Short answer
A Belgian structured communication is a 12-digit payment reference written as +++123/4567/89002+++. You choose the first ten digits, for example based on your invoice number. The last two are check digits: the remainder of those ten digits divided by 97, or 97 when the remainder is 0.
What is a Belgian structured communication (OGM/VCS)?
The structured communication is the Belgian standard for linking a bank transfer to the right invoice automatically. It is also known by its Dutch and French abbreviations: OGM (overschrijving met gestructureerde mededeling) and VCS (virement avec communication structurée). Febelfin, the Belgian financial sector federation, describes it as the domestic standard for structured payment references.
Your customer enters the 12 digits in the structured communication field of their banking app. Thanks to the check digits, a typo almost always stands out, so the payment can be matched to the open invoice without manual searching.
How are the check digits calculated?
- Take a base number of ten digits. If your number is shorter, pad it with zeros on the left: 20260042 becomes 0020260042.
- Divide that number by 97 and take the remainder. For 0020260042 the remainder is 40.
- That remainder is the check number, with a leading zero if it has one digit. If the remainder is 0, the check digits are 97.
- Write the twelve digits in groups of 3, 4 and 5 between plus signs: +++002/0260/04240+++.
Example from the Febelfin standard
Base number 0108068171 divided by 97 leaves a remainder of 83. The full reference is +++010/8068/17183+++.
Which number should you use as the base?
Use a number that is unique for each invoice, so every payment belongs to exactly one invoice. Your invoice number is the obvious choice. If it contains letters or dashes, such as F2026-0042, use only the digits: 20260042.
A customer number as the base gives that customer the same reference every time. That suits recurring payments, but you cannot tell from the payment which invoice was paid.
The base number has at most ten digits. If yours is longer, shorten it, for example by writing the year with two digits, and make sure the result stays unique.
Adding the reference to your invoice
Place the structured communication with the payment details on your invoice, next to your IBAN and the due date, and ask your customer to use it when paying. It is not a mandatory invoice detail: the invoice number as a free-text reference works too.
Factuur Simpel does not create structured communications itself. You can copy a reference from this tool and paste it as text on your invoice, for example with the payment instructions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a Belgian structured communication?
Take a base number of up to ten digits, such as your invoice number, and pad it with zeros on the left to ten digits. Divide by 97: the remainder is the check number, or 97 if the remainder is 0. The generator above does this for you.
Why is my structured communication invalid?
Usually a digit was copied incorrectly or two digits were swapped. A valid reference has exactly twelve digits, and the last two are the remainder of the first ten divided by 97. Check digits 00 do not exist: a remainder of 0 gives 97.
What do OGM and VCS stand for?
OGM stands for overschrijving met gestructureerde mededeling and VCS for virement avec communication structurée. They are the Dutch and French names for the same 12-digit reference.
Should I write it with +++ or ***?
Febelfin shows the reference with plus signs, such as +++010/8068/17183+++. Invoices sometimes use asterisks instead. For the bank only the twelve digits count, and the checker above accepts both notations.
Does Factuur Simpel add a structured communication to my invoices?
No, Factuur Simpel does not create structured communications. If you want to use one, create it here and paste it as text on your invoice.
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