Category 1: Customer payments and cheques
MT196 Answers
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The MT196 is the message a bank sends to answer an MT192 request for cancellation or an MT195 query about a customer payment. It quotes the request’s reference in field 21 and gives the answer in field 76: cancelled, still under investigation, refused, or the information asked for. In ISO 20022 the answer to a cancellation request is a camt.029.
When MT196 is used
An MT196 closes the loop on an exception. When a bank receives an MT192 asking it to cancel a payment, it must answer with an MT196. It also uses the MT196 to answer an MT195 query, and in other situations where the standards provide no specific message for the answer.
The answer should use the same category digit as the request: a category 1 request (about a customer payment) is answered with an MT196, a category 2 request (about an interbank transfer) with an MT296.
Field 21 links the answer to the request: it carries field 20 of the MT192 or MT195. Field 11a and either field 79 or a copy of the original fields identify the payment itself, which helps when the request did not reach the right desk.
A typical answer to a cancellation says one of three things: the payment has been cancelled (and, where funds had moved, returned under a stated reference); the request is pending, for example because it has been passed to the next bank or the beneficiary’s consent is awaited; or the request is refused, for example because the beneficiary has already been credited and does not agree to return the funds. In the gpi Stop and Recall service these outcomes carry the status codes CNCL, PDCR and RJCR, the same values camt.029 uses.
MT196 format: sequences and fields
Message text (block 4)Mandatory
No sequences. Field 79 and the copy of the original fields are alternatives: at most one of them.
| Tag | Name | Status | Format | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Transaction Reference Number | M | 16x | The Sender’s reference for this answer. |
| 21 | Related Reference | M | 16x | Field 20 of the message being answered, for example the MT192 or MT195. This is the field the requesting bank matches on. |
| 76 | Answers | M | 6*35x | The answer itself, up to six lines of 35 characters: what was done and, where relevant, the reference and value date of any return payment. |
| 77A | Narrative | O | 20*35x | Further explanation when six lines in field 76 are not enough. |
| 11a | MT and Date of the Original MessageOptions R or S | O | R: 3!n 6!n [4!n6!n] S: 3!n 6!n [4!n6!n] | The type and date of the original payment message the answer relates to, with session number and ISN if known. Option R when the answering bank received that message, option S when it sent it. |
| 79 | Narrative Description of the Message to Which the Answer Relates | C | 35*50x | A description of the original payment message that lets the Receiver identify it. Not allowed together with the copy of fields. |
| (no tag) | Copy of at least the Mandatory Fields of the Original Message | C | Copy of fields | The fields of the original payment message instead of a narrative description. Not allowed together with field 79. |
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
- Either field 79 or a copy of at least the mandatory fields of the original message may be present, but not both (rule C1).
- Field 21 must quote field 20 of the query, request for cancellation or other message being answered.
- In field 11a the date must be a valid YYMMDD date and the message type a number from 100 to 999.
- Use the same category digit as the message being answered (MT196 for an MT192 or MT195, MT296 for an MT292 or MT295).
- An answer is not a payment. If funds are returned after a cancellation, the return travels as its own payment message and the MT196 quotes its reference.
MT196 example
BANKGB2LXXX received the MT192 from ZagTrader Test Bank, Dubai (reference CXL2610210003), asking it to cancel the duplicate MT103 ZT2610200057. The beneficiary had not yet been credited, so BANKGB2L cancels the payment, returns the funds and answers with an MT196.
{1:F01BANKGB2LAXXX0000000000}{2:I196ZAGTAEADXXXXN}{4:
:20:ANS2610210011
:21:CXL2610210003
:76:YOUR REQUEST ACCEPTED.
PAYMENT NOT YET CREDITED TO
BENEFICIARY AND CANCELLED.
FUNDS RETURNED VALUE 261022
UNDER OUR REF RTN2610210007
:11R:103
261020
-}Decode this example in the parserLine by line
| Line | What it says |
|---|---|
| {1:F01BANKGB2LAXXX0000000000}{2:I196ZAGTAEADXXXXN}{4: | Sender BANKGB2LXXX, input MT196 to ZAGTAEADXXX: same category (1) as the request. |
| :20:ANS2610210011 | BANKGB2L’s reference for this answer. |
| :21:CXL2610210003 | Field 20 of the MT192 being answered. |
| :76:YOUR REQUEST ACCEPTED. | The answer, at most 6 lines of 35 characters. |
| PAYMENT NOT YET CREDITED TO | |
| BENEFICIARY AND CANCELLED. | |
| FUNDS RETURNED VALUE 261022 | |
| UNDER OUR REF RTN2610210007 | Reference of the separate return payment, so ZagTrader can match the money. |
| :11R:103 | Field 11a, option R: BANKGB2L received the original MT103... |
| 261020 | ...on 20 October 2026. |
| -} | End of block 4. Neither field 79 nor a copy of fields is needed here, because 21 and 11R identify the payment. |
BICs and references are made up.
Common errors and rejects
Both field 79 and copied fields present (C1)
The answer may describe the original message in field 79 or copy its fields, not both. Keep the one your system fills reliably.
Field 21 does not quote the request
Field 21 must carry field 20 of the MT192 or MT195. Quoting the payment reference instead leaves the requesting bank with an unmatched answer and an open case.
Line too long in field 76
Field 76 holds six lines of 35 characters. Put longer explanations in field 77A (20 lines of 35 characters).
Wrong option in 11a
Option R refers to a message the answering bank received, option S to one it sent. Answering a cancellation request about an MT103 you received means 11R.
Answering in the wrong category
An MT292 about an MT202COV is answered with an MT296, not an MT196, so that the answer reaches the interbank payments team.
MT196 in ISO 20022
The ISO 20022 answer to a cancellation request (camt.056) is camt.029 (Resolution of Investigation). Instead of free text it carries a coded status, CNCL (cancelled), PDCR (pending) or RJCR (rejected), with a coded reason and the original UETR, so the requesting bank can process the answer automatically.
For answers to queries (the MT195 and MT196 pair), Swift’s cross-border (CBPR+) roadmap moves enquiries and investigations to case management messages camt.110 (Investigation Request) and camt.111 (Investigation Response). The dates for these steps have been rescheduled more than once, so check current Swift and correspondent notices.
If funds come back after a cancellation, the return travels as a pacs.004.
MT196 questions
- What is an MT196?
- The answer message in category 1: a bank uses it to reply to an MT192 request for cancellation or an MT195 query about a customer payment.
- Is an MT196 mandatory after an MT192?
- Yes. The standard says an MT192 always requires an answer and that the answer must be an MT196.
- Does an MT196 return the money?
- No. It reports what happened. If funds are returned, that is a separate payment, and the MT196 should quote its reference and value date.
- What is the difference between MT196 and MT199?
- The MT196 is the structured answer to a specific request, linked by field 21 and with its answer in field 76. The MT199 is free text for anything that has no message of its own.
- What is the ISO 20022 equivalent of MT196?
- For answers to cancellation requests, camt.029 (Resolution of Investigation). For answers to queries, the CBPR+ case management message
camt.111.
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