Guide · Software how-to
How do you create an 80-byte EFT file from Sage 50?
TD and CIBC business banking portals accept batch payments as an 80-byte EFT file — a fixed-width format that predates the CPA 005 standard and is still what their upload screens expect. Sage 50 (Canadian Edition) can produce that file, but only through EFT Direct, a separately licensed add-on with an annual fee. If your bank asked for an 80-byte file and Sage 50 has no obvious way to make one, this guide explains why, when the add-on is worth it, and how to generate a bank-ready file from the data already in Sage 50 when it isn’t.
Why Sage 50 doesn’t create an 80-byte EFT file out of the box
Sage 50 Canadian Edition ships with two electronic-payment paths, and neither is included in the base product.
Direct Payments is Sage’s service-provider integration: payment batches upload to a payment processor, and you manage transactions on the provider’s website. It never hands you a bank file at all — so if your bank told you to upload an EFT file to their portal, Direct Payments is solving a different problem.
EFT Direct is the path that produces an actual file. It generates a payment file — named PRDIRECT.DAT for payroll, APDIRECT.DAT for vendor payments, or ARDIRECT.DAT for customer pre-authorized debits — that you then upload through your bank’s own channel. But EFT Direct is a separately purchased add-on with an annual license fee, and it isn’t installed with base Sage 50. That’s the gap most people searching for this land in: the bank wants a file the accounting package technically can produce, but only behind a paid module.
If you already have EFT Direct, use it
No point pretending otherwise: if your business runs regular payment batches and you hold a current EFT Direct license, the add-on is the right tool. In EFT Direct’s setup, the file format follows the bank you select — choosing TD or CIBC produces the 80-byte file their portals expect, while choosing CPA Standard produces the 1464-byte CPA 005 format. If your output is coming out 1464 bytes wide and your bank wants 80, that single setting is usually the whole problem.
Where PayFile Pro earns its place is everywhere EFT Direct doesn’t reach: you don’t have the add-on and can’t justify an annual license for a handful of payments, your license lapsed mid-cycle, the bank rejected the file EFT Direct produced and payroll is tomorrow, or you run payments through a bank you haven’t licensed the add-on for.
What the 80-byte EFT format actually is
The 80-byte format is a fixed-width payment file layout used by TD, CIBC, and BMO for batch payments uploaded through their web banking platforms. Every line is exactly 80 characters; header, detail, and trailer records identify the originator, the payments, and the totals.
It sits alongside the newer, wider CPA 005 1464-byte standard that most other Canadian banks — and the same banks’ treasury-tier channels — accept. The two are not interchangeable: a 1464-byte file pasted into an 80-byte upload screen fails validation immediately, which is why the bank you send through, and the specific channel you use, dictates the format. If TD or CIBC gave you formatting guidelines mentioning 80-character records, this is the file they mean.
When Sage 50 users still need a separate 80-byte generator
The common cases, from the ones we see most:
You have base Sage 50 without the add-on. Payroll for six people twice a month doesn’t always justify an annual EFT Direct license on top of your Sage subscription. You can keep the books in Sage 50 and produce the bank file separately.
Your bank rejected the file. EFT Direct output configured for the wrong bank or the wrong format setting — 1464 where the portal wants 80, or vice versa — fails at upload. Regenerating from a clean export is often faster than re-running the add-on’s setup under deadline.
You only need accounts-payable runs. Some businesses license nothing extra and pay vendors ad hoc; a one-off supplier run doesn’t need a standing add-on.
You bank somewhere EFT Direct isn’t set up for. Multi-bank businesses sometimes hold an EFT Direct configuration for one institution and need a file for another.
How to generate an 80-byte EFT file from Sage 50 data
The data the bank file needs — payee names, account numbers, amounts, due dates — is already in Sage 50. Getting it into a bank-ready 80-byte file takes three steps:
- Export from Sage 50. Any report that lists the payment run works: export your payroll cheque run or vendor payment list to CSV or Excel (File → Import/Export, or open the report and export). You need payee name, institution, transit, account number, and amount.
- Map it in PayFile Pro. Upload the CSV to the TD 80-byte generator or the CIBC 80-byte generator, match your columns once, and add your Originator ID — the user number your bank issued when you enrolled for EFT uploads. If you don’t have one yet, your branch or business banking support sets it up; the TD page covers what to ask for.
- Upload to your bank. Download the generated file and upload it through your bank’s web business banking portal exactly as you would a file from EFT Direct. First run takes a few minutes; every run after is under a minute.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sage 50 create an 80-byte EFT file?
Only through EFT Direct, a separately licensed add-on with an annual fee. Base Sage 50 Canadian Edition does not generate bank EFT files. With EFT Direct installed and your bank set to TD or CIBC, the add-on produces the 80-byte format; set to CPA Standard, it produces the 1464-byte format instead.
What is the difference between the 80-byte and 1464-byte EFT formats?
Both are fixed-width Canadian batch-payment layouts. The 80-byte format uses 80-character records and is what TD, CIBC, and BMO web banking upload screens accept. The 1464-byte format is the CPA 005 standard used by most other Canadian banks and by treasury-tier channels. They are not interchangeable — the bank and channel you upload through determines which one you need.
Which banks use the 80-byte EFT format?
TD, CIBC, and BMO accept 80-byte files through their web business banking platforms. Most other Canadian banks, including RBC and Scotiabank, use the 1464-byte CPA 005 standard. Some banks accept both depending on which channel or service tier you enrolled in, so the formatting guide your bank sent you is the final word.
How much does Sage 50 EFT Direct cost?
Sage licenses EFT Direct separately from Sage 50 itself, as an annual fee subject to renewal. Sage does not publish the price; you get current pricing from Sage or your Sage business partner. For low payment volumes, that recurring cost is the usual reason businesses generate the bank file outside the add-on.
Why did my bank reject the EFT file Sage 50 produced?
The most common cause is a format mismatch: EFT Direct configured for CPA Standard produces a 1464-byte file, which fails on an 80-byte upload screen, and vice versa. Other frequent causes are a missing or incorrect Originator ID, an out-of-sequence file creation number, and invalid transit or account numbers. Regenerating the file from a clean export with the correct format usually resolves it fastest.
Can I create an 80-byte file from a Sage 50 CSV export?
Yes. Export your payment run from Sage 50 to CSV or Excel with payee names, transit numbers, account numbers, and amounts, then upload it to a PayFile Pro 80-byte generator, map the columns, and download the bank-ready file. Your Sage 50 books stay the system of record; only the file generation moves outside it.
Do I need an Originator ID from my bank?
Yes. Every EFT file carries the Originator ID your bank assigned when you enrolled for file uploads — the same number EFT Direct would ask for during its setup. If you have never uploaded an EFT file before, contact your business banking support to enrol; the ID is issued once and reused on every file after that.
Does this work for both payroll and vendor payments?
Yes. The 80-byte format itself does not care whether a credit pays an employee or a supplier, and PayFile Pro generates both from the same generator. In Sage 50 terms, it covers what EFT Direct splits across its payroll and accounts-payable outputs.
Generate your 80-byte EFT file
Export your payment run from Sage 50, upload the CSV, and download a bank-ready file — no add-on license, no annual renewal.
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PayFile Pro is an independent software product. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Sage or any bank or financial institution named on this page. Sage, Sage 50, EFT Direct are trademarks of The Sage Group plc or its licensors. TD, CIBC, BMO, RBC, Scotiabank, ATB Financial, and all other bank names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification and descriptive purposes only. PayFile Pro generates payment files; it does not transmit them, process payments, or hold funds.