Format/Technical Documentation and MyStandards Frequently Asked Questions

Format specifications and resource guides are available on the Fedwire Funds Service page within the MyStandards (Off-site) portal by Swift.

The use of MyStandards is free and does not require Swift membership, however, users will need a valid Swift.com login ID and password to access the MyStandards platform. Instructions to gain access to the platform and resource guides are listed below:

• Review the MyStandards access instructions (PDF) to access the MyStandards platform and available resource guides (e.g., Implementation Guide, MyStandards Readiness Portal Guide, Usage Guidelines).
• Review the ISO 20022 Technical Guide access instructions (PDF) to request access to technical documentation and sample ISO 20022 messages. Please note that only End User Authorization Contacts (EUACs) or other authorized contacts will be granted access.

The Fedwire Funds Service implemented the versions of the ISO 20022 messages that were available in 2019 for all messages except the following:

• The pacs.004 (payment return) message aligns to version 10 of this message, which was published in 2020.
• The camt.110 (investigation request) and camt.111 (investigation response) messages were the first release of those messages published in 2023.

The specific version numbers for each message are listed in Section 1 of the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Implementation Guide.

The business application header (BAH) is a point-to-point message, so use of a different version for messages exchanged across the Fedwire Funds Service does not cause any interoperability issues. We are using version 3 of the business application header (head.001.001.03) instead of version 2, which is used by the CBPR+ guidelines, because version 2 does not allow you to include a complete copy of the original BAH in the Related component that is used for message retrievals.

The Fedwire Funds Service is using version 10 of the return message (pacs.004.001.10) instead of version 9, which is used by the CBPR+ guidelines because the Return Chain component identifying all persons/entities and agents involved in the return payment in version 9 does not cater for inclusion of account identifiers that may be needed for return payments sent across the Fedwire Funds Service to be complete and fully transparent.

Please review the following documents that provide information on the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 message portfolio:

• Mandatory vs Optional ISO 20022 messages section of the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Quick Reference Guide
• ISO 20022 usage/implementation guidelines
• ISO 20022 Implementation Guide
• MyStandards Readiness Portal Guide

See the Appendix of the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Implementation Guide on MyStandards.

The Fedwire Funds Service requires you to include a Unique End-To-End Reference (UETR) that conforms to the Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) version 4 standard as described in IETC RFC 4122. The format pattern for the UETR is defined in the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 usage guidelines on MyStandards. While we will validate that the UETR conforms to the correct pattern, we will not validate the uniqueness of the UETR.

Only End User Authorization Contacts (EUACs) and authorized contacts can request access to download the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Technical Guide and proprietary XSD files from a private page on the MyStandards website. Please review the instructions to request technical documentation access (PDF).

All ISO 20022 messages require a message envelope, Business Application Header and the ISO 20022 business message. These requirements are specified in the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Technical Guide.

We do not require ISO 20022 messages to be digitally signed for the Fedwire Funds Service.

The table below provides information to help FedLine Direct connection owners properly format the BAH for all messages sent to the Fedwire Funds Service. The same rules apply to messages imported/uploaded using the import feature of the FedPayments^® Manager — Funds application.

You should always include the Fedwire Funds Service routing number (i.e., 021151080) in element To/FIId/FinInstnld/ClrSysMmbld/Mmbld of the business application header for all messages you send to the Fedwire Funds Service.

Namespaces act like a unique prefix and allow the same name elements and attributes from different schemas to coexist in a single XML message. For instance, the element <PstlAdr> exists in a number of ISO 20022 messages, but by attaching a namespace prefix that identifies a specific message, you can differentiate which element is in use.

The requirements for the namespace prefix are as follows. Additionally, the requirements are further described in the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Technical Guide, which also includes samples.

• The Fedwire Funds Service accepts ISO 20022 messages with or without namespace prefixes.
• Messages sent by the Fedwire Funds Service do not use a namespace prefix in the Message Envelope and BAH, but please note the following:
  • For acknowledgements, the Fedwire Funds Service does not use a namespace prefix in the ISO 20022 Business Message.
  • For advices and retrieved messages, the Fedwire Funds Service passes along the original ISO 20022 Business Message sent by the Fedwire Sender with or without namespace prefix.

The XML declaration specifies the XML version and the character set that is used for the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 messages. This is optional, but when used, it must appear in the first line of the XML message as shown below:

<?xml version=”1.0” encoding=”utf-8”?>

• The Fedwire Funds Service accepts ISO 20022 messages with or without the XML declaration sent by Fedwire Senders.
• All ISO 20022 messages sent by the Fedwire Funds Service always include the XML declaration.

The Fedwire Funds Service message specifications restrict use of the global ISO 20022 messages to reflect the nature of electronic payments, the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 implementation scope and system requirements. While these restrictions already significantly reduce the risk of messages that could potentially be lengthy, messages sent by Fedwire Funds Service participants to the Fedwire Funds Service must not exceed 25,000 characters. Messages delivered by the Fedwire Funds Service (excluding the Account Reporting messages) to Fedwire Funds Service participants will not exceed 27,000 characters. The Message Envelope and ISO 20022 payload (this includes the Business Application Header and ISO 20022 Business Message) are included in this overall character limit.

The Error Code Glossary is included as an appendix in the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Technical Guide. Please refer to the table below to understand how we deliver error codes with descriptions.

The optional FedwireFundsTechnicalHeader element within the Fedwire Funds Service proprietary schemas (i.e., XSD files) is a placeholder for future use by the Fedwire Funds Service and should not be used by Fedwire Funds Service customers.

Please note that the routing number in the From Member ID in the Business Application Header must be associated with the FedLine Direct connection owner.