Cancelling a Direct Debit
You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time, and the process is very straightforward.
Contact your bank or building society. If this is by phone or online, written confirmation may be required, and we also recommend that you notify the organisation concerned. You could do this by sending them a copy of the letter you send to your bank or building society.
Remember...
Your bank or building society will generally require at least a day's notice before the Direct Debit is due to be paid. Try not to leave it until the last minute, or you run the risk of a payment being made, so it is best to check how long your bank or building society needs to do this.
Remember that cancelling the Direct Debit stops payments from going to the organisation you are paying. If you carry on receiving the goods or service, you will have to organise an alternative payment method.
Information
The information you should provide to cancel a Direct Debit is:
- The name of the organisation you are paying
- Your bank or building society account number
- The name(s) on the account
- The branch sort code (see your debit card or banking app)
- Your customer reference with the organisation (if known).
The more information you can give, the easier it will be for the bank or building society to action, so if you know the amount and payment date, include this information.
Once You Have Cancelled
Money shouldn't be collected from your account after you have cancelled the Direct Debit. Under the Scheme rules, an organisation would have to obtain your authority to reinstate a cancelled Instruction.
Once you have cancelled a Direct Debit, take care to check subsequent bank or building society statements to ensure that no further payments have been collected. That way, any error will be identified immediately, and steps can be taken quickly to secure a refund.