Understanding your first Direct Debit collection

When you set up Direct Debit for your storage licence fee, your first collection follows a short, predictable timeline. This article walks through what happens, what you'll see in your portal, and when your money actually leaves your account.

What happens

Once your Direct Debit mandate is set up, we send your bank advance notice of the amount and date before every collection — that's a Bacs rule, not a StoreBay choice, and it's there to protect you. On the collection date, we ask your bank for the payment. Your bank then takes 2 to 4 working days to confirm it. Nothing about this is instant, and we never pretend it is.

What you'll see

As soon as we submit the collection, your portal and any confirmation email show:

"Collection submitted — we've asked your bank for £33.00. It usually clears in 3 working days."

This is not a confirmation that the money has moved yet — it's confirmation that we've asked your bank for it. We deliberately never say "Paid" at this point, because it isn't paid yet.

Once your bank confirms the collection has gone through, the status updates to:

"Payment received — £33.00 on 8 Jul."

That's the point your invoice is marked settled.

Timeline

Using a worked example: Aisha's £33.00 licence fee (a £29.00 Small unit fee plus a £4.00 Standard waiver) was submitted for collection on Thursday 2 July. Because Direct Debit only moves on working days, it was expected to clear by Wednesday 8 July — the weekend in between doesn't count. If a collection is submitted just before a bank holiday or a weekend, the clearing date moves out accordingly; your portal always shows the real expected date, not a fixed "3 days from today".

What can still change

A cleared Direct Debit is not automatically the end of the story. Under the Direct Debit Guarantee, your bank can reverse a payment after it has cleared — for example if a collection was taken in error. If that happens, the invoice reopens and we'll tell you clearly what changed and why. This is uncommon, but it's honest to say it can happen; see What a late Direct Debit reversal means for what it looks like and what we do about it.

If a collection fails outright — for example the account has insufficient funds — we'll let you know by email and explain the next step. We don't take a second attempt without telling you first.

Who to contact

If a collection date or amount looks wrong, check your invoice first — the amount matches your licence fee plus any waiver or add-ons. If something still doesn't add up, contact support and we'll help.