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EDIFACT message guide · Finance

CREADV Credit advice

The UN/EDIFACT message a bank sends to tell an account owner that its account has been, or will be, credited for a specified amount.

Sent by
Account-servicing bank
Received by
Account owner
Standard
UN/EDIFACT · Batch message
X12 equivalent
No direct equivalent

What is the EDIFACT CREADV message?

CREADV is the UN/EDIFACT credit advice message. The directory defines it as a message sent by the account-servicing financial institution to the account owner, informing it that its account has been or will be credited for a specified amount on the date indicated, in settlement of the referenced business transactions.

A credit advice tells a company about an incoming payment as it happens, with the payer's references, so accounts receivable can apply the cash without waiting for the end-of-day statement. Its extended variant, CREEXT, carries more remittance detail, and CREMUL covers several credits in one message.

How the EDIFACT CREADV message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT CREADV Credit advice message. Account-servicing bank sends it to account owner. It usually starts the exchange. Inside the UNB and UNH envelopes, the directory D.21A requires, in the start of message: BGM (Beginning of message) and DTM (Date/time/period) and body and segment groups: the required SG2 loop with MOA (Monetary amount). 8 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT CREADV message worksCredit advice: who sends it, where it fits and what the directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeCREADVSENDERAccount-servicingbankRECEIVERAccount ownerCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYNo business reply expected2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDsUNB … UNZMessage CREADVUNH … UNTSTART OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageDTMDate/time/periodBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG2 · repeats up to 4MOAMonetary amount+ 8 conditional groups, starting with:RFFFIINADINPGEIFCADOCAUTBlue box: mandatory segment group. Conditional groups are listed by the trigger segment that starts them; a group is sent only when its data applies.Conditional segments outside groups are not drawn.Structure: mandatory segments and groups in the UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A listing for CREADV. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.
How the EDIFACT CREADV message worksDiagram of the UN/EDIFACT CREADV Credit advice message. Account-servicing bank sends it to account owner. It usually starts the exchange. Inside the UNB and UNH envelopes, the directory D.21A requires, in the start of message: BGM (Beginning of message) and DTM (Date/time/period) and body and segment groups: the required SG2 loop with MOA (Monetary amount). 8 conditional segment groups are listed by their trigger segment.How the EDIFACT CREADVmessage worksCredit advice: who sends it, where it fits andwhat the directory marks mandatory1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeCREADVSENDERAccount-servicing bankRECEIVERAccount ownerCONTRL syntax report back, if agreedUSUALLY FOLLOWED BYNo business reply expected2 WHAT DIRECTORY D.21A REQUIRESInterchange: sender and recipient IDs(UNB … UNZ)Message CREADV (UNH … UNT)START OF MESSAGEBGMBeginning of messageDTMDate/time/periodBODY AND SEGMENT GROUPSMandatory group SG2 · repeats upto 4MOAMonetary amount+ 8 conditional groups, starting with:RFFFIINADINPGEIFCADOCAUTBlue box: mandatory segment group. Conditionalgroups are listed by the trigger segment thatstarts them; a group is sent only when its dataapplies. Conditional segments outside groups arenot drawn.Structure: mandatory segments and groups in theUN/EDIFACT directory D.21A listing for CREADV.Your trading partner's implementation guide adds itsown requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends CREADV, to whom, and which messages usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what the directory D.21A itself requires: the envelopes around CREADV and the segments and segment groups it marks mandatory. Conditional groups are listed by their trigger segment rather than drawn in full. This is the directory's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: a message implementation guide, such as an industry subset or a partner’s own guide, usually makes some conditional groups mandatory, restricts the codes and may use an older directory.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Notifying a company of an incoming payment
  • Advising credits in advance of the value date
  • Supporting same-day cash application

Where it fits in the message flow

This message CREADV Credit advice

No other message routinely comes directly before or after CREADV; it is exchanged when the business event occurs. If the partners agree, the receiver confirms each interchange with a CONTRL syntax and service report.

Structure

Mandatory segments in CREADV (directory D.21A)

In UN/EDIFACT directory D.21A, the CREADV message has 42 segment positions arranged in 11 segment groups. These are the segments and segment groups marked mandatory at message level, in order; a mandatory group is shown with the segment that starts it. Segments inside conditional groups are needed only when the group is used. This is the directory’s requirement, not your trading partner’s: each partner’s message implementation guide names the directory it uses, often an older one such as D.96A or D.01B where the structure can differ, makes some conditional segments mandatory and restricts the codes.

  • UNH
  • BGM
  • DTM
  • SG2 (MOA)
  • UNT

Practical example

CREADV in practice

A wholesaler's customer pays an invoice by bank transfer. When the funds arrive, the wholesaler's bank sends a CREADV with the amount, value date, the payer's name and the invoice reference from the payment. The wholesaler's cash application system matches the credit to the open invoice and clears it.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for CREADV

  • Map payer references to invoice numbers for automatic matching.
  • Reconcile advices with the account statement.
  • Choose between single, multiple and extended credit advices with the bank.
  • Secure the channel, since advices carry financial data.

How ECOM helps

Automate CREADV with ECOM

Solution

Financial Document Automation

Automate invoices, remittances, payment files and bank statements from capture to posting.

Industry

Financial Services

Secure file transfer and B2B integration for banks and financial institutions.

Solution

Order-to-Cash Automation

Automate the flow from purchase order to payment across every customer channel.

Compare X12 and EDIFACT, or see answers to general questions in the EDI FAQ.

Related messages

Related finance messages

All 37 finance messages

Need help with CREADV?

ECOM maps, tests and monitors EDIFACT messages for your trading partners and integrates them with your ERP.

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