Canada Capability Matrix

While the United States and Canada share a close economic relationship, their respective payment standards exhibit notable differences and regulatory frameworks. Understanding these distinctions is essential for businesses operating in Canada or both the U.S. and Canada to ensure compliance and optimize payment processing strategies for all levels of entity involved. Below are the unique differences between the Canadian and U.S. payment processing on the Payrix platform, exploring key areas like:

• General Payments Requirements

• Payrix Platform Access

• Card Payment Transactions

• EFT (eCheque) Payment Transactions

• Transaction Funding Flows

• Transaction Batch Cutoff Times

• Reporting

Canada Payments Processing Standards & Requirements

Outlined in the expandable content below are Canada-specific requirements, regulatory bodies, address formatting standards, and more.

Click the expandable content below to view a matrix of general payment requirements for Canada:

Tip: Click here to view the Risk & Compliance Guide for Canada.

Payrix Platform Access

The Payrix Portal and API are available to every user level within each Canadian entity, just like they do in the U.S. Below are some key elements you’ll need to know to begin using Payrix tools and features in Canada.

We do not currently offer French language or character support for Partners and Merchants.

• We strongly advise against attempting to board Merchants in Quebec until this support is added to avoid issues in translations of key business entity or member information.

Payrix Portal Access

The same robust Portal you access in the U.S. is available to users in Canada, but with some limitations. To access the Payrix Portal for Canada-based Facilitators, Referrers, and Merchants, use the following links:

Tip: For more detailed information about specific Payrix Canada Portal features, such as Advanced Notifications for fee changes, visit the Payrix Canada Portal Features section.

Payrix API Access

The Payrix API is also accessible in Canada with a slight change to the domain of the API server URL. To access the Payrix API for Canada-based Facilitators, Referrers, and Merchants, use the following URLs:

Merchant Sign-Up Form Link

The Merchant Sign-Up Form hosted will also utilize a similar structure as the Portal and API URL domains for Canada respectively: payrixcanada.com, with the applicable subdomain of “test-portal” or “portal” as usual based on the intended environment. This can also be set manually in the Payrix Portal by accessing the Sign-Up Forms page (under Forms) while logged into the applicable environment.

A distinctive feature of Canadian-based Signup Forms is the provision of an extra Fee Disclosure confirmation for the Merchant. This confirmation ensures that they have read, agreed to, and consented to the Fee Disclosures outlined in the Merchant Terms and Conditions. These disclosures are linked within the Signup Form to ensure continuous compliance with Canadian regulatory requirements.

Canadian Signup Forms, offers an additional Fee Disclosure confirmation for Merchants to guarantee that Merchants have acknowledged, agreed to, and consented to the Fee Disclosures specified in the Merchant Terms and Conditions.

The Fee Disclosures are accessible through links embedded in the Signup Form to maintain compliance with Canadian regulations consistently.

Card Payments

Credit and debit cards can be used in payment transactions like U.S. Merchants except for some card brand limitations.

Card Brand Support

The following card brand matrix outlines the available card brands that Canadian Merchants may process.

Card Brand	Support for Canadian Merchants
Visa	Supported
Mastercard	Supported
Discover	Supported
American Express	Not Supported

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Payments

Electronic Checks accepted by Merchants in Canada work differently than in the U.S., rather than using the Automated-Clearing House payment network (ACH), the account is debited using the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) protocol used to make bank account transfers internally from one account to another.

Due to this difference, the formatting of the routing number is very different from the U.S. ACH routing number format.

EFT (eCheque) Routing Number Formatting

Physical Cheques and EFT payment accounts in Canada utilize a different formatting than their U.S. counterparts for their account routing numbers.

Routing Number Format = 0 + Institution Number + Transit Number

• Cheque Number - Indicates the number of overall cheques written by the account holder.

• Transit (Branch) Number - Identifies the specific branch of the institution where the account is held.

• Institution Number - Identifies the financial institution where the account is held.

• Account Number - The specific account number for the account within the institution.

Example - Finding the Routing Number

Using the routing number format displayed above: 0 + 010 (Institution Number) + 12345 (Transit Number), we can determine that the routing number of this eCheque account is: 001012345

Tip: For new EFT payments, you’ll include the account number like a U.S.-based eCheque payment, but the routing number must be determined (using the process above) as it will not be displayed on the cheque.

Transaction Funding Flow - Canada

Payrix submits transaction settlement batches daily to the processor for both credit cards and EFT transactions at 9:00 PM EST. Each batch is composed of all authorization, sale, and refund activity that has been captured for processor settlement within the daily period.

Warning: Trace ID numbers for bank account disbursements are not available or displayed for Partners and Merchants in Canada on the Withdrawal or Payouts page. Click here to view the U.S.-based documentation displaying Trace ID’s.

Card Payment Transaction

The following outlines the difference in card payment transaction funding flows for Merchants processing card payments in Canada:

• All open credit card authorizations will batch for capture by 9:00 PM EST the same day.

• Daily Batch Cut-off time for new transactions is 10:00 PM EST.

EFT Payment Transaction

eCheque payment transactions, also known as “EFT payments”, are funded to the Merchant’s FBO account 3-5 business days after the transaction is processed. Transaction funds are typically deposited through an electronic funds transfer to the Merchant’s bank account the morning after the FBO account is funded.

Tip: EFT payments made to Canadian Merchants are approved, settled, and funded identically to those for U.S. Merchants.

^* = These timelines are based on the earliest possible funding time for eCheques (3 business days). Please note that eCheques can take up to 5 business days to complete settlement to fund the Merchant FBO account for later withdrawal.

Cutoff Time Impact on Transaction Funding and Withdrawals

Transaction Settlement Batch Cutoff

Transactions processed before the batch cutoff time are typically funded the following day.

However, any transaction completed after this cutoff point will result in a delay, potentially changing the date of the transaction settlement and subsequent funding.

The cutoff time for including a transaction in the day’s batch is 9:00 PM EST.

Daily Scheduled Withdrawal (Payout) Cutoff

Scheduled withdrawals of the FBO account balance are processed before the daily cutoff and are typically deposited by ACH the following day.

However, any withdrawal scheduled after this cutoff point will result in a one-day delay in the depositing of withdrawn funds to the Merchant’s bank account.

The cutoff time for completing a scheduled withdrawal of FBO account funds is 5:00 PM EST.

Reporting

All Canada-based Facilitators, Referrers, and Merchants will have access to the same Portal reports available to U.S. Merchants, with all localizations and currency formatting applied for Canada.