SSA - POMS: GN 02402.316 - Coding Belgium Bank Data for the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR)

A. Background for coding Belgium bank data

This section describes how to code bank data for international direct deposit (IDD) of Title II benefits to a financial institution (FI) in Belgium. We store IDD bank data on the MBR in the same fields used for U.S. direct deposit.

Special coding identifies the bank data as a Belgium direct deposit. This allows us to route benefit payments through the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (FRBKC) and the processor bank in Belgium to the beneficiary's local FI.

If you receive an IDD request in a U.S. domestic (i.e, non-border) field office (FO), forward all appropriate information to the Office of Earnings and International Operations, (OEIO), Division of International Operations (DIO) to process.

For detailed instructions on IDD requests and forwarding information, see

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GN 02402.201 Background and Policy for Direct Deposit Outside the U.S.
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GN 02402.205, Direct Deposit Enrollment Outside the U.S.
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GN 01010.255, Adjudication of Foreign Claims
•

GN 01702.310C Routing of Claims for U.S. Benefits Involving Totalization

B. How we receive IDD bank data

We receive requests to input bank data by mail, phone, or fax in the following formats:

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a blank check,
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SSA-1199-OP6 International Direct Deposit Signup Form for Belgium; or
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any document that contains the required banking information.

If you receive information with discrepancies, see the following instructions:

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GN 00203.020 Identity of Claimants
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GN 02402.025 Direct Deposit Post Entitlement Interview

C. Multi-country contract

The processor bank in Belgium will have a prefix of 71 at the beginning of the Routing Transit Number (RTN). The first letter of the Depositor Account Number (DAN) field has the letter “B” assigned for Belgium.

D. Overview of IDD for Belgium

IDD payments sent to Belgium must be in Euro accounts at local FIs. The beneficiary must provide complete information to DIO or the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) for input. DIO will fax incomplete forms to the FBU that serves Belgium. The FBU contacts the beneficiary or FI for additional information.

E. Description of Belgium IDD bank data

The data for coding IDD for Belgium will come from the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) provided to the beneficiary from his or her FI. The IBAN will be 16 characters. However, the bank data reflected on the MBR will consist of 19 characters. Technicians will use the IBAN to derive the RTN and DAN when processing an IDD request.

IMPORTANT: Because the DAN field can only hold up to16 digits, complete bank information must be coded in ITS.gov for each beneficiary. Additional characters may be required for the IDD payment to process. Therefore, technicians must follow a two-step process to avoid payment rejection:

1.

Input all IDD bank data in ITS.gov, as outlined in Section F; and
2.

Input the allowable number of characters via SSA systems to update the MBR.

F. Policy for coding Belgium IDD bank data

The FRBKC relies on us to provide the complete bank data to ensure correct posting of payments to a customer’s account. If the information is incomplete, the FRBKC rejects the payment and returns the funds to our agency.

You may establish or change IDD bank data for Belgium using an SSA system (e.g. Modernized Claims System (MCS), Manual Adjustment Credit and Award Data Entry (MACADE)).

You must then go to ITS.gov to enter the following data:

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account ownership
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account type
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account number
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beneficiary address
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beneficiary phone number
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country
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enrollment status
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first and last name of the beneficiary
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payee indicator
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reclamation country
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IBAN
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Society for Worldwide Internet Financial Telecommunication-Business Identifier Code (SWIFT-BIC)

1. Obtain the SWIF-BIC code from the FI

The SWIFT code consists of 8 to 11 alphanumeric characters. When an 8-digit code is given, it refers to the primary office:

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First 4 characters - bank code (only letters)
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Next 2 characters - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (only letters)
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Next 2 characters - location code (letters and digits) (passive participant will have "1" in the second character)
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Last 3 characters - branch code, optional ('XXX' for primary office) (letters and digits)

2. Process initial award

Secure IBAN and SWIFT-BIC coding from the beneficiary at the time of filing. The FBU inputs an initial IDD claim if the beneficiary elects the option of direct deposit. All initial IDD claims that an FBU takes for Belgium require input into ITS.gov and an SSA system (i.e. MCS, MACADE, etc.) on the same day. You must complete all initial claims that the International Benefits Office (IBO) takes. You must input all initial claims involving Belgium IDD into ITS.gov and an SSA system (i.e. MCS, MACADE, etc.) on the same day.

NOTE: If there is dire need or hardship involved, advise the beneficiary of the option of initiating payment via a paper check. Inform the beneficiary that the bank may charge for cashing the check. If the beneficiary chooses the option of paper check, the FBU documents and processes the initial claim.

3. Add or update bank data using SSA systems

When you add or update IDD bank data using SSA system (e.g. Post Entitlement Online System (POS), MACADE), you must:

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update ITS.gov on the same day;
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enter all POS direct deposit changes according to normal procedures;
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use procedures outlined in the following chart when processing within four business days of the current operational month (COM) cutoff date.

STEP	ACTION
1	Are you coding an initial claim? • If yes, go to step 3. • If no, go to step 2.
2	Is the beneficiary's address on the MBR in a foreign country (PCOC = 8)? If no, STOP. REASON: The MBR will not accept the International Direct Deposit (IDD) information. If yes, go to step 3.
3	Is the beneficiary's account a Euro account in Belgium? If no, STOP. REASON: Beneficiaries in Belgium can only receive IDD payments in Euro accounts. If yes, go to step 4.
4	Code the RTN field as follows: • Start with 71, the prefix assigned to the processor bank in Belgium. • Code three zeros (000). • Code the three-digit bank code. (This will be the first three digits on the signup form.) • Code the U.S. check digit. Obtain the U.S. check digit by using the Check Digit program on Title II/Interactive Comps. NOTE: The final digit is the U.S. check digit Code and is subject to change. Obtain check digit code through the Title II Interactive Comps from the Main Menus 07/Sub Menu 16.
5	Code the account type: • “S” for savings, or • “C” for checking. If the beneficiary does not indicate an account type, use a “C” for checking account.
6	Code the DAN as follows: • Start with a country code of “B” designated for Belgium • Code the nine-digit account number.
7	You must take action on the same business day to enter into ITS.gov all the information listed in GN 02402.316F. You must access ITS.gov or ask a co-worker to update the required information into ITS.gov. REMINDER: When information is not available, FRBKC rejects the payment and returns it to our agency.

G. Example coding Belgium IDD

The customer provides us with a signup form for Belgium containing the following information: BE68539007547034

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The first 2 characters of the IBAN are “BE”, which represents the International Organizational for Standardization (ISO) country code.
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The third and fourth characters of the IBAN are the IBAN check digits. The technician should never code the IBAN ISO country code or the check digit to the MBR.
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The next three characters represent the bank code.
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The last nine characters of the IBAN represent the account number.

1. Derive the RTN as follows

The technician enters the information for the RTN.

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Code the prefix of “71” (SSA designated prefix for IDD).
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Code the three filler zeros “000”
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Code the three-digit bank code “539”;
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Code the one-digit check code (i.e., 8) (obtained from the Title II interactive Comps from the Main Menus 07/Sub Menu 16);
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Code the type of account as a “C” for Checking or an “S” for Savings. If no account type indicated, use a “C” for Checking.

2. Derive the DAN as follows

The technician codes the DAN.

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Code the letter “B” designated for Belgium
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Code the nine-digit account number “007547034”

3. Obtain the following information

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RTN: 710005398
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Checking
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DAN: B0075470-34

a. POS reflects the direct deposit information

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DIRECT DEPOSIT ROUTING TRANSIT NUMBER: 710005398 ACCOUNT TYPE (C/S): C
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DEPOSITOR ACCOUNT NUMBER: B0075470-34
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CANCEL DIRECT DEPOSIT (Y):
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DIRECT EXPRESS (Y):

b. The MBR reflects the following information

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RTN- 710005398
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DAN- CB007547034

H. References

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GN 00203.020 Identity of Claimants
•

GN 01010.255 Adjudication of Foreign Claims
•

GN 01702.310C Routing of Claims for U.S. Benefits Involving Totalization
•

GN 02402.025 Direct Deposit Post Entitlement Interview
•

GN 02402.201 Background and Policy for Direct Deposit Outside the U.S.
•

GN 02402.205 Direct Deposit Enrollment Outside the U.S.
•

ITS.gov International Treasury Services (U.S. Treasury system)

Social Security

Program Operations Manual System (POMS)

GN 02402.316 Coding Belgium Bank Data for the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR)