Direct debit is the only payment method where the creditor triggers the payment themselves. That makes it an excellent collection tool when you invoice every month, and a source of trouble when you are on the receiving end. Everything rests on a document almost nobody keeps properly: the mandate.
The essentials in five points
- The mandate is the debtor’s signed authorisation, and it is the only document that makes the debit legitimate.
- With no mandate on file a disputed debit is lost in advance: it falls to the creditor to produce the authorisation.
- The debtor can revoke at any time through their bank, without needing the creditor’s agreement.
- Revoking does not extinguish the debt: the contract continues and the sums remain due.
- On the collection side it removes the chasing but moves the work towards handling rejections.
1. The mandate, central document and usually mislaid
A direct debit rests on a double authorisation: the debtor authorises the creditor to request the funds, and authorises their bank to release them. Both parts sit on the same document, and that is the document you must be able to find years later.
- What it contains: The full identity of debtor and creditor, the details of the account to be debited, the purpose of the debits, and the signature.
- Who keeps it: The creditor. They are the one who will have to produce it if the operation is disputed, and nobody will do it for them.
- How long it lasts: It runs until revoked, but a mandate left unused for a long time becomes fragile: the debtor may have changed bank or forgotten it exists.
- What it is not: It is not the commercial contract. The mandate authorises payment; it defines neither the price, nor the term, nor the conditions of service.
That last distinction explains almost every dispute: the customer challenges the amount, the supplier waves the mandate. But the mandate says nothing about the amount. The contract is needed alongside it, which is why the two are filed together.
2. When you are the one collecting
For a business with recurring billing — a subscription, maintenance, a rental — direct debit changes everything: collection stops depending on the customer’s goodwill. But the work does not disappear, it moves.
- Have each customer sign a mandate, with a RIB whose holder name you have checked for consistency.
- File the mandate so it can be found by customer and by date, not in one common folder.
- Tell the customer the date and amount before the first debit, and again before any change of amount.
- Handle rejections within days: an unpaid item left alone becomes two unpaid items the following month.
- Stop the debits as soon as the contract ends, without waiting for the customer to notice.
The third rule prevents the most disputes. A customer warned of a changing amount does not challenge it; a surprised customer does, and wins all the more easily for not having been told.
3. When you are the one being debited
The balance of power is reversed, and it works against you: your supplier decides the timing and the amount. Two habits are enough to keep control.
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The last line is the check nobody performs and which holds surprises: the list of active mandates often reveals authorisations given to suppliers forgotten long ago. Review it once a year.
A dedicated virtual card offers comparable control for subscriptions paid by card rather than by direct debit, an approach set out in our guide to virtual cards.
Revoking a mandate does not cancel what you owe
This is the commonest and costliest confusion. Revocation cuts the payment channel; it does not touch the contract. The sums remain due, the supplier can claim them with late penalties, and you find yourself in debt without meaning to be. Cancel in writing first, then revoke.
4. Monitoring on the till and accounting side
A collected debit is still a settled receivable: the invoice was issued, then paid. The trap is treating the debit as the commercial operation itself and no longer issuing invoices, which leaves the customer without a document and you without a record.
BelloPOS Pro issues commercial documents and lets you track the settlement of each invoice. The software triggers no debits and does not talk to your bank: the instruction goes out from your banking tool, and matching receipts happens from the statement. What the till gives you is the list of what should have come in, to compare with what actually did.
Mistakes to avoid
- Not keeping signed mandates — In a dispute it falls to the creditor to produce the authorisation. Without it, the debit is refunded.
- Changing an amount without warning — The customer discovers the debit and disputes it. Advance notice costs one message and avoids the argument.
- Confusing revocation with cancellation — One stops the payment, the other ends the commitment. Doing the first without the second creates a debt.
- Never reviewing the active mandates — Old authorisations stay open for suppliers you no longer deal with. An annual review is enough.
Frequently asked questions
Can a direct debit go out without my agreement?
No, it requires a mandate you have signed. If you do not recognise an authorisation, ask your bank to send you the corresponding mandate.
How long do I have to challenge a debit?
The period depends on your bank and the ground claimed. Report the operation as soon as you see it rather than waiting: the clock runs from the debit.
Can I debit my customers without going through a provider?
That requires a specific contract with your bank giving you access to issuing debits. It is a step to take in advance, not at the first due date.
What should I do when a debit is rejected?
Contact the customer quickly to understand the cause, usually insufficient funds or a closed account. Re-presenting blindly produces a second rejection and further fees.
What to take away
Direct debit comes down to one document: the mandate. Get it signed, file it so it can be found, give notice before any change of amount, and handle rejections quickly. On the side where you are debited, review your active mandates once a year and always cancel in writing before revoking.
Sources
The figures and rules quoted above come from these pages, read on the date given in the article.
- Bank Al-Maghrib, banking supervision and customer protection, read 8 September 2026
- Ministry of Justice, Commercial Code, read 30 August 2026
- Al Barid Bank, 2026 tariff schedule, read 8 September 2026
Knowing what should have come in
BelloPOS Pro issues your commercial documents and tracks the settlement of each invoice, letting you compare expected receipts against the bank statement.
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