Rules & documentation

Rule amendments support expanded membership and access to critical national infrastructure

These changes took effect on February 9, 2026.

A series of amendments to the Automated Clearing Settlement System (ACSS) rules are now in effect. These changes, which became effective on February 9, 2026, are designed to align with recent legislative updates to the Canadian Payments Act (CP Act) and refine and enhance operations and processing procedures.

Payments Canada’s rules, standards and procedure documents are updated regularly and versions posted online are in force. You can contact Payments Canada for confirmation by e-mail at info@payments.ca.

Item Title Updated System
Policy Statement
Prohibition of Tele-Cheques in the Clearing and Settlement System
Retail batch payment system
Standard 023
Technical Requirements Applicable to Electronic Data Interchange
Retail batch payment system
Standard 018
Payment Item Information Security Standard
Retail batch payment system
Standard 010
Standards and Guidelines for the Standard Intermember Control Document
Retail batch payment system
Standard 013
Return Replacement Document Design Standard
Retail batch payment system
Standard 014
Clearing Replacement Document Design Standard
Retail batch payment system
Standard 015
Companion Document to the ANSI X9.100-187-2008, "Specifications for Electronic Exchange of Check and Image Data - Domestic"
Retail batch payment system
Association By-law No. 3
Payment Items & ACSS By-law
Retail batch payment system, System by-laws
Association By-law No. 6
Compliance
Retail batch payment system, High-value payment system - Lynx, System by-laws
Quick links - ACSS
Automated clearing settlement system rules, standards and by-laws
Retail batch payment system
Standard 006
Specifications for MICR-Encoded Payment Items
Retail batch payment system
Standard 005
Standards for the Exchange of Financial Data on AFT Files
Retail batch payment system