per usual. Xero will provide an output file summarizing the vendors to be paid.
  5. Some ETL processes need to be performed to the Xero excel payments file. Text to columns to break out the account number and payee name. [Ensure that the payee name does not exceed 35 characters]
  6. Copy and paste the data into the DBS payment template.
  7. Update your company bank account number [debit from account]
  8. Insert adequate lines in the template to ensure all vendors fit between the header and footer columns
  9. copy and paste the vendor name, account number, email ids and other relevant information.
  10. update the formula at the footer/trailer row to ensure number of payments as well as total batch payment amounts are accurate.
  11. Ensure Payee name does not exceed 35 characters.
  12. Ensure any leading 0’s in vendor bank details are correct. Singapore banks usually have either 9 or 10 character long account numbers for the major local banks. However, some foreign banks have longer account numbers. To fix the leading zero issue, i usually format the column with a ‘0000000000’ format so that leading zeros will not be truncated.

Once you have correctly prepared the file, rename is to indicate that as a master file and save it in excel. Then you have to make a copy and save that “Master” tab into a new file and save that as a CSV file format. Then proceed to delete row 2 to remove the headers. then save the csv file. This file should then be imported into DBS portal.

The process is relatively simple but there can be a few trial and error uploads on your first try.

The DBS template itself is pretty versatile and can be used for salary/payroll payments as well, but you have to indicate the right codes. A detailed how to guide with instructions is available on the first tab of the DBS excel template and the instructions are very easy to follow.

I hope our readers will find the post helpful.

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