Set Up a Positive Pay File Layout

Positive Pay layouts can vary from bank to bank. For this reason, you may need to set up a layout that meets your bank's specifications.

Set Up a Delimited File Layout

1. Acquire the Positive Pay file layout from your bank.

2. From Bank Account Management, select Modify > Positive Pay Layouts.
3. Click the Add New Layout link.
4. Enter a Layout Name that describes the file layout. This is typically the bank name.
5. Select the File Format. After selecting Delimited, specify the Field Delimiter as either "comma" or "tab".
6. Select the Record Delimiter from the drop-down list. Each record is a row in the file.
7. Select "Include Decimal Point in $ Amounts"? Check the box if required by your bank.

Note: Some banks assume that the last two digits of an amount are the cents and therefore do not require a decimal point.

8. Select the Date Format from the drop-down list, then select the Date Separator per your bank's file specifications.
9. Click the Detail Record tab and select the number of fields from the drop-down list.
10. Starting with the first field, fill in each field for the columns specified on your bank's Positive Pay file layout.
11. When finished, click Create Test File in the lower right-hand corner.
12. Review the downloaded file to verify that the fields are specified correctly.

13. Click Update to save your changes.
14. To assign this layout to your bank account, select Modify > Bank Account Information from the top menu.
15. Click the Edit icon next to the bank account that will use this Positive Pay file layout.
16. Select the new format from the Positive Pay Layout drop-down list, then enter the Positive Pay Bank Number, Record Type Check, and Record Type Void.
17. Click Update to save your changes.

Set Up a Fixed-Width File Layout

1. Acquire the Positive Pay file layout from your bank.

2. From Bank Account Management, select Modify > Positive Pay Layouts.
3. Click the Add New Layout link.
4. Enter a Layout Name that describes the file layout. This is typically the bank name.
5. Select the File Format. After selecting Fixed Width, enter the Record Length.
6. Select the Record Delimiter from the drop-down list. Each record is a row in the file.
7. Select "Include Decimal Point in $ Amounts"? Check the box if required by your bank.

Note: Some banks assume that the last two digits of an amount are the cents and therefore do not require a decimal point.

8. Select the Date Format from the drop-down list, then select the Date Separator per your bank's file specifications.
9. Click the Detail Record tab and select the number of fields from the drop-down list.
10. Starting with the first field, fill in each field for the columns specified on your bank's Positive Pay file layout.
11. When finished, click Create Test File in the lower right-hand corner.
12. Review the downloaded file to verify that the fields are specified correctly.

13. Click Update to save your changes.
14. To assign this layout to your bank account, select Modify > Bank Account Information from the top menu.
15. Click the Edit icon next to the bank account that will use this Positive Pay file layout.
16. Select the new format from the Positive Pay Layout drop-down list, then enter the Positive Pay Bank Number, Record Type Check, and Record Type Void.
17. Click Update to save your changes.

Updated July 09, 2026 20:05