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Standing orders

What is a standing order?

Standing orders are fixed, regular payments.

Here's how to set one up.

How does a standing order work?

A standing order lets you automate regular payments from your bank account.

It might come in handy when paying the monthly rent to your landlord on time or splitting household bills with your partner. You could also make regular payments to a business.

Or maybe you simply want to move cash to another of your accounts. For example, a savings account.

Using a standing order, you can ask your bank to pay a certain amount of money to a specific account, on a particular date. This could be the same day each week, month or even year.

You can give your standing order an end date or limit the number of payments. On the other hand, you could choose to leave it open-ended.

Why use a standing order?

Standing orders can help you to organise your finances by making regular payments smoother. These could include:

  • Your monthly rent
  • Weekly payments to a cleaner
  • Topping up your savings pot each payday
  • Supporting your kids with an allowance
  • Charity donations.

What is the difference between a Direct Debit and standing order?

The main difference is that you’re responsible for setting up and managing a standing order. You can add the receiver’s details and the payment amount as part of your everyday banking.

With a Direct Debit, on the other hand, you give a business permission to take regular bill payments from your account. This could be a utility company or mobile phone provider.

Direct Debits can also take varying amounts of money, depending on your bill for a particular month. But standing orders stay the same unless you change them manually.

How do I set up a standing order?

You can set up a standing order via a banking app or online service. This DIY approach gives you the freedom to change your outgoing payments whenever you need to.

Before creating a standing order, you’ll need these details to hand:

  • The name of the person or business you’re sending money to.
  • Their sort code and account number.
  • A payment reference, so they know who the money has come from.
  • The fixed amount you wish to pay.
  • The payment date and frequency.

How to set up a standing order with the NatWest app

Got the NatWest app? Here’s how to set up a standing order​ from your mobile:

  1. On the app’s home screen, tap ‘Payments’.
  2. Choose ‘Regular payments’ > ‘Standing orders’ > ‘Create standing order’.
  3. Select to pay a person, business, or your own account, and confirm the details.
  4. Add the amount, frequency of payments, plus a description.
  5. Sometimes, we may ask you to authenticate a standing order using face biometrics.

Using NatWest Online Banking

You can also use our online service to set things up:

  1. Once logged in, click ‘Payments and transfers’.
  2. Select ‘Standing orders’ > ‘Create a new standing order’.
  3. Type in the name and account details of the person or business.
  4. Choose the length of the standing order and a payment reference.
  5. Confirm your account and the payment amount. Plus, the payment date and frequency.
  6. Check all the details. Then authorise the standing order through the NatWest app or your card reader.

When do standing orders go through?

Standing orders can be paid on the same day they leave your bank account. But some payments may take a little longer depending on where the money is going.

So, you might want to give it three to five working days before getting in touch with your bank.

How to cancel a standing order

Things to keep in mind

Depending on your bank, you may be able to cancel a standing order:

  • Online
  • Through their mobile app
  • Using telephone banking
  • In branch.

You won’t need permission from the person or business you’ve been paying. But you might want to let them know of any changes, just to avoid crossed wires.

It’s also worth giving your bank plenty of notice when exploring how to stop a standing order​. This will give them enough time to process your cancellation request before the next payment date.

At NatWest, you can cancel a standing order online up to 6:00pm on the previous working day before it’s due. However, if you don’t want the payment to leave the account, this will need to be cancelled at least 48 working hours before it’s scheduled to leave.

Cancelling a standing order with NatWest

Using the NatWest app:

  1. Go to the home screen and tap ‘Payments’.
  2. Tap on ‘Regular payments’ > ‘Standing orders’.
  3. Select the standing order you’d like to stop.
  4. Tap on ‘Cancel standing order’.

Via NatWest Online Banking:

  1. Log in and click ‘Payments and transfers’.
  2. Click ‘Manage standing orders’ under the ‘Standing orders’ section.
  3. Choose the relevant standing order from the list.
  4. Click ‘Cancel standing order’ > ‘Confirm’.

If you need to cancel a standing order and it’s within the 48 working hour window, our front line telephony teams may be able to assist in the cancellation of the standing order, rather than it being cancelled online or via the app.

Remember, once a standing order has left an account, it can’t be recalled.

Standing orders – FAQs

Learn more about bank accounts

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