Category 9: Cash management and customer status
MT999 Free Format Message (Cash Management)
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The MT999 is the free text message of Swift category 9, used between an account servicing institution and an account owner, or between any two institutions, about accounts, balances, statements and other cash management matters that no structured message covers. It has a reference, an optional related reference and up to 35 lines of text. It informs; it never moves, blocks or confirms money.
- Message type
- MT999
- Category
- 9
- Structure
- 3 fields listed
When MT999 is used
Category 9 holds the account messages: confirmations of debit and credit (MT900, MT910), statements (MT940, MT950), interim reports (MT942) and the request for a statement (MT920). The MT999 is the free format message of that category, so it reaches the team that services accounts and reconciles them, usually cash management or nostro operations.
Typical MT999 traffic: an account servicer tells account owners about a change to statement timing or format, a new cut-off, an account closure or a change of account number; an account owner asks its bank about the set-up of an account or the delivery of its reports; or either side follows up a reconciliation issue that has no structured message. Corporates and their banks can also exchange MT999s where they are connected.
Where a structured message exists, use it. A question about a specific earlier message, such as an entry on a statement, fits an MT995 (MTn95), which references the original by type and date and expects an MT996 answer. A statement is requested with an MT920. A credit is confirmed with an MT910 or reported on a statement.
An MT999 is not a payment, a guarantee or a proof of funds. Text in an MT999 saying that funds are held or blocked creates none of the obligations a structured message or a written agreement would, and a printout or PDF of one is not authenticated: only the receiving bank can confirm what it received.
The n99 layout is shared by most categories; categories 4 and 7 define their own free format messages. See MTn99 for the whole group.
MT999 format: sequences and fields
Message text (block 4)Mandatory
Three fields, no sequences, no network validated rules across fields.
| Tag | Name | Status | Format | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Transaction Reference Number | M | 16x | The Sender’s reference for this message. No leading or trailing slash and no double slash (T26). |
| 21 | Related Reference | O | 16x | The reference of the message this one relates to, for example field 20 of a statement or of an earlier MT999. Leave it out for a notice that relates to no earlier message. |
| 79 | Narrative | M | 35*50x | The free text: up to 35 lines of 50 characters from the Swift x character set. Name the account and the dates concerned in the first lines so the receiving team can act without searching. |
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
- There are no network validated rules across fields; only the format of each field is checked.
- The category digit routes the message: choose MT999 for cash management and account matters, MT199 for customer payments and MT299 for interbank transfers.
- The reject and return rule for a first line starting with /REJT/ or /RETN/ applies in categories 1 and 2 only, not to the MT999.
- The network accepts a UETR in field 121 of the user header of an MT999, so a message about a tracked payment can quote its UETR there.
- An MT999 is information only. It does not debit or credit an account and does not replace a confirmation, statement or payment message.
MT999 example
BANKUS33XXX in New York services USD account 0012345678 for ZagTrader Test Bank, Dubai (ZAGTAEADXXX), and sends it an end-of-day MT950 statement. It tells ZagTrader that the statement will be sent later from November 2026.
{1:F01BANKUS33AXXX0000000000}{2:I999ZAGTAEADXXXXN}{4:
:20:BUS2610210015
:79:RE YOUR USD ACCOUNT 0012345678
WITH EFFECT FROM 261102 OUR END OF DAY MT950
STATEMENT FOR THIS ACCOUNT WILL BE SENT AT
2200 NEW YORK TIME INSTEAD OF 1800.
INTRADAY MT942 REPORTS ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.
PLS ADVISE IF YOUR RECONCILIATION IS AFFECTED.
-}Decode this example in the parserLine by line
| Line | What it says |
|---|---|
| {1:F01BANKUS33AXXX0000000000}{2:I999ZAGTAEADXXXXN}{4: | Sender BANKUS33XXX (account servicer), input MT999 to ZAGTAEADXXX (account owner). |
| :20:BUS2610210015 | BANKUS33’s reference. There is no field 21: the notice relates to no earlier message. |
| :79:RE YOUR USD ACCOUNT 0012345678 | Free text, at most 50 characters per line. The first line names the account. |
| WITH EFFECT FROM 261102 OUR END OF DAY MT950 | |
| STATEMENT FOR THIS ACCOUNT WILL BE SENT AT | |
| 2200 NEW YORK TIME INSTEAD OF 1800. | What changes, and from when. |
| INTRADAY MT942 REPORTS ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST. | |
| PLS ADVISE IF YOUR RECONCILIATION IS AFFECTED. | What the Receiver should do next. |
| -} | End of block 4. |
BICs, account numbers and references are made up.
Common errors and rejects
Line longer than 50 characters in field 79
Field 79 holds at most 35 lines of 50 characters. Wrap long text before sending or the format check fails.
Characters outside the Swift x set
E-mail addresses, ampersands and accented letters are not allowed in field 79. Write them out (AT, AND) or the message is rejected.
Query about a statement entry sent as free text
A question about a specific entry or message fits an MT995, which names the original by type and date and gets a structured MT996 answer. Free text often waits in a general queue.
MT999 used to request a statement
A statement or interim report is requested with an MT920. An MT999 asking for one needs manual handling and may be ignored by automated statement services.
MT999 treated as a confirmation of funds
An MT999 saying funds have arrived, are held or are blocked is not a credit confirmation. Rely on the MT910, the statement or the account servicer’s formal confirmation.
How to fix itPayment question sent in category 9
A query about an MT103 or MT202 belongs in an MT199 or MT299, so that it reaches the payments team that can trace the payment.
MT999 in ISO 20022
There is no single ISO 20022 equivalent of a free format message. For enquiries and investigations, Clearstream’s ISO 20022 adoption schedule maps MT n99 messages to camt.110 (Investigation Request) and camt.111 (Investigation Response). Swift deferred these enquiry and investigation changes to a partial release planned for Q1 2027, according to J.P. Morgan.
The structured category 9 messages have their own successors: the MT900 and MT910 map to camt.054, the MT940 and MT950 to camt.053, and the MT942 to camt.052. J.P. Morgan gives November 2027 as the date banks must be able to receive camt statements and November 2028 as the date MT9xx reporting is decommissioned.
MT999 questions
- What is an MT999?
- The free format message of Swift category 9: free text about accounts, balances, statements and other cash management matters for which no structured message exists.
- What is the difference between MT999, MT199 and MT299?
- The layout is the same; the category digit routes the message. MT199 goes to the customer payments team, MT299 to the interbank transfers team and MT999 to cash management and account servicing.
- When should I use MT995 instead of MT999?
- When you are asking about a specific earlier message, such as a statement entry. The MT995 (see MTn95) names the original by type and date and expects an MT996 answer, which makes the case easy to track.
- Is an MT999 proof of funds?
- No. It is free text between institutions and does not debit, credit, hold or block an account. A copy shown outside the banks is not authenticated.
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