For most practices, direct debit. A standing order is set up and controlled by your client, so the amount stays fixed until they change it and you aren't automatically told if they cancel. Direct debit puts the amount and date in your hands, lets fees change with notice, and tells you when a mandate is cancelled. A standing order can still work for a small number of clients on a fee that never moves.
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The short version
- A standing order is your client's instruction, so they set the amount and you aren't automatically told if it stops.
- Direct debit lets you change the amount with notice and tells you when a mandate is cancelled.
- Every fee change on standing orders depends on each client updating it at their bank.
- A standing order can still suit a few clients on a fee that never changes.
- On Adfin, a £250 monthly fee costs £2.70 to collect by direct debit.
How each one works
A standing order is an instruction your client gives their own bank to send a fixed amount to you on regular dates. It runs over Faster Payments, so it usually arrives early on the day it's due. Your client sets it up, can change the amount or date whenever they like, and can cancel it at any time. You don't hold any copy of it.
A direct debit works the other way round. Your client signs a mandate that lets you collect from their account, and you decide the amount and date, telling them both before each collection. Collections run through Bacs, and the Direct Debit Guarantee means your client's bank refunds any payment taken in error. Your client can still cancel at any time through their bank, but you're told when they do.
| Direct debit | Standing order | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the amount and date | You, with advance notice | Your client |
| Can the amount change month to month | Yes, with notice | Only if your client changes it |
| Are you told if it's cancelled | Yes, by the bank | Not automatically |
| Covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee | Yes | No |
| Cost to you | A fee per collection through a provider | No provider fee |
What happens when your fees change
Practice fees rarely stay still for long. There's the annual fee review, a client who adds payroll or bookkeeping, a one-off charge for extra work, or a client who moves to a bigger package.
On direct debit, you change the amount and give notice. Your client gets told the new figure before the collection, and the mandate they signed covers it, so they don't have to do anything. One-off work can be collected under the same mandate, again with notice.
On standing orders, every change depends on your client. You write to everyone affected, ask them to update the amount in their banking app, and then check each payment that comes in to see who did. Some won't, so for months afterwards you're reconciling £150 payments against £165 invoices and chasing the difference.
The same goes for clients who leave. A standing order keeps paying until the client cancels it, so a former client can keep sending money you then have to refund.
What you're told when a payment stops
When a direct debit is cancelled, your client's bank sends a cancellation message through the Bacs system, and if you collect through a provider, it passes that on to you. If a collection fails because the money wasn't there, it comes back with a reason code. Either way you hear about it within days, and you can ask the client what's happened.
A standing order gives you nothing like that. If a client cancels it or changes the amount, the bank doesn't automatically tell you. You find out when the money doesn't arrive, and only if someone notices one missing payment among dozens of receipts at month end.
When a standing order still makes sense
A standing order can be the right choice in a few situations:
- The fee genuinely doesn't change, and you have few enough clients on it to check each month by hand.
- A client won't sign a direct debit mandate, and a standing order at least means you're not waiting for a manual transfer every month.
- You haven't set up direct debit yet and want something regular in place in the meantime.
A standing order has no provider fee, but someone has to check it every month. A direct debit costs a fee per collection: on Adfin's published pricing that's 1% + 20p, with the 1% capped at £4, so a £250 monthly fee costs £2.70 to collect. No collection up to £2,000 costs more than £4.20, and an extra 0.3% applies to amounts above £2,000.
Adfin collects your fees by direct debit, chases the clients who haven't signed their mandate yet through its AI Customer Agents, and matches every payment to its invoice in Xero or QuickBooks. Adfin also integrates with Socket, so if you send proposals and engagement letters through it, your client can sign the mandate as part of the proposal.
If you're moving clients from standing orders to direct debit, ask each one to cancel their standing order once their first direct debit date is confirmed, so nobody pays you twice that month.
Common questions
What's the difference between a direct debit and a standing order? A direct debit lets you collect varying amounts from your client's account with advance notice. A standing order is your client's instruction to their bank to send a fixed amount on set dates.
Do I get told if a client cancels a standing order? Not automatically. You usually find out when the payment doesn't arrive. With direct debit, the bank tells you when a mandate is cancelled.
Can I change the amount on a client's standing order? No. Only your client can change it, at their bank, so a fee rise means asking every client to update it.
Is a standing order covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee? No. The Guarantee covers direct debits only.
Which is cheaper for a practice? A standing order has no provider fee, while direct debit costs a fee per collection. On Adfin that's 1% + 20p with the 1% capped at £4.
How do I move clients from standing order to direct debit? Send each client a mandate link with a short explanation, then ask them to cancel their standing order once the first direct debit date is confirmed.
Sources
- Bacs - Direct Debit: an introduction to the service (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.bacs.co.uk/media/pu4bmlzs/dd_introduction.pdf
- Pay.UK - Types of Faster Payment transactions (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.wearepay.uk/what-we-do/payment-systems/faster-payment-system/types-of-faster-payment-transactions/
- MoneyHelper - Direct Debits and standing orders (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/banking/direct-debits-and-standing-orders
- Pay.UK (Direct Debit) - The Direct Debit Guarantee (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.directdebit.co.uk/direct-debit-explained/direct-debit-guarantee/
- Adfin - Pricing (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.adfin.com/pricing
