CTX Payments

Background

CTX (Corporate Trade Exchange) is a corporate ACH format which allows for up to 9,999 addenda records with approximately 800,000 characters. Given this large addendum record capability, full and complete remittance information can be transmitted with the CTX payment. Therefore, it is possible for one CTX payment to cover multiple invoices since full remittance information will be transmitted to the vendor's financial institution together with the payment.

The ACH CTX format includes an entire X12 820 transaction set in its addenda records. Though traditionally used for Vendor Payments, the CTX format can also be used by agencies to make payments of Allotments and Deductions (e.g.., making one monthly CTX payment to a Union which covers union dues deducted from all member's salary payments).

FMS originates CTX payments which contain 820 Transaction Sets formatted according to X12 Version 3040. FMS has no current plans to change versions. The EDI translation software used by FMS to originate CTX payments has built-in logic making it Y2K compliant.

Child Support Payments

EFT Child Support Payments

Federal agencies have the option to process child support payments using the Cash Concentration or Disbursement (CCD+) format or the Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) format to a state child support enforcement agency or its state disbursement unit (SDU). The ACH CTX format includes an entire X12 820 transaction set in its addenda records. The X12 820 has the capability to pass full and complete remittance information with the CTX payment.

Although the CCD+ ACH format is primarily used for child support payments, FMS, Austin Financial Center will assist Federal agencies interested in developing ACH Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) payments.

Electronic Data Interchange X12 Standards, Version Release 3050 or later is required to process CTX Child Support Payments. Federal agencies are advised to contact the Austin Financial Center prior to making any programming changes.

820 Child Support Deductions