Format/Technical Documentation and MyStandards^® Frequently Asked Questions

Format Documentation

1. Where can I find format specifications I need to prepare for the Fedwire^® Funds Service ISO^® 20022 implementation?

   You can obtain the following information on the Fedwire Funds Service page under “Fedwire Funds Service Release 2025” on the MyStandards^® 2 website: Usage Guidelines — Fedwire Funds Service Release 2025 (Off-site)

   • ISO 20022 usage/implementation guidelines
   • ISO 20022 Implementation Guide
   • MyStandards Readiness Portal Guide
   • MyStandards Readiness Portal Test Script
   • DIT2 Test Script
   • Production Saturday Test Script
   • Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Testing Attestation Form
   • Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Quick Reference Guide

    

   You can also find the following information on our Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Implementation Center.

   • Educational opportunities (webinars, drop-in sessions & workshops)
   • On the Wire newsletter
   • Testing requirements and key milestones
   • Industry preparedness checklist
   • DIT2 onboarding dashboard
   • Industry readiness dashboard (coming Q1 2024)
   • Vendor information
   • Frequently asked questions

    
2. What version of the ISO 20022 messages will be included in the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 migration?

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

   • The pacs.004 (payment return) message will align to version 10 of this message, which was published in 2020.
   • The camt.110 (investigation request) and camt.111 (investigation response) messages will be 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.

3. Why are you using versions of the business application header (head.001) and return message (pacs.004) that are different than the versions of those messages in the Cross-border Payments Reporting Plus (CBPR+) guidelines?

   The business application header 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 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.

4. What ISO 20022 messages are in scope for the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 implementation and are they all required?

   Please review the following documents that provides information on 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
5. When will the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 format specifications be finalized with no further changes?

   The “locked down” version of the ISO 20022 format specifications for the Fedwire Funds Service was published on MyStandards in December 2023. This version will be implemented on March 10, 2025. We do not intend to make additional changes, including any changes requested by the industry. All changes to the format specifications are recorded in the Document Change History section of the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Implementation Guide.

   The Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Technical Guide is available on a private page in MyStandards. Revisions to the Technical Guide are recorded in the Document Change History section of the document.

6. Is there a document to compare the ISO 20022 messages to the Fedwire Application Interface Manual (FAIM) format?

   See the Appendix of the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Implementation Guide on MyStandards. This topic was discussed during the ISO 20022 Introduction and Overview webinar on February 1, 2023 (Off-site).

7. Is there any documentation to explain how to generate a UETR?

   The Fedwire Funds Service will require 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.

Technical Guide and Business Application Header

1. How do we get a copy of the Technical Guide and the proprietary XSD files?

   Only End User Authorization Contacts and authorized contacts will be granted 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 access (PDF) to the Technical Documentation Release 2025 private page.

2. Will ISO 20022 messages for the Fedwire Funds Service include a business application header and a network envelope?

   All ISO 20022 messages will require a message envelope, business application header, and the ISO 20022 business message. These requirements will be specified in the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Technical Guide.

3. Is the FedLine Direct^® MQ communication protocol changing with the ISO 20022 migration?

   While customers will not need to make any changes to their FedLine Direct production connection to prepare for the ISO 20022 migration, those that have a FedLine Direct test connection will need to set up a new set of MQ queues (on their existing connection) to access the new DIT2 test environment.

4. Will the Fedwire Funds Service require ISO 20022 messages to be digitally signed?

   We will not require ISO 20022 messages to be digitally signed as part of the ISO 20022 migration for the Fedwire Funds Service.

5. We are confused about the From Member Identification element in the Business Application Header (BAH). What information should be included in this element when creating the BAH that accompanies ISO 20022 messages we send to 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.

   Message Sent By	From Member ID Element	To Member ID Element
   Fedwire Funds Service Customer	Must be the routing number of the Fedwire Funds Service customer that owns the FedLine Direct connection	Must always be the Fedwire Funds Service routing number (i.e., 021151080)
   Fedwire Funds Service Customer Using a Service Provider	Must be the Electronic Transfer Identifier (ETI) of the service provider that owns the FedLine Direct connection

6. We are confused about the XML namespace prefix. What is the namespace prefix and is it required for ISO 20022 messages that we 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 and further described along with samples in the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 Technical Guide.

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

    
7. What is the XML declaration and is it required for ISO 20022 messages that we send to the Fedwire Funds Service?

   XML declaration specifies the XML version and the character set that will be 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 will accept ISO 20022 messages with or without the XML declaration sent by Fedwire Senders.
   • All ISO 20022 messages sent by the Fedwire Funds Service will always include the XML declaration.

    
8. What is the maximum size for Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 message?

   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, an overall maximum size for all ISO 20022 messages has been set at 25,000 (25kb) 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.

9. Will you be providing an error code glossary?

   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 will deliver error codes with descriptions.

   Error Type	Definition	ISO 20022 message sent by the Fedwire Funds Service	Description
   Technical Error (error codes begin with “T”)	Errors related to XML schema (e.g., character length) or errors related to rules in the Fedwire Funds Service ISO 20022 usage guidelines (e.g., postal address rules)	admi.002	Will provide one error code with description at a time
   Business Error (error codes begin with “E,” “F, ” “H” or “I”)	Errors related to Fedwire Funds Service business edits (e.g., valid Fedwire Sender or Fedwire Receiver)	admi.002 (only for camt.029/pacs.028/ pain.014/admi.006/ camt.060/admi.004/ camt.110/camt.111)	Will provide one error code with description at a time
   		pacs.002 (only for pacs.008/pacs.009/pacs.004)	Will provide all error codes with descriptions
   		camt.029 (only for camt.056)
   		pain.014 (only for pain.013)

10. How should we handle the “FedwireFundsTechnicalHeader” element within the Fedwire Funds Service proprietary schemas (i.e., xsd files)?

    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.

MyStandards Questions

1. How do I set up access on MyStandards?

   The use of MyStandards is free and does not require SWIFT^® membership but users will need a valid swift.com login ID and password to access the MyStandards platform. See MyStandards access instructions (PDF).

2. How do I use the features (e.g., compare button) in MyStandards?

   The MyStandards webinar (Off-site, Video) presented on March 8, 2023 provides a detailed overview of the MyStandards platform including how to navigate the platform and use its features.

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