Money & Debt: templates and forms

Your instruction to your own bank in Austria about a direct debit or a standing order: have a SEPA direct debit refunded, dispute a debit taken without a valid mandate, stop an announced debit, bar a payee's future debits or delete a standing order (Dauerauftrag). An authorised SEPA direct debit is refunded within eight weeks with no reason needed (§§ 70, 71 of the Austrian Payment Services Act, ZaDiG 2018), an unauthorised one within 13 months (§ 65 ZaDiG 2018). With payee, mandate reference, amount and date. In German.

A letter to your German bank or Sparkasse to refund a direct debit, stop a debit that has been announced, refuse a payee's future debits, or cancel a standing order. A SEPA core direct debit can be reclaimed within eight weeks of the debit with no reason given (§ 675x of the German Civil Code, BGB), and a debit taken without a valid mandate up to 13 months later (§§ 675u, 676b BGB). A standing order or an announced debit can be revoked until the end of the business day before it is carried out (§ 675p BGB). With the payee, mandate reference, amount and date. In German.

A letter to the payee — a gym, insurer, club, mail-order shop or debt collector in Germany — revoking your SEPA direct debit mandate (formerly Einzugsermächtigung). It gives the mandate reference, the creditor identifier and your IBAN, forbids further debits from receipt, and says how payment continues: you will pay by transfer, the contract has ended, or you will pay from another account. Revoking the mandate ends neither the contract nor what you owe. If a debit still arrives, your bank refunds a SEPA core direct debit within eight weeks, no reason needed (§ 675x of the German Civil Code, BGB). In German.

A letter to your bank in Austria closing your current account (Girokonto), whether you are leaving altogether or moving to a new bank through the account-switching service. It gives the IBAN, the account holder and date of birth, the closing date and the account for the remaining balance, ends the cards, overdraft and online banking linked to the account, and asks for written confirmation. Under the Austrian Payment Services Act (§ 51 ZaDiG 2018) you may terminate at any time, on at most one month's notice, and free of charge for an open-ended account. A choice covers switching under §§ 14 ff VZKG. In German.

A letter to a German bank or savings bank (Sparkasse) closing your current account (Girokonto), whether you are leaving altogether or switching to a new bank. It gives the IBAN, the account holder and date of birth, the closing date you want and the account for the remaining balance, ends the linked cards, overdraft and online banking, and asks for written confirmation. Under § 675h of the German Civil Code (BGB) you may close the account at any time without notice, unless a notice period of at most one month was agreed, and closing is free. A choice covers switching through the statutory switching service (§§ 20 ff. ZKG). In German.

Your application to the enforcement court in Austria when your bank account has been garnished and your wages, salary, pension or other income that is only partly garnishable is paid into it. Austria has no special protected account: on your application the district court lifts the garnishment under § 292i EO as far as the balance matches the protected part of your income until the next pay date, and if asked, in advance for what you urgently need. With the case number, bank, IBAN, income and pay dates. By post, in person or through JustizOnline — not by e-mail; you can also apply orally at the court. In German.

A letter to the payee in Austria — gym, insurer, club, online shop or collection agency — revoking your SEPA direct debit mandate, still often called an Einziehungsauftrag in Austria. It gives the mandate reference, the creditor ID and your IBAN, forbids further debits once it is received and says how payment continues: you transfer the money yourself, the contract has ended, or you pay from another account. Revoking the mandate ends neither the contract nor a debt. A debit taken anyway is unauthorised, and your bank refunds it under the Austrian Payment Services Act (§§ 65, 67 ZaDiG 2018). In German.