Frequently asked questions

A system allowing easy, secure payments to your biller using a DEFT reference number.

You can make one-off payments by card online, without registering.

Alternatively, you can register for DEFT, which allows payments online by card or bank account. You can also make online payments that are one-off, future-dated, or recurring. Registering for DEFT provides additional benefits such as the ability to keep track of your payment history and easy management of multiple reference numbers. You will also receive email notifications when payments are made and when scheduled payments are unsuccessful.

Your DEFT reference number (DRN) is a unique number that your biller will give you. You can usually find it on your invoice, plastic card or letter from your biller. If you cannot find your DEFT reference number, please contact your biller.

No, you don't need to register for DEFT in order to make one off card payments online.

Registering for DEFT allows you to pay by card or bank account and to set up scheduled payments. It also provides additional benefits such as the ability to keep track of your payment history and easy management of multiple reference numbers. You will receive email notifications when payments are made and when scheduled payments are unsuccessful.

For a step-by-step guide, see the DEFT guide for payers.

To create a DEFT account, follow these steps:

1. Select Register now.
2. Enter your name, email address and contact details. Your email address will be your username for logging in to DEFT.
3. Select ‘I’m not a robot’ – and follow the prompts (this is a security feature).
4. Select ‘Create account’.
5. You will see a login page, and your temporary password will be sent to the email address you provided. Open your email, find the temporary password and enter it in the temporary password field on the login page. Select ‘Confirm’.
6. Enter the temporary password again, and then create your own password. Select ‘Confirm’.
7. On the ‘Personal information’ page, enter your details. All details are mandatory and are used to help identify you when you call us. Select ‘Start using DEFT’.
8. You will see the DEFT homepage. You can make a payment or set up a scheduled payment right away by selecting the blue ‘Make a payment’ button.

Your email address is your DEFT username. You can only use an email address once to register for DEFT – each username must be unique.

If you get this message, it probably means you’ve already registered for DEFT. Go to the login page and enter your details. If you’ve forgotten your password, select ‘Forgot your password?’ to reset.

Note that you do not need to register a separate account for each DEFT reference number that you pay – you can pay multiple DEFT reference numbers from the one DEFT account.

If you don’t have access to an email address and a computer or mobile device with a reliable internet connection, you can register for DEFT and set up scheduled payments using our DEFT Offline Payer form which is available here, or you can request one by calling us on 1800 672 162 (overseas +61 2 8245 4499) Monday to Friday, 8.30am - 5.00pm (Sydney time)

Yes. Each person will need to arrange their own payment, and if needed, each person can register for DEFT and pay to the same DEFT reference number.

No. You can only make payments from a bank account by registering for DEFT. Once you have a DEFT account you can add your bank account details and make a one-off payment now or in the future, or set up recurring payments to debit your bank account.

Please contact your biller to find out how much you need to pay. Your biller may have provided you with a letter, notice or invoice indicating the amount due. Note that DEFT is a payment system and not an invoicing system.

The payment methods available are determined by the DEFT reference number and depend on what your biller accepts – for example some billers don’t accept payments from a bank account or from some card types. After you’ve entered the DEFT reference number, enter your preferred payment method and you’ll be prompted if that method is not available.

Your biller may choose not to accept some card types. After you’ve entered the DEFT reference number, enter your preferred card and you’ll be prompted if that card type is not available.

You can make DEFT payments by:

One-off card payment – without registering for a DEFT account

Selecting ‘Pay without a login’ on the DEFT homepage

Card or bank account payment, one-off or recurring – by registering for a DEFT account:

Selecting ‘Log in’ if you have a DEFT account, or ‘Register’ if you’re new to DEFT.

If you’re making a payment by logging in to DEFT, you will automatically be emailed a copy of the receipt, if you've opted in to receive 'Optional email notifications' in ‘My account’ settings. You can also send a copy of the receipt to any email address, after you've submitted the payment. Simply go to 'Payment history', select the payment to open the payment details, and then select 'Email receipt'.

If you’re making a one-off ‘Pay without a login’ payment, on the first page when completing your payment details, you can enter the email address you wish to send the receipt to.

For a step-by-step guide, see the DEFT guide for payers.

1. Select ‘Pay without a login’ on the DEFT homepage.
2. Enter the DEFT reference number given to you by your biller.
3. Enter your card details.
4. Enter the payment amount.
5. OPTIONAL: If you’d like to send a copy of the payment receipt by email, enter the email address of the recipient.
6. Select ‘I’m not a robot’ and follow the prompts (this is a security feature).
7. Select ‘Next’.
8. Review the details of your payment. Select ‘Edit’ to make any changes. Once you’ve confirmed all the details are correct, select ‘Pay now’.
9. You may be prompted to complete a verification to authenticate the validity of the transaction with your bank, which you can read more about here.
10. Your payment will be processed. Don’t click back or navigate away from this screen. If the payment was successful, you’ll receive a copy of the payment receipt.  If the payment was unsuccessful, you'll be guided as to next steps you can take.

No. To make a one-off, future dated or recurring direct debit payment from a linked bank account, you must first register for DEFT and add your account details to your profile.

For a step-by-step guide, see the DEFT guide for payers.

1. Log in to DEFT from ‘Log in’ in the top-right corner of the page.
2. Enter your username email address and password and select ‘Log in’.
3. Select the blue ‘Make a payment’ button.
4. Select or enter your DEFT reference number. Your existing DEFT reference numbers will be available for selection from the drop down list. Otherwise, select ‘Add DEFT reference number’ to enter the number for the biller you need to pay.
5. Select your payment schedule.
   • To make a single payment today, select Pay now.
   • To make a future dated payment, select ‘Pay later’. See the FAQ, “How do I set up a one-off future payment?”
   • To set up a recurring payment schedule, select ‘Recurring’. See the FAQ, “How do I set up a recurring payment schedule?”
6. Select or enter your payment method.
7. Enter the payment amount.
8. Check your details, then select ‘Next’. Note - if the ‘Next’ button is greyed out, this means you’ve missed a mandatory field. Please check you’ve provided all the payment details.
9. Review the details of your payment. Select ‘Edit’ to go back and make any changes. Once you’ve confirmed all the details are correct, select ‘Pay now’.
10. If you’re making a payment by card, you may be prompted to complete a verification to authenticate the validity of the transaction with your bank, which you can read more about here.
11. Wait for your payment to be processed. Do not click back or navigate away from this screen. A confirmation message will appear if the payment was successful. If the payment was unsuccessful you’ll be guided as to next steps you can take. Select ‘OK’.
12. You’ll be taken back to the homepage and you’ll be able to see the status of your payment in the payment history.

For a step-by-step guide, see the DEFT guide for payers.

1. Log in to DEFT from ‘Log in’ in the top-right corner of the page.
2. Enter your username email address and password, and select ‘Log in’.
3. Select the blue ‘Make a payment’ button.
4. Select or enter your DEFT reference number. Your existing DEFT reference numbers will be available for selection from the drop down list. Otherwise, select ‘Add DEFT reference number’ to enter the number for the biller you need to pay.
5. Select your payment schedule. To make a future dated payment, select ‘Pay later’.
   • To make a single payment today, select ‘Pay now’. See the FAQ, “How do I make a one-off pay now payment by logging into DEFT?”
   • To set up a recurring payment schedule, select ‘Recurring’. See the FAQ, “How do I set up a recurring payment schedule?”
6. Select the payment date and then select ‘Confirm’. If you select a weekend day or an Australian national public holiday, the payment will be automatically processed on the next business day after the selected date.
7. Select or enter your payment method.
8. Enter the payment amount.
9. Check your details, then select ‘Next’. Note - if the ‘Next’ button is disabled, this means you’ve missed a mandatory field. Check you’ve provided all the details for the payment including payment date, the payment method, and payment amount.
10. Review the details of your scheduled payment. Select ‘Edit’ to go back and make any changes, or if all correct, select ‘Schedule now’.
11. Wait for your payment schedule to be processed. Do not click back or interrupt the screen. A confirmation message will appear to advise if the payment schedule was successful. If the payment schedule was unsuccessful you will be shown a message to advise what went wrong. Select ‘OK’.
12. You will be taken to the ‘Scheduled payments’ page where you can see the future dated payment you just created.

For a step-by-step guide, see the DEFT guide for payers.

1. Log in to DEFT from ‘Log in’ in the top-right corner of the page.
2. Enter your username email address and password, and select ‘Log in’.
3. Select the blue ‘Make a payment’ button.
4. Select or enter your DEFT reference number. Your existing DEFT reference numbers will be available for selection from the drop down list. Otherwise, select ‘Add DEFT reference number’ to enter the number for the biller you need to pay.
5. Select your payment schedule. To set up a recurring payment schedule, select ‘Recurring’.
   • To make a single payment today, select ‘Pay now’. See the FAQ, “How do I make a one-off pay now payment by logging into DEFT?”
   • To make a future dated payment, select ‘Pay later’. “How do I set up a one-off future payment?”
6. Select the payment frequency – choose whether you want the payment to occur every week, fortnight, month, quarter or year.
7. Select the payment schedule– choose whether you want the payment to continue with no end date (you can cancel it later), to end on a specific date, or to occur for a specific number of payments (we’ll automatically work out the end date).
8. Select the payment start date – select the date and then select ‘Confirm’. This is the date of the first payment, and all subsequent payments will occur from that date at the frequency you’ve specified.
9. Check your details, then select ‘Next’. Note - if the ‘Next’ button is disabled, this means you’ve missed a mandatory field. Check you’ve provided all the details for the payment schedule including start date, payment frequency, payment schedule, the payment method, and payment amount.
10. Review the details of your payment schedule. Select ‘Edit’ to go back and make any changes, or if all correct, select ‘Schedule now’.
11. Wait for your payment schedule to be processed. Do not click back or interrupt the screen. A confirmation message will appear to advise if the payment schedule was successful. If the payment schedule was unsuccessful you will be shown a message to advise what went wrong. Select ‘OK’.
12. You will be taken to the ‘Scheduled payments’ page where you can see the payment schedule you just created.

Card payments made prior to the business day cut-off time will generally be received by you biller the next business day. Any card payments made after this time will generally be received within two business days.

Bank accounts payments made prior to the business day cut off can take up to 4 days to clear but will generally be visible to your biller on the next business day. Any account payments made after this time will generally be visible to your biller within two business days.

Business day cut off times:

• MasterCard and Visa 9.30pm (Sydney time)
• American Express and Diners Club 7.00pm (Sydney time)
• Payments from your bank account 5.00pm (Sydney time)

Payments from your bank account will appear in your 'Payment history' with a status of 'Pending' on the date it is processed by DEFT. The payment will not be finalised until your financial institution accepts or dishonours the payment, which can take up to four business days. If your payment is successfully authorised, the status will change to 'Cleared'. If not, the status will change to 'Dishonoured'.

To find out why your payment was dishonoured, please contact your financial institution.

Biller-initiated direct debit (BIDD) allows your biller to debit funds from your nominated bank account or card when a payment is due for a DEFT reference number. Your biller will determine what amounts are payable by you and when.

This must be offered by your biller before you can select this payment option. Please contact the company you received your levy or invoice from to confirm if this option is available to you.

The funds will be debited when scheduled, once initiated by your biller. If a direct debit doesn’t go through, contact your biller for more information.

Steps on how to add a biller initiated direct debit:

1. Log in via www.deft.com.au

2. Click ‘DEFT reference numbers’ at the top of the page

3. Click ‘Add DEFT reference number’ if the DEFT reference number doesn’t already show on your list of reference numbers.

a. If the DEFT reference number you’re wanting to pay is already on your list, skip to step 6 below.

4. Enter the DEFT reference number you are wanting to pay

5. Click ‘Validate’

a. If you get an error message after pressing ‘Validate’ you may have entered an invalid DEFT reference number. Check that you have entered the correct digits.

6. Tick the ‘Direct debit authorisation (biller-initiated)’ box

a. If this box doesn’t appear, you’re unable to pay via biller-initiated direct debit. Follow our DEFT guide for payers on other ways  to make your payment.

7. Select your payment method

a. If you can see your bank account or card details that you want to use on that list, select the one you want the funds to be debited from

b. If you want to add a new bank account or card for the direct debit, click ‘Add payment methods +’

To add a bank account

i. Click ‘Add Bank Account’

ii. Fill in your BSB, Account Number and Account Name

iii. Read and tick the 2 boxes below

iv. Click ‘Add bank account’

v. Click ‘Add’

To add a card

i. Click ‘Add Card’

ii. Enter your card number, cardholder name and expiry

iii. Read and tick the 2 boxes below

iv. Click ‘Add card’

v. Click ‘Add’

8. Once complete, your direct debit will have successfully been set up and your payments will be debited from your nominated bank account or card when they’re due.

Once you’ve set up biller initiated direct debit:

9. Check that “Direct debit authorised” shows under each DEFT Reference Number in the ‘DEFT reference numbers section’.

10. This means that the direct debit is now active.  You can update this at any time by clicking ‘Edit’ next to the DEFT reference number.  You can also cancel this arrangement by clicking on ‘Edit’ and then unchecking the black tick to remove Biller-Initiated Direct Debit.

If your profile already has a DEFT reference number:

1. Check that you’ve cancelled any outstanding active schedules that you have to the DEFT Reference Number that you’re looking to activate DEFT Biller-Initiated direct debit for by going to ‘Schedule payments’, then Selecting ‘Edit’ and selecting ‘Delete’.

Note: If you don’t cancel any outstanding active schedules, a warning will pop up when you try to add DEFT Biller-Initiated Direct Debit.

2. Go to DEFT reference numbers, select the reference number that you wish to add DEFT Biller-Initiated Direct Debit on and click Edit.

3. Select Direct debit authorisation (Biller-initiated) add the method of payment you wish to use from your wallet then click update.

4. Check that “Direct debit authorised” shows under each DEFT Reference Number.

Details and receipts of your DEFT payments made from your DEFT account in the last 12 months are available by logging in to DEFT and viewing the ‘Payment history’ tab on the homepage.

The list is in descending order, from most recent to oldest. You can scroll through the list, and to see more history, select 'Display more' to show the next 10 payments.

A list of up to 10 of your most recent past payments is shown here, and you will be able to see any card or bank account payment made when logged into DEFT.

It does not show any payments scheduled for the future. These are available at the 'Scheduled payments' tab. You will not see any DEFT payments you have made without logging in, or that you have made through other channels such as BPAY ^®.

^® BPAY is a registered trademark of BPAY Pty Ltd ABN 69 079 137 518.

Pay now payments – your payment has been sent for processing.

• For card payments, you may be prompted to complete a verification facilitated by your bank. Once you complete this verification, you’ll know right away if the payment was successful.
• For payments from a bank account, you’ll need to wait for the payment to be processed by your bank. You’ll see the status of the payment in your payment history change from ‘Pending’ on the day you made the payment, to either ‘Cleared’ or ‘Dishonoured’ a couple of days later. ‘Cleared’ means the payment was successful, while ‘Dishonoured’ means your bank declined the debit and you’ll need to make another payment to your biller.

Scheduled payments – once the payment is processed according to the schedule, you’ll receive an email notification to let you know if the payment was successful or not. Once a payment is processed it will also appear in your ‘Payment history’.

For a step-by-step guide, see the DEFT guide for payers.

1. Log in to DEFT from ‘Log in’ in the top-right corner of the page.
2. Enter your username email address and password, and select ‘Log in’.
3. Select the ‘Scheduled payments’ tab. You’ll see all your scheduled payments, for all DEFT reference numbers saved to your profile.
4. Find the scheduled payment you wish to change, and select it. The payment method details and options to ‘Delete’ or ‘Edit’ will appear.
5. To keep the scheduled payment/s but change the payment details, select ‘Edit’.
6. The details of the schedule will be displayed, including all the options you selected when setting up the schedule. You can change:
   • Whether it’s a single payment or recurring
   • The payment date for a single payment
   • The payment frequency and schedule options for a recurring payment
   • The payment card or bank account
   • The payment amount.
7. Once you’ve made your changes, select ‘Update’ to save them.
8. You’ll see a confirmation message, and the ‘Scheduled payments’ list will reflect the changes.

A ‘scheduled payment’ is any payment scheduled for the future, whether a single or recurring payment.

For a step-by-step guide, see the DEFT guide for payers.

1. Log in to DEFT from ‘Log in’ in the top-right corner of the page.
2. Enter your username email address and password, and select ‘Log in’.
3. Select the ‘Scheduled payments’ tab. You’ll see all your scheduled payments, for all DEFT reference numbers saved to your profile.
4. Find the scheduled payment you wish to change, and select it. The payment method details and options to ‘Delete’ or ‘Edit’ will appear.
5. To cancel the scheduled payment/s, select ‘Delete’. Deleting a recurring scheduled payment will delete all future payments in the schedule.
   • Note: You cannot stop a payment on the date a payment is due. Early in the morning of the payment date, the payment is sent for processing and the ‘Next payment date’ will roll to the next date. You can still delete the scheduled payment, but today’s payment has already been processed.
6. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion. Select ‘Delete’.
7. The scheduled payment/s will no longer appear in ‘Scheduled payments’.

• Approved – your card payment was successful.
• Declined – your card payment was declined by your card issuer.
• Pending – you’ll see this on bank account payments after you’ve submitted them, until the direct debit is processed by your bank or financial institution. This may take up to four business days. The status will then be updated to either ‘Cleared’ or ‘Dishonoured’.
• Cleared – your bank account payment was successful, meaning the direct debit was processed and cleared, and funds have been taken from your account and sent to the biller.
• Dishonoured – the direct debit was processed but not honoured by your bank or financial institution. This means the payment has not been made and funds have not been taken from your account.
• Refunded – a refund of a card payment processed by DEFT.
• Partially refunded - a refund for part of the amount of a card payment processed by DEFT. This may occur where you overpaid and were refunded the difference.
• In progress, Initial, Error - these statuses are rare and indicate something unusual has occurred. You should contact us for more information.

You should follow up with your bank or financial institution to find out why the payment dishonoured, as DEFT does not have this information.

There are a number of reasons why a payment could dishonour, including insufficient available balance, closed account, incorrect account number, or the type of account. For example, some types of savings accounts do not permit direct debit withdrawals.

DEFT charges a dishonour fee which your biller may charge on to you as per the DEFT Product Disclosure Statement. If the dishonoured payment was made from a recurring schedule, you may wish to change the schedule to debit a different card or bank account for future payments.

The start date is the first payment date, and not the date when you created the scheduled payment.

On the official payment receipt, we will always show the standard biller name as it is in the DEFT system. This means that if you’ve chosen to nickname your biller, this nickname does not appear on the receipt.

The purpose of the nickname is to make it quick and easy for you to make payments and identify billers when managing your payment schedules.

Steps on how to cancel your biller initiated direct debit:

1. Log in via www.deft.com.au
2. Click ‘DEFT reference numbers’ at the top of the page
3. Click on the DEFT reference number you would like to cancel
4. Untick ‘Direct debit authorisation (Biller-initiated)’
5. Click ‘Update’
6. Once done, you’ve successfully cancelled your direct debit and no further payments from the following business day will be taken. Please note, if you have a payment pending, it will still be debited.

If you're registered for DEFT, simply log in and go to the 'My account' section.

This section will show your DEFT profile details, including name, address, contact details and other preferences. From this page you can change your details, change your password, or deactivate your DEFT account.

• To edit any of the details, select 'Edit' next to the item you want to change. Most of the details are mandatory so you will only be able to change, not delete, the details.
• To change your password, select 'Change' next to the password section. For security reasons we will not show your current password.
• Email subscriptions shows your email notifications and allows you to change your preferences. Select Edit to view details, and if you change any of your preferences, select Update to save.
  • Essential email notifications – part of using DEFT, you’ll always receive these.
  • Optional email notifications – you can receive an email when a scheduled payment is successful.
  • Marketing offers and promotions – you can opt out of receiving product offers.
• Add additional authoriser(s) allows you to provide an additional authoriser if you’ve given details for a joint or two-to-sign bank account in ‘My wallet’. It also allows the addition of an additional person authorised to make DEFT enquiries on your behalf when calling us.
• 'Deactivate my DEFT account' allows you to close your DEFT payer profile and delete all future scheduled payments associated with this profile. When you deactivate your account, you will lose access to your payment history and saved details, and cannot have it reactivated.

For a step-by-step guide, see the DEFT guide for payers.

1. Log in to DEFT.
2. Select 'My wallet' from the menu. All your saved cards and bank accounts are stored and listed here.
3. Find the card or bank account you want to change and select Edit.
4. The details of your saved card or bank account will appear

To change a saved bank account or card:

For a bank account, you can change the account name. For a card, you can change the expiry date. 

1. Once you’ve made your changes, select Update to save them.
2. You’ll see a confirmation message, and ‘My wallet’ will reflect the changes.

To delete a saved bank account or card:

1. Select Delete.
2. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion. Select Delete to continue or Back to cancel.
3. The card or bank account will no longer appear in ‘My wallet’.

If you select this option, this card or bank account will be prefilled by default when you make payments in the future either online when logged in. If you have a default card and bank account, and your biller accepts both, the card will appear as the default. You will always have the option to change your payment method if you prefer.

Your DEFT reference number is a unique number that your biller will provide you. You can usually find it on your invoice, card or letter from your biller. If you cannot find your DEFT reference number, please contact your biller.

Yes. You can still see past payments to the deleted DEFT reference number in your ‘Payment history’, by filtering history and selecting ‘Include past billers’.

This is optional. A nickname is useful if you pay multiple DEFT reference numbers. It will appear in the drop down list on the ‘Make a payment’ page, and in the ‘Payment history’ page. Only you will see the nickname.

When using DEFT, we’ll clearly display any applicable fees and charges prior to your payment confirmation.

The surcharge or transaction fee amount will depend on the biller you’re paying and the payment method used.

Once you’ve selected the biller and entered the payment method and details, the surcharge or transaction fee is calculated automatically. If a surcharge or fee applies, it will be displayed along with the total amount to be debited from your card or bank account, inclusive of any surcharge or fee.

To find out more about DEFT fees and other costs, please read Section 5 of the DEFT Payer Product Disclosure Statement. 

Billers that accept card payments will be charged a fee by DEFT for processing these payments. They may choose to recover the cost of accepting card payments by charging an extra fee (surcharge) when you pay with credit card, charge card or debit card. Please contact your biller to understand which payment methods are available to you.

If DEFT is unable to debit your nominated bank account for payment for any reason, a dishonour fee may be charged by your financial institution. You should enquire with your bank about what this fee is and the circumstances where it may be charged.

We may also charge your biller a dishonour fee for reversing the transaction. It is at your biller’s discretion whether this dishonour fee is passed on to you, so you should contact your biller for more information.

For full information on DEFT fees and other costs, please read Section 5 of the DEFT Payer Product Disclosure Statement. 

DEFT transaction fees and charges are inclusive of GST.

You should check with your biller whether the amount you are paying to them includes GST or not. If you have an invoice from the biller the GST should be indicated there. Note that DEFT is a payment system for paying your total bill and does not include a GST breakdown.

Yes. Personal information including account details can only be accessed by securely logging in with your username and password. In addition, all personal information including account details are stored in an encrypted secure database and handled in accordance with our Privacy policy.

If you have registered to use DEFT and do not remember your password, select 'Forgotten password' on the log in page and we will send a temporary password to your username email address. You will need to enter the temporary password and then set a new password.

Yes. All information displayed on the DEFT website is protected by 256-bit encryption running on a Secure Socket Layer (SSL). You can confirm your session is encrypted by the appearance of a locked padlock symbol at the foot of your browser. For more information on security, see our Important information page.

You may be prompted to complete an extra verification when making a payment by card. This is because your card issuer offers 3D Secure (3DS), a fraud protection tool that adds a second layer of authentication for card transactions.

In order to complete the verification, you may be requested to enter an SMS code linked to the card being used for payment, or you may be redirected to your bank’s website or app to authenticate the payment.

If you need help completing the verification, we recommend you contact your bank.