How to cancel a Direct Debit You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time and the process is very straightforward.
Simply contact your bank or building society, if this is by phone or internet, written confirmation may be required (use the link below to download a standard letter template in Word format for this purpose). We also recommend you notify the organisation concerned, you could do this by sending them a copy of the letter you send to your bank.
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 being made.
Remember that cancelling the Direct Debit simply stops payments from going to the organisation in question. If you carry on receiving the goods or service then you will have to organise an alternative payment method. NB. If you have agreed a fixed-term contract with, for example, a mobile phone operator then it is best to ensure that the cancellation of the Direct Debit is permitted within the contract before proceeding.
The information you should provide in order to cancel a Direct Debit 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 (see your cheque book)
- 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 this information too.
Money shouldn't be collected from your account after you have cancelled and under the Scheme rules, an organisation would have to obtain your authority to reinstate a cancelled Instruction.
Once you have cancelled a Direct Debit take care to check subsequent bank statements to ensure that your instruction has been followed. That way any error will be identified immediately and steps can taken quickly to secure a refund.