Answer
Lightning Payroll validates NZ bank account numbers when you save the employee and again when the direct entry file is built. Using the wrong format will block the pay from being saved or exported.
Required format
NZ bank account numbers are entered as four parts:
- Bank ID: 2 digits (e.g. 01 for ANZ, 02 for BNZ).
- Branch: 4 digits.
- Account base: 7 digits.
- Suffix: 2 or 3 digits.
Where to enter it
Open the employee, go to the bank details section, and enter the four parts in the labelled fields. Lightning Payroll combines them in the format BB-BBBB-AAAAAAA-SSS when building the direct entry file.
If validation fails
- Check there are no spaces, dashes, or letters in the fields.
- Confirm the suffix is padded correctly (some banks use 2 digits, some 3 - leave a leading zero if needed).
- If the bank rejects the file, double-check the bank ID matches the account holder's bank.
The same format is required whether the direct entry file is exported as ABA or pain.001 XML.
