pain.013 — Creditor Payment Activation Request

The creditor asks the debtor to authorise a credit transfer. Core of SEPA Request-to-Pay and the Pay-by-Bank payments emerging in 2025-2026.

Purpose: Request-to-Pay

pain.013 inverts the direct debit logic: instead of auto-collecting, the creditor asks the debtor to authorise a credit transfer. The debtor receives the request in their banking app and accepts / refuses / modifies. If accepted, a pain.001 is generated.

SEPA Request-to-Pay (SRTP)

The SEPA RTP scheme by the EPC (launched November 2021) relies on pain.013 + pain.014. Explosive use cases since 2024: B2C invoicing, e-commerce, in-store QR code payment, consented subscriptions. Compatible with Open Banking PSD2 PIS.

XML structure

Wrapped in <CdtrPmtActvtnReq>. GrpHdr + PmtInf + CdtTrfTx. Key fields:

• ReqdExctnDt — requested execution date.
• XpryDt — request expiry date (TTL).
• Dbtr, DbtrAcct — target debtor.
• InstdAmt — requested amount.
• Cdtr, CdtrAcct — receiving creditor.

Example: invoice to pay

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Document xmlns="urn:iso:std:iso:20022:tech:xsd:pain.013.001.07">
  <CdtrPmtActvtnReq>
    <GrpHdr>
      <MsgId>RTP-ACME-20260518-001</MsgId>
      <CreDtTm>2026-05-18T14:00:00+02:00</CreDtTm>
      <NbOfTxs>1</NbOfTxs>
      <CtrlSum>299.00</CtrlSum>
      <InitgPty><Nm>ACME SARL</Nm></InitgPty>
    </GrpHdr>
    <PmtInf>
      <PmtInfId>RTP-PMT-001</PmtInfId>
      <PmtMtd>TRF</PmtMtd>
      <ReqdExctnDt><Dt>2026-05-25</Dt></ReqdExctnDt>
      <XpryDt><DtTm>2026-05-25T23:59:59+02:00</DtTm></XpryDt>
      <Dbtr>
        <Nm>Marie Dupont</Nm>
      </Dbtr>
      <DbtrAcct>
        <Id><IBAN>FR1420041010050500013M02606</IBAN></Id>
      </DbtrAcct>
      <CdtTrfTx>
        <PmtId>
          <EndToEndId>INV-2026-042</EndToEndId>
        </PmtId>
        <Amt><InstdAmt Ccy="EUR">299.00</InstdAmt></Amt>
        <Cdtr><Nm>ACME SARL</Nm></Cdtr>
        <CdtrAcct>
          <Id><IBAN>FR7630006000011234567890189</IBAN></Id>
        </CdtrAcct>
        <RmtInf>
          <Ustrd>INVOICE 2026-042 - SOFTWARE LICENSE</Ustrd>
        </RmtInf>
      </CdtTrfTx>
    </PmtInf>
  </CdtrPmtActvtnReq>
</Document>

Common pitfalls

• Missing XpryDt — without expiry, the request can linger indefinitely in the banking app.
• Poorly populated DbtrAcct — the debtor IBAN can be left empty if unknown (Open Banking flow), but clarify with the receiving bank.
• Debtor-modifiable amount — the spec allows modification; the creditor must handle the case.

Related messages

• pain.014 — status reply (Creditor Payment Activation Request Status Report).
• pain.001 — credit transfer generated after acceptance.
• pain.008 — SEPA SDD alternative.
• SEPA RTP Rulebook EPC — business reference.