Cancelling Direct Debit

You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time and it's very straightforward. Simply contact your bank or building society. If you do that by phone or online, written confirmation may be required. It's also a good idea to notify the organisation concerned.

Your bank or building society can make the cancellation up to and including the due date, but try not to leave it until the last minute or you run the risk of a payment still being made.

Remember that cancelling the Direct Debit simply stops payment to the organisation. If you carry on receiving the goods or service, you will have to organise an alternative payment method.

The information you should provide for the cancellation is:

• The name of the organisation being paid
• Your bank or building society account number
• The name(s) on the account
• The branch sort code
• Your customer reference with the organisation (if possible)

The more information you can give, the easier it will be for the bank or building society to action. So if you know the amount and payment date, include those too.

Money cannot be collected from your account after you have cancelled. An organisation would have to obtain your authority to reinstate a cancelled instruction. What's more, if you’re switching accounts, there’s no need to cancel your Direct Debits - your new bank will switch them to your new account for you. Visit our account switching section to learn more.