Signing example
Sign a direct debit authority online
A direct debit authority has to prove two things: that the person who signed it can operate the account, and that the BSB and account number on file are the ones they gave. This one page request for a swim school's fortnightly $86 fee has the account holder type all four account details and sign in one session, behind a six digit code sent to her own email.
The document, with its fields
The pages as a signer sees them, with the signature, name, title and date fields placed where each party has to complete them.
Direct Debit Request
This Direct Debit Request authorises Saltbush Swim School Pty Ltd, ABN 47 602 318 955, of 18 Lagoon Street, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218 (the Debit User, Direct Debit User ID 512884), to arrange for funds to be debited from the account named below through the Bulk Electronic Clearing System (BECS). The debits pay lesson fees for Ollie and Ruby Thackeray, enrolled in the Term 4 2026 junior squad program under customer reference SW-20418.
| Amount of each debit | $86.00, the fortnightly fee for two children in the junior squad program |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Every second Wednesday, from the start date typed below, until cancelled |
| Failed debit | A $9.50 dishonour fee, then the debit is tried once more seven days later |
The account holder's details, typed by the account holder
Direct Debit Request Service Agreement, in short
- The Debit User gives at least 14 days' notice in writing before changing the amount, the frequency or this agreement. The account holder may stop, defer or cancel a debit by telling the Debit User at least 3 business days before it is due, or by asking their own financial institution.
- A debit that falls on a day that is not a business day is processed on the next business day. The account holder makes sure there are cleared funds in the account on the due date. Not every account accepts direct debits.
- Any debit the account holder believes is wrong is raised with the Debit User first, at accounts@saltbushswim.example, and may also be raised with their own financial institution, which handles a claim under the BECS procedures. Account details are disclosed only to the Debit User's sponsoring bank.
Authority
By signing, the account holder confirms they are authorised to operate the account named above, that they have read the service agreement summary above and the full version at saltbushswim.example/ddr, and that they request and authorise the Debit User to debit the amounts described above from that account.
Who signs what
- Imogen Thackeray, account holder
- Account name, BSB, account number and first debit date, typed into four text fields · Signature and stamped date at the foot of the page · Verified by an emailed six digit code
The signing journey
Step 1
Six fields for one person
Four text fields sit on the four ruled lines under the account holder heading, then a signature and a date sit side by side under the authority paragraph.
Step 2
A code before the form
Opening the link shows a verification card with the envelope title and her name, and nothing of the page. A six digit code goes to her inbox, lasts ten minutes and works once.
Step 3
She types the bank details herself
The sender cannot pre type a value into any field, so the BSB 064 512 and the account number on the finished page are her entries, not the swim school's guess.
Step 4
One drawing, then consent
She draws once, accepts the electronic signing consent and finishes. The page is stamped and certified straight away because she is the only signer.
Every field, and who fills it
There is one signer and six fields. Imogen Thackeray types her account name, the six digit BSB, the account number and the date of the first debit into four text fields laid out as a two by two grid under the heading for the account holder's details, each on its own ruled line with a caption beneath it. Below the authority paragraph she draws one signature, and the date beside it is stamped by the product from the moment she finishes, in the Oct 4, 2026 form, never typed. Saltbush Swim School types nothing: its user ID, the $86 amount and the $9.50 dishonour fee are printed in the PDF before upload.
How to adapt this envelope
A gym or childcare centre with a variable amount can replace the fixed $86 with a ceiling and a line saying each debit is shown on an invoice first. A joint account that needs both holders to authorise debits becomes two recipients, each with their own signature, and Sign in order can stay off because neither depends on the other. A business account adds a company field so the authority names the entity being debited.
What makes this valid in Australia
The Electronic Transactions Act 1999 lets a signature be given electronically where the method identifies the person, shows their intention and is reliable for the purpose, and the person agrees to it. Direct debits themselves run through the Bulk Electronic Clearing System administered by the Australian Payments Network, under procedures that require a direct debit request and a service agreement. A debit user should confirm with its sponsoring bank that it accepts requests signed electronically. The certificate keeps what a dispute needs: the identity method, the IP address, the time she signed and the consent version she accepted, v2026-08-01.
What makes this signing flow work
The holder types the numbers
A debit user who fills in a BSB for the customer owns any typo. Here the four text fields are assigned to the account holder, so the BSB, the account number, the account name and the Wednesday she chose for the first debit are her own keystrokes.
A code, because the page holds bank details
Otherwise anyone holding a forwarded email could sign away a bank account. The emailed one-time code puts her own inbox between the link and the page, and the certificate records that method beside her name.
One page, so the amount sits above the signature
The $86 fortnightly amount, the 14 days' notice of any change and the right to cancel through the bank all print on the same sheet she signs, so the authority cannot later be read as covering a different amount.
Questions people ask
Does a bank accept a direct debit request signed electronically?
The debit user's sponsoring bank sets the rules for how requests are collected, and many accept electronic requests. Ask the sponsor before switching from paper. The signed PDF carries the typed account details and a stamped date, and the separate certificate shows how the signer was verified, when she signed and from which IP address.
Why are the account details typed by the account holder rather than the business?
The editor has no way for the sender to pre fill a value, so every text field is completed by the recipient it belongs to. For a direct debit that is the point: the BSB and account number on the authority are the holder's own entries, which settles any argument about who made a typing mistake.
Can the account holder sign from a phone at the pool?
Yes. Below 560 pixels wide the signing page switches to a compact view and moves every typed field into a Complete your details panel above the document. She enters the emailed code, types the four account details in that panel, draws her signature with a finger and finishes, all on the same phone.
What does the certificate show about the account holder?
Her name and email, Email link plus emailed one-time code as the verification, the time she signed, IP address, the time and version of the electronic signing consent she accepted, the document hash at signing and the hash of her signature image. It never records the bank details themselves.
What if the code email goes to an old address?
The code goes to the address on the envelope, and a resend goes to that same address. If it is wrong, the swim school voids this envelope and sends a new one to the right address. A recipient can request up to five codes in any ten minute window, and each lasts ten minutes.
What happens if she declines instead of signing?
The envelope moves to declined and the swim school is emailed with any reason she typed in the decline box. Nothing is stamped onto the request, so no authority exists and no debit can be set up from it. The swim school can void the declined envelope and send a corrected one.
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Want the steps in the builder? Read Send a PDF for e-signature, then Send a document for signature. For everything this generator can do, see the signing flow maker.
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