What is the CPA Standard 005 file format?

Payments Canada Standard 005 (formerly CPA 005) is the official specification for Automated Funds Transfer (AFT) batch files in Canada. Every logical record consists of exactly 1464 fixed-width characters containing a File Header (Record A), multiple Transaction Segments (Records C for credits or D for debits), and a File Trailer (Record Z) with verified control totals.

Which Canadian banks support 1464-byte CPA 005 files?

All major Canadian financial institutions accept CPA 005 (1464-byte) files, including Royal Bank of Canada (RBC Royal Bank), TD Commercial Banking, Bank of Montreal (BMO), Scotiabank (ScotiaConnect), CIBC Cash Management, National Bank of Canada, and Canadian Credit Unions.

Is my employee and banking information private?

Yes, 100%. All parsing, validation, and CPA 005 generation executes locally within your web browser using client-side JavaScript. No account numbers, recipient names, or financial records are ever transmitted to or stored on Currency Mart servers.

Payments Canada Standard 005 • 1464-Byte Specification

Free CSV & Excel to CPA 005 File Converter

Instantly convert payroll spreadsheets, supplier payments, and vendor CSV/Excel files into compliant 1464-byte Canadian Payments Association (CPA) Standard 005 AFT files. Compatible with RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank, and National Bank.

100% Client-Side Browser Privacy

Strict 1464-Byte Record Compliance

Supports .xlsx, .xls, .csv & Direct Paste

Automatic Record Z Hash Control Balances

Bank Compliance & Security Notice

This free utility is provided by Currency Mart Inc. to assist Canadian bookkeepers, accountants, and businesses in generating CPA Standard 005 files. All file parsing and formatting happens 100% locally in your web browser — zero financial data or bank credentials are ever transmitted to or stored on our servers. Always test your generated files in your bank's test environment before issuing production disbursements.

CSV / Excel Converter
CPA 005 File Validator & Inspector

Live Validation Guide: Red inputs indicate missing or invalid formatting (e.g. 5-digit transit). When correct data is entered, the input automatically turns Green.

1 Import CSV or Excel Spreadsheet

Drag & Drop your CSV or Excel file here

Accepts .csv, .xlsx, .xls, .tsv, or .txt files

Or paste raw CSV / Tab-separated text directly from Excel →

2 Header & Bank Settings (Record Type A & Batch)

Quick Canadian Bank Preset Configures data centre and return defaults

RBC Royal Bank
Bank 003

TD Bank
Bank 004

BMO
Bank 001

Scotiabank
Bank 002

CIBC
Bank 010

National Bank
Bank 006

Originator ID * (10 chars)

File Creation # * (4 digits)

Data Centre * (5 digits)

Creation Date *

Funds Available / Due Date *

Batch Transaction Type

Transaction Code * (3 digits)

Company Short Name * (1-15 chars)

Company Long Name * (1-30 chars)

Return Bank # * (3 digits)

Return Transit # * (5 digits)

Return Account # * (1-12 chars)

Currency Code

3 Payment Records & Recipients

Total Transactions 0

Total Batch Amount $0.00

CPA 005 Format 1464-Byte Fixed AFT

Validation Status Awaiting Data

#	Payee / Payor Name (max 30)	Bank # (3)	Transit # (5)	Account # (12)	Amount ($)	Cross-Ref / Memo (19)

CPA 005 (1464-Byte) File Validator & Inspector

Paste your 1464-byte CPA 005 file content or drag and drop a .txt file to inspect byte offsets, record counts, segment alignment, and trailer control balances.

Drag & Drop existing CPA 005 text file here

Record & Segment Diagnostics

Line	Record Type	Status	Field Inspection & Details

Understanding Payments Canada Standard 005 (1464-Byte AFT)

In Canada, commercial automated clearing settlement is governed by Payments Canada Standard 005 (Standards for the Exchange of Financial Data on AFT Files). Whether submitting payroll direct deposits, accounts payable supplier payments, or collecting pre-authorized debits (PAD), Canadian financial institutions require exact character positioning, zero-padding, and mathematically verified control records.

Record Type A (File Header)

The very first line of every CPA 005 file (exactly 1,464 characters). Contains:

Position 1: Record Type ID (A)
Positions 2-10: Record Count (000000001)
Positions 11-20: Originator ID (10 chars assigned by your bank)
Positions 21-24: File Creation Number (4 digits, e.g. 0001)
Positions 25-30: Creation Date in Julian format (0YYDDD)
Positions 31-35: Destination Data Centre routing code

Record Types C & D (6 Segments per Line)

Unlike legacy 80-byte single-row formats, Standard 005 packs up to 6 payment segments of 240 characters each into every 1464-byte record line:

Header (24 chars): Type (C for Credit, D for Debit) + Record Count (9) + Control Data (14).
Segments 1 to 6 (240 chars each): Transaction Type, Amount in cents (10 digits), Due Date (6 digits Julian), 9-digit Institutional ID (0 + 3-digit Bank + 5-digit Transit), Account # (12 chars), Item Trace Number (22 digits), Payee Name (30 chars), and Return Routing info.
Unused segments within a record are padded with spaces to maintain the exact 1464-byte width.

Record Type Z (Trailer & Control Balances)

The final line of the file (1,464 characters). Provides independent mathematical verification of all transactions in the batch: Total Value of Debits (14 digits in cents), Total Count of Debits (8 digits), Total Value of Credits (14 digits in cents), and Total Count of Credits (8 digits). Banks reject files instantly if the Record Z totals do not reconcile with the sum of records.

Supported Canadian Banks & File Specifications

Our converter produces standard 1464-byte files tested for direct upload across Canadian commercial banking portals:

Bank Name	Bank #	Online Banking System	Standard Format
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)	`003`	RBC Express / ACH Direct Deposit	1464-Byte Standard CPA 005 / Royal Bank Format
TD Canada Trust	`004`	TD WebBusiness / Commercial Banking	1464-Byte CPA 005 AFT
Bank of Montreal (BMO)	`001`	BMO Online Banking for Business (OLBB)	1464-Byte CPA 005 & 80-Byte Format
Scotiabank	`002`	ScotiaConnect Electronic Funds Transfer	1464-Byte CPA 005 AFT
CIBC	`010`	CIBC Cash Management / CMO	1464-Byte CPA 005 AFT
National Bank of Canada	`006`	National Bank Internet Banking for Business	1464-Byte CPA 005 AFT

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Your spreadsheet should ideally contain columns for Payee Name, Bank Number (3 digits), Transit Number (5 digits), Account Number, and Amount. You may also include an optional Cross Reference (e.g. invoice or employee ID). If your spreadsheet uses an 8-digit routing code, our tool will automatically split it into the 3-digit institution code and 5-digit transit code.

Standard 005 mandates the 6-digit numeric format 0YYDDD, where 0 is a constant zero, YY represents the last two digits of the year (e.g. 26 for 2026), and DDD is the 3-digit day number of the calendar year (from 001 to 366). Our converter calculates this automatically based on your selected file creation date and funds availability date.

Your 10-digit Originator ID and 5-digit Destination Data Centre number are assigned directly by your financial institution when your business signs up for Automated Funds Transfer (AFT) / Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) cash management services. Contact your commercial bank relationship manager if you do not know these credentials.

Yes, absolutely. The conversion process is executed 100% client-side inside your browser's JavaScript engine. No banking credentials, account numbers, recipient names, or dollar amounts are ever uploaded or transmitted to Currency Mart servers.

Need bank-specific generators? Check out our dedicated BMO EFT Generator, RBC EFT Generator, CIBC EFT Generator, and Scotiabank EFT Generator.