EFT Return Codes

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In Canada, when an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payment is unsuccessful, it will result in an EFT return code being communicated to the Originating Financial Institution (OFI) from the Receiving Financial Institution (RFI).

When an EFT payment is sent or collected, the payor and payee are entitled to receive notifications about EFT returns, and may be required to help resolve the issue causing the return code.

The Role Of Payments Canada

EFT return codes are defined and standardized by Payments Canada, also known as the Canadian Payments Association (CPA). Payments Canada also facilitates the clearing and settlement system in Canada, known as the Automated Clearing Settlement System (ACSS).

Payments Canada also acts as an intermediary while performing the clearing and settlement process, transmitting any EFT return codes between institutions.

Common EFT Return Codes

Code	Title	Description
901	Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF)	The account does not have enough funds to process the transaction.
902	Account Closed	The account is closed and no longer active.
903	No Account/Incorrect Account Number	The account does not exist or the account number is incorrect.
904	Funds Not Cleared	The funds are not available or on hold.
905	Payment Stopped	The payor has stopped payment on the transaction.
906	Post-Dated Payment	The payment is dated for a future date and cannot be processed yet.
907	Invalid/Incorrect Currency	The currency of the transaction is invalid or not supported.
908	Account Frozen	The account is frozen and cannot process transactions.
909	Invalid Institution/Branch Number	The institution or branch number is invalid.
910	Funds Recalled by Sender	The sender has recalled the funds.
911	Payee Deceased	The intended payee is deceased.
912	Incorrect Payor/Payee Name	The payor or payee name does not match the account.
913	Duplicate Payment	The payment appears to be a duplicate of another transaction.
914	Invalid/Expired Authorization	The authorization for the payment is invalid or expired.
915	Payment Refused by Payee	The payee has refused the payment.
916	Payment Amount Differs from Authorization	The payment amount does not match the authorized amount.
917	Account Type Invalid for EFT	The account type does not support electronic funds transfers.
918	Authorization Cancelled	The authorization for the payment has been canceled by the payor.
919	Invalid Transaction Code	The transaction code is invalid or not recognized.
920	Invalid Transit/Routing Number	The transit or routing number is incorrect.
921	Invalid Format or Data Error	The data format is invalid or contains errors.
922	No Pre-Notification Provided	Required pre-notification was not sent for the transaction.
923	Transaction Not Allowed	The account does not permit this type of transaction.
924	Incorrect Payment Type	The payment type is incorrect for the intended transaction.
925	Mandatory Field Missing/Invalid	A required field is missing or contains invalid data.
926	Payor/Payee Requested Reversal	The payor or payee has requested a reversal of the transaction.
927	Legal Reasons	The payment is returned due to legal reasons (e.g., court order, garnishment).
928	Stale-Dated Payment	The payment is beyond the valid processing period.
929	Invalid Transaction Amount	The transaction amount is invalid or outside the allowed limits.
930	Return Requested by Originating FI	The originating financial institution has requested the return of the payment.

Learn More about EFT

EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer)

EFT stands for Electronic Funds Transfer and is the backbone of the Canadian payment industry. EFT offers a safe and cost-effective way to electronically credit or debit accounts at any Canadian financial institution in Canadian or U.S. dollars.