Effective Dates: 07/19/2016 - Present Previous | Next

TN 31 (01-08)

GN 02402.331 Coding South African Bank Data for the MBR

A. Introduction

1. Coding South African Bank Data

This section describes how to code bank data for direct deposit of Title II benefits to a financial institution (FI) in South Africa. The bank data will be stored on the MBR in the same fields as are used for U.S. direct deposit. Special coding identifies the data as South African International Direct Deposit (IDD) and allows benefit payments to be routed through the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (FRBKC) and the processing bank in South Africa to the beneficiary's FI in South Africa.

NOTE: U.S. domestic (i.e., non-border) field offices (FOs) should not attempt to process an IDD request for this country. U.S. domestic FOs must forward all appropriate information to the Office of Earnings and International Operations, Division of International Operations (OEIO, DIO) for processing (For more information on forwarding IDD information, see GN 02402.205C, GN 01010.255, and GN 01702.310C).

2. Where to Obtain Data

The data for coding may come from a check, a signup form for South Africa (see GN 02402.331E.), or the equivalent information received by mail, phone, fax, or e-mail.

NOTE: If upon receipt of the information, there are any discrepancies, follow instructions in GN 00203.020 and GN 02402.025.

3. Multi-Country Contract

The processor bank in South Africa will have a prefix of 71 at the beginning of the routing number (RTN) and an assigned letter in the first position of the Depositor Account Number (DAN). The letter assigned for South Africa is “M.”

B. Description – South African Bank Data

South African bank data consists of a total of up to 24 characters, of which we use up to 21. South African bank data has the following characteristics:

  • •

    A bank code of 8 digits, of which we use only the first 6 digits, and

  • •

    An account number of up to 16 characters, including hyphens. We use up to 13 characters.

  • •

    An @ symbol to signify the end of the account number. We do not use the @ symbol in coding the account number.

On the signup form, the bank code will be the first 6 digits. The account number of up to 13 characters will follow.

C. Procedure

Follow the steps in this procedure to code direct deposit of Title II benefits to an FI in South Africa.

  1. 1. 

    Are you coding an initial claim?

    • •

      If yes, go to step 3.

    • •

      If no, go to step 2.

  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 IDD information (RTN begins with 5, 6, or 7) unless the address is in a foreign country.

  3. 3. 

    Is the beneficiary's account a U.S. dollar account at an FI in South Africa? If yes, STOP.

    REASON: IDD payments are sent in local currency, not U.S. dollars. The account must be a local currency (rand) account.

  4. 4. 

    Code the type of account as Checking or Savings. For a Transmission account, code as Checking. If no type of account is given, code as Checking.

  5. 5. 

    Code the Routing and Transit Number field as follows:

    • •

      Start with 71, the prefix assigned to the processor bank in South Africa.

    • •

      Code the 6-digit bank code. If extra digits are provided, code only the first 6 digits.

    • •

      Code the U.S. check digit. Obtain the U.S. check digit by using the Check Digit program on Title II/Interactive Comps.

  6. 6. 

    Code the Depositor Account Number as follows:

    • •

      Start with M, the letter assigned to show that the FI is in South Africa.

    • •

      Code the account number. If there is an @ symbol at the end of the account number, ignore it. Do not code an @ sign. If the account number contains more than 13 characters, remove as many hyphens as necessary.

D. Example

A signup form for South Africa contains the following information:

Bank code 123456. Account Number 1234567890123@.

  • •

    The RTN will be 711234563. (The final digit, 3, is the U.S. check digit for 71123456.)

  • •

    The DAN will be M1234567890123. The @ symbol is not coded.

E. Exhibit - IDD Enrollment Form for South Africa

To view this form, go to SSA-1199-OP22.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202402331
GN 02402.331 - Coding South African Bank Data for the MBR - 07/19/2016
Batch run: 07/09/2019
Rev:07/19/2016