The first thing Zefty asks for during bank setup is a 10-character "bank emitter ID". It is also the field that generates the most support requests, because nobody at your bank calls it that. This guide answers the questions we hear most: what the emitter ID is, what your bank is likely to call it, where it appears in an EFT file, and what to do if you cannot find it.
What the emitter ID is
When your bank enables EFT origination on a business account, it assigns you an identifier that will appear on every payment file you send. Payments Canada Standard 005 calls it the originator ID: a 10-character field at positions 11 to 20 of the A header record, repeated in the control prefix of every C and Z record and again inside each payment segment as the originating direct clearer's user ID.
Its job is to tie the file to your agreement. When the bank's system receives a file, the originator ID tells it which customer sent it, which account may be debited, what limits apply and where returned items should go. Because of that, the ID is only useful once the bank has activated it. An ID that exists on paper but is not yet enabled for origination will produce a rejection.
What it is not
Three other numbers are regularly confused with the emitter ID:
- Your transit and account numbers. These identify the account the payments are drawn from. They go into different fields and are entered separately in Zefty.
- Your CRA business number. Some banks label the originator ID a "business number" or "company number", which is confusing. The 9-digit CRA BN (and its RT/RP suffixes) is never the originator ID.
- Your online banking client card or user ID. That identifies you as a person logging in, not your organization as an EFT originator.
If the value you have in mind is not exactly 10 characters, or was not issued as part of an EFT service agreement, it is probably one of these.
What your bank may call it
The label varies by bank and sometimes by document at the same bank. Any of the following terms may refer to the same 10-character value:
- Originator ID or originator number
- Customer number or client number (for the EFT service)
- Company number or company ID
- Sender ID or user ID
- Business number (not the CRA one)
- In French: numéro d'émetteur, numéro d'entreprise, code d'origine
When you call the bank, the reliable phrasing is: "the 10-character originator ID that goes in the header of our CPA 005 EFT files." Cash management or treasury services staff recognize that immediately.
Where to look
Check these four places, in order.
1. Your EFT service agreement or welcome letter
When the service was set up, the bank sent a confirmation with the parameters of the service: the originator ID, the destination data centre, the account authorized for debits, daily limits and cut-off times. If someone in your organization signed the agreement, the letter is usually in their files or in the bank's secure message centre.
2. The EFT section of your business banking portal
Most banks show the originator ID on the page where you upload files or manage EFT profiles, often next to the file format setting. Look for a service profile, a company profile or a "file transfer" configuration screen.
3. A previous payment file
If your business (or your payroll provider) has already sent EFT files from this account, open one in a text editor. The header record starts with the letter A, followed by a 9-digit record count. The next 10 characters are the originator ID. Positions 21 to 24 hold the last file creation number used, which you will also want to know.
4. Your bank representative
If none of the above works, email or call your business banking representative. Have your account number and legal business name ready. If EFT origination has never been activated, this is also the conversation in which you request it; expect the bank to ask for signed documentation and to take a few business days.
Institution numbers for the supported banks
The emitter ID is specific to your account, so we cannot list it for you. What we can list is the institution number that accompanies it in the file, for each bank Zefty supports.
| Bank | Institution number |
|---|---|
| BMO Bank of Montreal | 001 |
| Scotiabank | 002 |
| RBC Royal Bank | 003 |
| TD Canada Trust | 004 |
| National Bank of Canada | 006 |
| CIBC | 010 |
| HSBC Canada | 016 |
| Laurentian Bank | 039 |
| Desjardins | 815 |
Format rules
- The field is 10 characters, alphanumeric. Enter it without spaces, dashes or prefixes such as "ID:".
- Letters are usually uppercase in the file. Zefty writes it as provided, so enter it exactly as the bank issued it.
- If your bank issued a shorter value, ask how it should be padded. Do not guess: some banks pad with leading zeros, some with trailing spaces, and the wrong choice is a rejection.
- The originator ID does not change when you change the file creation number. It stays the same for the life of the agreement; the file creation number changes with every file.
Entering it in Zefty
During onboarding, or later in Zoho configuration under Organization Information, fill in the bank, business name (as registered with the bank, up to 30 characters), bank emitter ID, transit number, institution number and account number. Save.
Then turn on Test mode in the EFT 1464 File Settings and generate a small payment file. Download it from the Report page and open the PDF report: the A record section shows the originator ID exactly as it will be sent. Submit the test file to your bank. If the bank confirms the originator ID is recognized, turn test mode off and you are ready for live payments.
If the bank rejects the file anyway
Messages such as "originator not found", "invalid originator ID" or "customer not authorized" almost always mean one of three things:
- The ID was entered with a typo, a space or a missing leading zero. Compare against the bank's letter character by character.
- EFT origination is not yet activated on the account, even though an ID was issued. Ask the bank to confirm the activation date.
- The file was uploaded under a different profile or account than the one the ID belongs to. Some businesses have several profiles, for payroll and for payables, each with its own originator ID.
If the rejection mentions the file creation number instead, the fix is different: set the Last file number in Zefty to the highest number already used with this originator ID, so the next file gets a new one.
Key takeaways
- The emitter ID is the 10-character originator ID from Payments Canada Standard 005; it sits at positions 11 to 20 of the A record and identifies your EFT agreement.
- Banks call it an originator, customer, client, company or business number; it is never your CRA business number, transit or account number.
- Look in your EFT service agreement, your business banking portal, a previous payment file, or ask your business banking representative.
- Enter it in Zefty without spaces or dashes, then validate it with a test-mode file before making live payments.
Bank-specific instructions, including how to activate EFT origination with each institution, are in our bank guides for RBC, TD, BMO, Scotiabank, CIBC, National Bank, Desjardins, HSBC and Laurentian Bank. For the full setup sequence, see How it works.