Category 1: Customer payments and cheques
MT191 Request for Payment of Charges, Interest and Other Expenses
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The MT191 is the message a bank sends to claim charges, interest or other expenses it is owed in connection with an earlier customer payment. Typically a beneficiary’s or intermediary bank sends it to the bank that instructed an MT103 with charges for the sender (OUR) when those charges were not prepaid. It states the amount claimed, what it is for, and where to pay it.
When MT191 is used
The MT191 is the category 1 member of the common group message MT n91. A bank uses it when it is owed money that the Receiver does not yet know about: charges for processing a payment the Receiver sent, interest for a value date problem, or other expenses such as an investigation fee. The classic case is an MT103 with field 71A OUR: the beneficiary’s bank pays the full amount and then claims its charges from the bank that sent the payment.
Field 21 links the claim to the original transaction, usually by quoting field 20 of the payment it relates to. Field 32B gives the currency and amount claimed and field 71B explains it in narrative. Field 57a says where the Sender wants to be paid; field 52a names the ordering institution of the original payment when it is not the Receiver.
The Receiver checks the claim against the original payment and its agreement with the Sender, then pays it with a separate payment (in practice often an MT202) or asks for details with an MT195. It is the opposite direction of the MT190, which advises the Receiver that its account has already been debited or credited for charges or interest.
MT191 format: sequences and fields
Message text (block 4)Mandatory
No sequences.
| Tag | Name | Status | Format | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Transaction Reference Number | M | 16x | The Sender’s reference for this claim. Quote it in the payment that settles the claim so the Sender can reconcile. |
| 21 | Related Reference | M | 16x | The reference of the transaction the charges, interest or expenses relate to, for example field 20 of the original MT103. |
| 32B | Currency Code, Amount | M | 3!a15d | The currency and total amount of charges, interest or other expenses claimed. Comma as decimal mark, no more decimals than the currency allows. |
| 52a | Ordering InstitutionOptions A or D | O | A: [/1!a][/34x] 4!a2!a2!c[3!c] D: [/1!a][/34x] 4*35x | The ordering institution of the original transaction, when it is not the Receiver of this claim. |
| 57a | Account With InstitutionOptions A, B or D | O | A: [/1!a][/34x] 4!a2!a2!c[3!c] B: [/1!a][/34x] [35x] D: [/1!a][/34x] 4*35x | The bank at which the Sender wants to receive the funds, for example its correspondent in the claim currency. |
| 71B | Details of Charges | M | 6*35x | What is being claimed, in up to six lines: the type of charge, interest or expense and how it was worked out. |
| 72 | Sender to Receiver Information | O | 6*35x | Further information for the Receiver, such as a reminder that the claim is still unpaid. |
Format notation: n digits, a upper-case letters, c upper-case letters and digits, x any character of the Swift character set, d a decimal number with a comma, ! fixed length, [ ] optional, 4*35x up to 4 lines of 35 characters. M mandatory, O optional, C conditional (a rule decides).
Rules worth knowing
- Field 21 should let the Receiver find the original transaction: quote field 20 of the payment the claim relates to.
- The amount in 32B is what the Receiver is asked to pay; the explanation goes in 71B, not in field 72.
MT191 example
BANKUS33XXX sent ZagTrader Test Bank in Dubai (ZAGTAEADXXX) an MT103 with reference REFUS2610190045 and charges OUR, without prepaying the beneficiary bank’s charges. ZagTrader credits its customer in full and claims USD 25.00 from BANKUS33XXX, to be paid to its USD correspondent ZAGTUS33XXX.
{1:F01ZAGTAEADAXXX0000000000}{2:I191BANKUS33XXXXN}{4:
:20:ZTCLM2610200007
:21:REFUS2610190045
:32B:USD25,00
:57A:ZAGTUS33XXX
:71B:BENEFICIARY BANK CHARGES FOR
YOUR MT103 OF 261019, CHARGES OUR,
NOT PREPAID IN FIELD 71G
-}Decode this example in the parserLine by line
| Line | What it says |
|---|---|
| {1:F01ZAGTAEADAXXX0000000000}{2:I191BANKUS33XXXXN}{4: | From the bank that is owed the charges to the bank that sent the payment. |
| :20:ZTCLM2610200007 | Reference of the claim. |
| :21:REFUS2610190045 | The related reference: field 20 of the original MT103. |
| :32B:USD25,00 | Amount claimed. |
| :57A:ZAGTUS33XXX | Where ZagTrader wants to be paid. |
| :71B:BENEFICIARY BANK CHARGES FOR | The explanation, in narrative. |
| YOUR MT103 OF 261019, CHARGES OUR, | |
| NOT PREPAID IN FIELD 71G | |
| -} | End of block 4. |
BICs and references are made up.
Common errors and rejects
Claim cannot be linked to a payment
If field 21 does not carry the reference of the original payment, the Receiver cannot check the claim and will usually ask with an MT195 or reject it. Quote field 20 of the original message exactly.
Claim for charges that were already prepaid
With 71A OUR the sending bank may already have prepaid the Receiver’s charges in field 71G of the MT103. Check the original message before claiming, or the claim will be disputed.
Explanation in field 72 instead of 71B
Field 71B is mandatory and is where the charges, interest or expenses are described. Field 72 is only for additional bank-to-bank information.
Paid without the claim reference
When the Receiver settles the claim, it should quote the MT191’s field 20 so the Sender can match the funds. Payments without it end up as unidentified items on the nostro reconciliation.
MT191 in ISO 20022
The ISO 20022 equivalent is camt.106 Charges Payment Request; its partner camt.105 Charges Payment Notification corresponds to the MT190. The J.P. Morgan ISO 20022 messaging adoption schedule names the MT191 as the MT equivalent of camt.106, and Swift’s CBPR+ roadmap (as shown in Citi’s September 2025 client webinar) lists MT191 with camt.106.
According to a Swift CBPR+ note published by NatWest, the camt.105 and camt.106 usage guidelines went live on FINplus with the November 2024 standards release, in single and multiple-charges versions, and an RMA is needed to use them. A single camt.106 can be translated to an MT191 for a receiver still on MT, but the multiple-charges version cannot. camt.106 has no element for the MT191 field 57a, so the requesting bank cannot state where it wants to be paid, and it can also request charges that are not tied to a payment.
MT191 questions
- What is an MT191 used for?
- To claim charges, interest or other expenses from another bank in connection with an earlier customer payment, for example a beneficiary bank claiming its charges for an MT103 that was sent with charges OUR but without the charges prepaid.
- What is the difference between MT190 and MT191?
- The MT190 advises that charges or interest have already been booked to the Receiver’s account. The MT191 asks the Receiver to pay them.
- How is an MT191 paid?
- With a separate payment to the bank named in field 57a, or by the usual account relationship if none is named, quoting the MT191’s reference. In practice this is often a bank-to-bank transfer such as an MT202.
- What is the ISO 20022 equivalent of the MT191?
camt.106Charges Payment Request, live in CBPR+ since November 2024. It can carry one or several charges, but has no element for the account with institution of field 57a.
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