Switching payment providers in Ireland involves moving your SEPA direct debit mandates, giving card and bank transfer customers a new way to pay, and connecting the new provider to your accounting software. Mandates need the most care, because customers should hear about the change before the next collection and can claim back any SEPA direct debit within eight weeks. Pick one switch-over date, tell customers in advance and check the first collection run under the new provider line by line.
In this article
The short version
- Switching providers means moving mandates, payment links and your accounting connection.
- Tell direct debit customers about the change before the next collection.
- Customers can claim a refund of any SEPA direct debit within eight weeks.
- Leave out mandates unused for 36 months, which must be cancelled.
- With Adfin, customers keep existing SEPA mandates and don't sign again.
The rules in one line each
If you only keep one part of this guide, keep this list. Each line holds on its own, and the sections below explain where it comes from.
- Never collect a direct debit without a valid mandate, because a customer can claim back an unauthorised collection for up to 13 months.
- Tell direct debit customers about the change of provider before the first collection under the new one.
- Send pre-notification at least 14 calendar days before each collection, unless you and the customer have agreed a different timeline.
- Leave out any mandate you haven't collected on for 36 months, because the SEPA rules require it to be cancelled.
- Give each customer one switch-over date, so nobody is collected by two providers for the same invoice.
- Connect the new provider to your accounting software before the first payment arrives, not after.
What moves when you change provider
A payment provider sits between your customers' payment methods and your bank account, so a switch touches every customer who pays you electronically. Each payment method moves in its own way, and it helps to plan them separately even if they all change on the same day.
| Payment method | What moves | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| SEPA direct debit | The customer's mandate, collected under a different provider | Confirm how the new provider moves mandates, then tell customers before the next collection |
| Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay | The payment link or online invoice the customer clicks | Put the new link on invoices and reminders |
| Bank transfer | The payment details or link printed on your invoices | Update invoice templates so customers see one set of details |
| Accounting software | The connection that marks invoices paid | Connect the new provider and confirm a test invoice is marked paid |
Most of the planning goes into direct debit. A card or bank transfer customer acts on whatever is on the invoice in front of them, so a new link on the next invoice usually does the job. A direct debit customer doesn't act at all: you collect from their account under the authority of a mandate they signed, and that mandate has to carry on working after the switch.
SEPA direct debit mandates and a new provider
A SEPA Core mandate is your customer's signed authorisation for you to collect from their bank account. It names a creditor identifier, the reference that tells the customer's bank who is collecting. In Ireland, creditor identifiers are issued to businesses by their own bank, and they're 13 characters long, such as IE97ZZZ123456.
The SEPA rulebook lets either side amend a mandate at any time, and the business collecting sends the amendment details with the next collection. It lists a change of creditor identifier after a merger, acquisition, spin-off or organisational change as one of those amendments, and it expects the new creditor to tell customers about the change so an unfamiliar name doesn't lead to a dispute.
Whether your existing mandates can move to a new provider without customers signing again depends on the providers involved, so ask before you commit to a date. When you move to Adfin from another SEPA direct debit provider, customers keep their existing mandates and don't sign anything new. Each mandate moves across with that customer's next collection, and the customer is told before it's taken.
Four scheme rules shape the timing of any move:
- Pre-notification has to reach the customer at least 14 calendar days before the collection date, unless you've agreed another timeline with them. It can go on the invoice.
- Customers can ask their bank for a refund of any SEPA direct debit within eight weeks of the debit date, with no questions asked.
- An unauthorised collection can be claimed back for up to 13 months.
- A mandate with no collection presented under it for 36 months has to be cancelled, counting from the latest collection even if that one was rejected, returned or refunded.
Keep the eight-week refund right in mind when you write to customers. A collection under a name they don't recognise, with no warning, may prompt them to ask their bank about it, and a short note before the first collection is easier than handling refund claims afterwards.
What to check before you switch
Work through this list before you set a switch-over date. Most of it is a matter of exporting what you already have and reading it once.
- Export your customer list with names, email addresses, mobile numbers and mandate references.
- Mark every mandate that hasn't been collected on for 36 months, and leave those out of the move.
- List the collections due in the next few weeks, so you know which customers need pre-notification under the new provider first.
- Resolve any open refund claims or disputes with the old provider before you move those customers.
- Find every place the old provider's payment link appears, including recurring invoice templates and reminder emails in Xero or QuickBooks.
- Get the new provider's price per successful payment for each method, and what it charges when a payment fails or is disputed.
- Ask whether the new provider sends invoice reminders and chases overdue invoices, or whether you'd need a separate tool for that.
- Check whether there's a monthly fee, a setup fee or a minimum contract term.
- Confirm the new provider connects to your accounting software and marks invoices paid when payments arrive.
A switch-over plan in eight steps
Once the checks are done, the switch itself is a short sequence. You'll find it easier if one person owns it from start to finish.
- Choose the switch-over date, leaving enough time for pre-notification to go out under the new provider before its first collection.
- Set up the new provider and connect it to Xero, QuickBooks or whatever accounting software you use.
- Send yourself a test invoice, pay it by each method you offer, and confirm each payment is marked paid in your accounts.
- Write to direct debit customers before the first collection under the new provider, saying who will collect, from when, whether they need to do anything, and how to reach you with questions.
- Move the mandates using the new provider's process.
- Replace payment links and payment details on invoice templates and reminder emails.
- Stop collections at the old provider for every customer who has moved, so no invoice is collected twice.
- Check the first collection run line by line, and follow up any collection that is rejected or returned, for example because of insufficient funds or a closed account.
If you're leaving Stripe or GoCardless
Stripe and GoCardless both publish their Irish costs and features, so if you're leaving either, set those against whatever you're moving to.
If you're leaving Stripe, compare the costs Stripe publishes for Ireland. It lists €3.50 for a failed SEPA direct debit and €15 for a SEPA dispute. Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice on its Starter plan or 0.5% on Plus, on top of payment fees. Standard European Economic Area cards cost 1.5% + €0.25, and SEPA direct debit funds become available six business days after the charge.
If you're leaving GoCardless, it doesn't take card payments, so card customers will need a new way to pay whatever you choose. It doesn't send invoice reminders or chase unpaid invoices, so if you've been using it for collection alone, chasing has probably been manual or done in another tool. Showing your own business name on customers' bank statements is a paid add-on at €50 a month.
What a move to Adfin involves
Adfin takes payments by SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and bank transfer, and sends payment links by email, SMS or WhatsApp. Existing SEPA mandates come across without customers signing again, as described above.
Pricing is 20c + 1% per successful payment. The 1% part is capped at €2 on SEPA direct debit and bank transfer, and has no cap on cards. You don't pay a monthly fee or a setup fee, and there's no contract to sign.
Take a customer paying a €1,500 invoice by SEPA direct debit. The 1% would be €15, the cap brings that down to €2, and with the 20c the payment costs you €2.20.
Credit control comes in two levels, and the first, Essential, is free under a fair use policy and covers unlimited reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp, Xero or QuickBooks sync, customer statements and an aged debtors view showing what each customer owes and how old it is. Enhanced costs 0.3% per paid invoice, only when it's used, and adds Adfin's collection agents, which decide when each reminder goes, on which channel and in what tone, inside rules you approve. Enhanced also adds statutory late payment interest on overdue business invoices, and sends reminders from your own email address.
Adfin is a certified Xero app and a certified QuickBooks app with two-way sync, so a payment taken through it is marked paid in your accounts without anyone matching it by hand.
Common questions
Do customers have to sign a new direct debit mandate when I switch provider? Whether they re-sign depends on the providers involved. When you move to Adfin from another SEPA direct debit provider, customers keep their existing mandates and don't sign again.
How much notice do customers need before a direct debit under a new provider? The SEPA rules require pre-notification at least 14 calendar days before each collection unless you and the customer agree otherwise. Telling customers about the change of provider in the same message, or earlier, avoids surprises on their statement.
Can a customer claim back a direct debit after I switch? Yes, customers can ask their bank for a refund of any SEPA direct debit within eight weeks with no questions asked, and within 13 months if the collection wasn't authorised.
What happens to mandates I haven't used in years? A mandate with no collection for 36 months has to be cancelled under the SEPA rules. Leave those customers out of the move and ask them for a new mandate if they come back.
Does Adfin charge anything to switch? There's no setup fee, monthly fee or contract. You pay 20c + 1% per successful payment, with the 1% part capped at €2 on SEPA direct debit and bank transfer, not on cards.
Should I switch card and direct debit customers on the same day? You can, as long as each customer has a single switch-over date. Card customers move when they receive an invoice with the new link, while direct debit customers need notice before their first collection, so the two groups often finish at different times.
Sources
- European Payments Council - 2025 SEPA Direct Debit Core Rulebook, version 1.0 (accurate as of November 2026) https://europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/sites/default/files/kb/file/2024-11/EPC016-06%202025%20SDD%20Core%20Rulebook%20version%201.0.pdf
- European Payments Council - Creditor Identifier Overview, EPC262-08 v12.0 (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.oenb.at/dam/jcr:5193cd07-f090-4378-abcd-06d97c700ab2/EPC262-08-v12-0-Creditor-Identifier-Overview.pdf
- Stripe - Local payment methods pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://stripe.com/ie/pricing/local-payment-methods
- Stripe - SEPA Direct Debit payments (accurate as of November 2026) https://docs.stripe.com/payments/sepa-debit
- Stripe - Invoicing pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://stripe.com/ie/invoicing/pricing
- GoCardless - Pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://gocardless.com/en-ie/pricing
