Introduction to BPAY CRN Creation Tool

For the BPAY system to process payments every business has a unique Biller Code to identify it. You also need to be able to identify each of your customers or invoices so that you can correctly reconcile the payments received.
This is done by allocating a BPAY Customer Reference Number.

The BPAY CRN Creation Tools allows you to create BPAY CRNs either using an existing number, for example an invoice or account number, or by creating completely new numbers. The BPAY CRN generated includes a final digit known as a check digit that is required to ensure the number entered by a customer into the system is correct.
All check digits are created using the check digit routine $checkDigitRule.


Click on the appropriate tab above to select the following:
Existing Number – use this screen to generate a BPAY Customer Reference Number from a single existing number
Existing File – use this screen to generate a file of BPAY Customer Reference Numbers from an existing file of your reference numbers
New CRNs – use this screen to create one or more BPAY Customer Reference Numbers

Existing Number Screen

Use this screen to create a single BPAY Customer Reference Number (CRN) from an existing number.

To create a single CRN:

  1. Enter your existing number in the "Existing Number" field.

    This number must be a minimum of one digit long and a maximum of 19 digits long.
  2. Click on "Create".

    You can now use this CRN on a Bill or Invoice as per the BPAY Identity Standards

Existing File Screen

Use this screen to create a file of BPAY Customer Reference Numbers (CRNs) from an existing text file of your reference numbers.

To create CRNs from a file:

  1. Create a text (.txt) file containing the numbers you want to turn into BPAY CRNs. Each number must be on a new line and must be a minimum of 1 digit long and a maximum of 19 digits long.
  2. In the "Your Reference Numbers" field, click on "Browse" and locate the file containing your numbers.
  3. Select the file and click OK.

    The BPAY CRN Creation Tool enters the location of the file in the "Your Reference Numbers" field.
  4. In the "BPAY CRN File" field click on the "Browse" button and enter the location and name of a text (.txt) file to output the BPAY CRNs to.
  5. Click on "Create".

    The BPAY CRN Creation Tool reads your file of numbers and outputs the BPAY CRNs to the file you specified.

You can now use these CRNs on your bills or invoices as per the BPAY Identity Standards.

New CRNs Screen

Use this screen to create one or more BPAY Customer Reference Numbers, where you do not already have existing numbers.

To create 1 or more CRNs:

  1. If you have a Biller Code that you want to associate with the CRNs you create, enter it in the "Biller Code" field.

    If you return to this screen and re-enter this Biller Code, the screen will be populated with your previous settings allowing you to create further CRNs of the same format, starting from the last CRN you created.
  2. In the "CRN Length" field enter the length of the CRNs you want to create. The minimum length is 2 and the maximum is 20. The default length is 10.
  3. In the "Number of CRNs to create" field, enter the number of CRNs you want to create. The default is 100 and the maximum is 1000.
  4. In the "Start from Number" field enter a Number (without a Check Digit) to start from. If this field is left empty Customer Reference Numbers will start from 1000000010 (assuming a default length of 10 is specified).
  5. In the "CRN Prefix" field, enter any digits you want to prefix all Customer Reference Numbers with.

    For example, if you want all CRNs to start with 12345, enter 12345 in this field.
  6. In the "Output File" click on the "Browse" button and enter the location and the name of a text (.txt) file to output the BPAY CRNs to.
  7. Click on "Create".
The BPAY CRN Creation Tool will output the BPAY CRNs to the file you specified. You can now use these CRNs on your bills or invoices as per the BPAY Identity Standards