ECS Full Form

If you have many bills and EMIs to pay on different due dates, it is a pain to remember it all. In the bargain, you will miss out on the payments and pay penalties. ECS will enable prompt payments and will spare you from paying penalties. Now, what is ECS Full Form? The full form of ECS is Electronic Clearing Service. ECS enables recurring payments on the stipulated due dates.

ECS is one way of setting up standing instructions for recurring payments. For example, it could be transferring a certain amount from one bank account to another, payment of utility bills and EMIs, etc. Bulk credits like payment of salaries, pension, dividend warrants etc., can also be done with ECS. In addition, corporations and business organisations can leverage the benefit of bulk credit through ECS.

ECS Debit and ECS Credit are the two types of ECS available.

ECS Debit

ECS Debit enables payment of utility bills like telephone bills, electricity bills, water bills, broadband bills, etc. You can also make EMI, SIP payments with ECS debit. In addition, you should register for the ECS facility by submitting an ECS mandate duly filled with the required details. This process will eliminate the painful ordeal of remembering the due dates of different payments. After registering for ECS, you have one responsibility, i.e., maintaining sufficient balance on the due dates to honour the debit.

ECS Credit

ECS credit constitutes recurring credits like salary, pension or interest on deposits that come into your account regularly. Normally Corporates and business organisations use this facility where there is bulk credit of salaries. Pensions, dividend warrants, bank deposit interest also get credited automatically into the customer's account on respective due dates.

Depending on the location, ECS is further categorised as follows:

Local ECS: There are around 81 local ECS Centres across the country.

Regional ECS: There are 9 Regional ECS Centres across the nation

National ECS: National ECS is a centralised unit located in Mumbai.

ECS Full-Form, i.e., Electronic Clearing Service, benefits business organisations and individuals.

The Benefit of ECS for Banks

The following are the benefits of ECS for Banks.

• Minimal paperwork
• The workload is considerably reduced. On activation of ECS, all that the bank has to do is match the account number and the name of the beneficiary and allow credit.
• If the details do not match, ECS credit for that particular account will be rejected.
• A thorough record of every transaction will be maintained.

The Benefit of ECS for Customers

• Need not remember due dates of recurring payments like utility bills, EMIs, SIP etc., as it happens automatically once ECS debit is activated.
• Less scope for frauds.
• The need to visit a branch and sign a cheque for payment is eliminated.

The Benefit of ECS for Organisations

• On activation of ECS Credit, bulk payments like salaries, pensions etc., becomes effortless as it happens automatically on the due date.
• Workforce requirements will be reduced.

Additional Info: Also check Pan Number for Banks

To register for ECS Full Form, i.e., Electronic Clearing Service, you will have to set up an ECS Mandate by visiting the nearest bank branch and following the steps given below.

• Collect the ECS Mandate from the bank and fill up the required details like a bank account, bank branch, name, amount to be debited etc. A timeline can also be specified in the Mandate.
• Signing an ECS Mandate provides authorisation for the bank to debit the specified amount from the bank account on a specific due date.
• There is a provision to set a maximum debit amount. Under no circumstances an amount higher than the maximum limit set will be deducted from the account.

ECS Mandate is nothing but a standing instruction given for debit of a certain amount to the credit of a specific account mentioned in the Mandate. It is an authorisation given to debit the bank account on a specified date for a specified amount.

The Clearing House, on the specific due date, debits the bank account and credits the amount to the beneficiary’s account. It could be a loan account, bank account of another individual and, in case of utility bills, the concerned organisation.

The ECS user can terminate the ECS whenever required without providing any reasons.

Every ECS Mandate will be included in the input files of the ECS User Institution, and the debits are done as per the files. If you have to cancel the ECS Mandate, you will have to give prior notice to the ECS User Institution so that the Mandate is deleted from the input files to stop further debits to the account.

The procedure to be followed for proper closure of ECS Mandate is given below:

• The beneficiary should be communicated in the format stipulated about the discontinuation of the ECS Mandate
• Similarly, a request for cancellation of the ECS Mandate should be given to the respective bank.

What are the charges for ECS?

As per RBI guidelines, no charges should be collected for ECS. However, the originating bank, i.e., the bank where the amount will be debited, should pay 0.25 paisa to the clearinghouse and 0.50 paisa to the destination bank. Banks do not charge the customers for ECS transactions.

You have known the ECS Full Form, the benefits of ECS and how it reduces the stress of recurring payments on due dates and also how to go about registering for ECS. If you have several EMIs and utility bills to pay and are frequently missing out on due dates, it is time you go to your respective bank and submit an ECS Mandate. You will be stress-free and will also be saved from paying heavy penalties for missed out due dates.