SSA - POMS: GN 02402.334 - Coding Swiss Bank Data for the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR)

A. Background for coding Swiss 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 Switzerland. 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 Swiss direct deposit. This allows us to route benefit payments through the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (FRBKC) and the processor bank in Switzerland 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
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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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Blank check;
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SSA-1199-SZ International Direct Deposit Signup Form for Switzerland; or
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Any document that contains 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 processing FI in Switzerland 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 “N” assigned to Switzerland.

D. Overview of IDD for Switzerland

IDD payments sent to Switzerland must be in Swiss Franc (CHF) 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 Switzerland. The FBU contacts the beneficiary or FI for additional information.

E. Description of Swiss IDD bank data

The data for coding IDD for Switzerland will come from the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) provided to the beneficiary from his or her FI. The IBAN for Switzerland consists of 21 characters. However, the bank data reflected on the MBR will reflect 23 characters including the country code of “N” for Switzerland. Technicians will use the IBAN to derive the RTN and DAN when processing an IDD request.

F. Procedure for coding Swiss bank data

The FRBKC relies on SSA 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 Switzerland using an SSA system (i.e. 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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first and last name of the beneficiary
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payee indicator
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enrollment status
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country
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account type
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account ownership
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International Bank Account Number (IBAN)
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beneficiary address
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reclamation country

1. Process initial award

Secure IBAN 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 Switzerland 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 Swiss IDD into ITS.gov and an SSA system (i.e. MCS, MACADE, etc.) on the same day.

2. 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 does not accept the IDD information unless the address is in a foreign country. If yes, go to step 3.
3	Is the beneficiary's account a Swiss Franc (CHF) account in Switzerland? If no, STOP. Reason: Beneficiaries in Switzerland can only receive IDD payments in CHF accounts. If yes, go to step 4.
4	Code the 9-digit RTN for Switzerland, as follows: • “71” (the multi-country prefix SSA designated to Switzerland); • a filler “0”; • the 5-digit bank code (obtain through the IBAN, see GN 02402.334G); and • the U.S. check digit (obtain through 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 for Switzerland as follows: • start with a country code of “N” designated for Switzerland; and • code the 12-digit account number.
7	You must take action on the same business day to enter into ITS.gov all the information listed in GN 02402.334F. 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 of coding Switzerland direct deposit

The customer provides us with a signup form from Swizerland containing the IBAN: "CH9300762011623852957."

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The first 2 characters of a Swiss IBAN are “CH,” which represents the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) country code.
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The third and fourth characters are the IBAN check digits. The technicians should never code the IBAN ISO country code or the check digit to the MBR.
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The next 5 characters represent the 5-digit bank code.
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The remaining 12 digits of the IBAN represent the account number.

1. Derive the RTN

The technician enters the information for the RTN.

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code the prefix of "71";
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a filler zero “0”;
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the 5-digit bank code “00762”;
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U.S. check digit (i.e., “7”, which is obtained from the Title II interactive Comps from the Main Menus 07/Sub Menu 16); and
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the account type of “C” for Checking or an “S” for Savings. If no account type indicated, use a “C” for Checking.

2. Derive the DAN

The technician codes the DAN.

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start with a country code of “N” designated for Switzerland; and
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code the 12-digit account number: “011623852957”.

3. Obtain the following information

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RTN: 710007627
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Checking
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DAN: N011623852957

a. POS reflects the direct deposit informaton

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DIRECT DEPOSIT ROUTING TRANSIT NUMBER: 710007627

ACCOUNT TYPE (C/S): C
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DEPOSITOR ACCOUNT NUMBER: N011623852957
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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- 710007627
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DAN- CN011623852957

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

Social Security

Program Operations Manual System (POMS)

GN 02402.334 Coding Swiss Bank Data for the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR)