Simple Guide to the SWIFT MT101 Format 25

Two of the most popular posts on this blog are the Structure Of A SWIFT Message, Explained and the Difference between a SWIFT ACK and SWIFT NACK. Many of the readers of those posts have asked if i could do something similar detailing the SWIFT MT101 format. In this post, the idea is to give you a quick taster of the SWIFT MT101 format and request that you follow up on the specific details with your target bank. Let’s jump straight into the MT101 format….

What is a SWIFT MT101 Message?

The SWIFT MT101 message is a request for transfer, enabling the electronic transfer of funds from one account to another. Funds are transferred from ordering customers account to a receiving financial institution or account servicing financial institution. For us right now, the important thing to note is that the message format that enables this transfer is the SWIFT MT101 format.

Valid SWIFT MT101 Characters:

The following SWIFT character set is permitted in the SWIFT MT101 message:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
/ – ? : ( ) . , ‘ + { }
CR LF Space

Keep in mind that the:

  • Curly brackets {} cannot be used in the message, only as delimiters to identify the different SWIFT structure blocks
  • The dash “-” should not be used as the first character on any line

SWIFT MT101 Format:

General Information:

Tag 20 – Sender Reference:

  • Mandatory
  • Tag is shown as :20:
  • 16 characters

Tag 21 – Customer Specified Reference

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :21R:
  • 16 characters

Tag 28D – Message Index / Total

  • Mandatory
  • Tag is shown as :28D:
  • 5n/5n

Tag 50C or 50L – Instructing Party

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :50C: or :50L:
  • Depends on which reference is used 50C (BIC) or 50L (35 characters)

Tag 50F or 50G or 50H – Ordering Customer

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :50F: or :50G: or :50H:
  • Ordering Customer
  • Depends on which reference is used 50F , 50G or 50H
    • :50F:
      • 35 characters (account number)
      • 4 x 35 characters (name and address)
    • :50G:
      • /34 characters (account)
      • BIC (8 or 11 characters)
    • :50H:
      • /34 characters (account)
      • 4 x 35 characters

Tag 52A or 52C – Account Servicing Institution

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :52A: or :52C:
  • Depends on which reference is used 52A or 52C
    • 52A:
      • BIC (8 or 11 characters)
    • 52C:
      • /34 characters

Tag 51A – Sending Institution

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :51A:
  • BIC (either 8 or 11 characters)

Tag 30 – Requested Execution Date

  • Mandatory
  • Tag is shown as :30:
  • YYMMDD

Tag 25 – Authorisation

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :25:
  • 35 characters

Transaction Details:

Tag 21 – Transaction Reference

  • Mandatory
  • Tag is shown as :21:
  • 16 characters

Tag 21F – F/X Deal Reference

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as 21F:
  • 16 characters

Tag 23E – Instruction Code

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :23E:
  • 4 character code followed by up to 30 optional characters
    • Only the following 4 letter codes are valid: CHQB, CMSW, CMTO, CMZB, CORT, EQUI, INTC, NETS, OTHR, PHON, REPA, RTGS, URGP
    • If you choose to indicate characters after the 4 letter code, you should indicate it as follows :23E:URGP/ITSGETTINGLATE

Tag 32B – Currency / Transaction Amount

  • Mandatory
  • Tag is shown as :32B:
  • 3 character currency code (ISO 4217 currency code) followed by 15 digits representing the amount

Tag 50C or 50L – Instructing Party

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :50C: or :50L:
  • Depends on which reference is used 50C or 50L
    • :50c:
      • BIC – 8 or 11 BIC reference
    • :50L:
      • 35 characters for account reference

Tag 50F or 50G or 50H – Ordering Customer

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :50F: or :50G: or :50H:
  • Depends on which reference is used 50F, 50G or 50H
    • :50F:
      • 35 characters (account number)
      • 4 x 35 characters (name and address)
    • :50G:
      • /34 characters (account)
      • BIC (8 or 11 characters)
    • :50H:
      • /34 characters (account)
      • 4 x 35 characters

Tag 52A or 52C – Account Servicing Institution

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :52A: or :52C:
  • Depends on which reference is used 52A or 52C
    • 52A:
      • BIC (8 or 11 characters)
    • 52C:
      • /34 characters

Tag 56A or 56C or 56D – Intermediary

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :56A: or :56C: or :56D:
  • Depends on which reference is used 56A or 56C or 56D

Tag 57A or 57C or 57D – Account with Institution

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :57A: or :57C: or :57D:
  • Depends on which reference is used 57A or 57C or 57D
    • 57A:
      • BIC (8 or 11 characters)
    • 57C:
      • /34 characters
    • 57D:
      • /34 characters (account)
      • 4 x 35 characters

Tag 59 or 59A – Beneficiary

  • Mandatory
  • Tag is shown as :59: or :59A:
  • Depends on which reference is used 59 or 59A
    • :59:
      • / 34 characters (account number)
      • 4 x 35 characters (name address)
    • :59A
      • / 34 characters (account number)
      • BIC – 8 or 11 character

Tag 70 – Remittance Information

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :70:
  • 4 x 35 characters
      • The following codes can be used : /INV/ , /IPI/ , /RFB/ , /ROC/ /TSU/

Tag 77B – Regulatory Reporting

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :77B:
  • 3 x 35 characters
    • Line 1: 8 character code/country/text
    • Line 2-3 : additional text
    • Valid codes:
      • BENEFRES – Residence of beneficiary customer
      • ORDERRES – Residence of ordering customer

Tag 33B – Currency / Original Ordered Amount

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :33B:
  • 3 character currency code (ISO 4217 currency code) followed by 15 digits representing the amount

Tag 71A – Details of Charges

  • Mandatory
  • Tag is shown as :71A:
  • 3 character code
    • Valid codes:
      • BEN – All transaction charges to be picked up by the beneficiary customer
      • OUR – All transaction charges to be picked up by the ordering customer
      • SHA – Transaction charges are shared

Tag 25A – Charges Account

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :25A:
  • 34 characters

Tag 36 – Exchange Rate

  • Optional
  • Tag is shown as :36:
  • 12 digits

SWIFT MT101 Example:

Following is a simple example of a single MT101 message paying EUR 123.45 from account GB12SEPA12341234123412 at BANKGB01XXX to supplier (James Bond), in his account GB12SEPA12341234123498 at BANKGB02XXX. The remittance information indicates it is a payment for SUPPLIER-INV-REF1

:20:123456789
:28D:1/1
:50H:/GB12SEPA12341234123412
ORDERING CUST NAME
ORDERING CUST ADDR LINE 1
ORDERING CUST ADDR LINE 2
ORDERING CUST ADDR LINE 3
:52A:BANKGB01XXX
:30:160211
:21:11FEB2016INV1
:23E:URGP
:32B:EUR123,45
:57A:BANKGB02XXX
:59:/GB12SEPA12341234123498
JAMES BOND
SUPPLIER ADDR LINE 1
SUPPLIER ADDR LINE 2
SUPPLIER ADDR LINE 3
:70:SUPPLIER-INV-REF1
:77B:/BENEFRES/GB
:71A:SHA
-}

Thanks for stopping by – Take a look around…!!

Hope that helps!

 

25 thoughts on “Simple Guide to the SWIFT MT101 Format

  1. Reply Foyzul Apr 22,2016 3:24 pm

    Hi,

    We are currently implementing payments via SWIFT and having issues.

    The payments we send keep getting rejected with NACK T08 and NACK T05 messages.

    Do you know what are the causes of these issues? I believe that the messages are not being accepted by the bank server?

    Thanks

    • Reply Rajesh Apr 22,2017 9:33 am

      ::T08 Error::

      Please check the value of field 71A in case of customer credit transfers and request messages.

      eg;MTs 101, 102, 103, 740

      ::T05 error::
      Please check the subfield 4, field 68B in MT 609

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  3. Reply Leendert Aug 23,2016 11:27 am

    I frequently receive amount in wrong currency. Sending bank seems to instruct to pay in e.g. usd and I receive in euro. Is this due to incorrect swift instructions of the sending bank ?

    • Reply Sumit Madan Jul 20,2017 6:30 pm

      This is probably because the sending bank is working with intermediary banks and they convert the payments. You will have to connect with the remitter and they have to ask their bank for “DO NOT CONVERT” send in USD as the bene account is USD account.

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  6. Reply RICARDO JAVIER ORTEGA ESPINOSA Dec 2,2016 7:26 pm

    This example would be more complete if it includes the information of the records of the Header and the end of the file

    I also ask if anyone will have complete information with an example of the messages MT101 and MT102, I would appreciate your valuable help

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  8. Reply rohit Jun 20,2017 12:28 pm

    I have a contact who wants to get a bank statement everyday with all their transactions but H does not have access to SWIFT. can it be provided outside the swift environment e.g. can it be provided via sftp or similar

  9. Reply SK Oct 25,2017 1:53 pm

    I still don’t understand can I use MT101 to direct Bank A for Debit Dr my account by USE 100,000 and in return credit CR multiple beneficiary account or not ?

  10. Reply Torsten Jan 4,2018 10:01 am

    Hi, what means in field 23E othr/dev? –> I understand “othr”, but what is “/dev”

  11. Reply NasherBurns Apr 24,2018 6:18 pm

    Hi! When i try to upload a MT101 file i get an invalid format error message. Could anyone help me please?

  12. Reply Vendetta101 Jun 27,2018 1:17 pm

    Is there a rule within SWIFT guidelines to populate the code word (if any) before the actual remittance information in Tag 70 ? Or is it more of an unspoken practice that banks usually follow. Just wanted to get an opinion on what you have seen implemented in other banks.

  13. Reply Bela78 Nov 8,2018 7:37 am

    Is there a maximum number of payment orders that could be put within a multiple MT101 message? Maybe the standards describe a maximum as a mandatory rule?

  14. Reply Tobias Mar 25,2019 6:02 pm

    Dear community,

    from the above I understand that tag :30: – Requested Execution Date – belongs to the general information which should be unique for each MT101 file. Does this mean that by definition an MT101 file cannot contain payments with different execution dates?

    Many thanks for your sharing your thoughts!

  15. Reply Erwin Jul 31,2019 1:00 pm

    I’m trying to implement the MT101 but I have a problem with the “end-of-file”-record. The bank wants to have a -} as last record but I can’t get it in the file. I’m working with the payment medium workbench and there I can see in the structure FPM_SWIFT the field “file end character” (PAYMSGN3). I copied this structure into the “customer structure” and changed this field.
    But still it doesn’t work and there is no “end-of-file”-record in the file generated.
    Does anybody knows what I need to do?

  16. Reply Suds Dec 19,2019 7:35 am

    Hi…we have a constant problem with the bank charges. Whenever we receive money from the sender who is based in Dubai and we receive money in Kazakshtan the charges are still being debited to us (receiver) although the sender shows “OUR” in the MT101 field. This is sent using bank transfer and not an ERP system. I hear there is an option of “OUROUR” in the MT101. Is this correct. Otherwise can you advise how this can be sorted out. We are an airline company.
    thanks much in advance.

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  18. Reply İLhan Sungur Aug 13,2021 9:57 pm

    Hi Community,
    My question is: “what happens in case of discrepency between account number and beneficary name”
    I’d be appreciate if someone answer.
    Thanks in advance

  19. Reply maddie M Oct 25,2021 5:09 pm

    dear community
    we cannot get full bene info on line 59 and bene bank rejects when full name not received. Using swift 59F should fix this right? its the indicator to wrap the full name. Please let me know if you have used this fix or have other suggestions. Thanks

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  21. Reply ati Nov 8,2022 7:18 am

    I Still get confuse why we do not use mt103 or 202 rather use this mt 101?whats the different

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