In short: Switching your salary means payroll pays into your new account, then you move debit orders and stop orders so they collect from the right place. The Banking Association Code of Banking Practice says you open the new account first, tell your employer and service providers, and keep the old account funded for a handover period. Banks may offer salary or debit-order switching tools. This is practical process information, not financial advice.
Sources: Banking Association SA: Switching a transactional account; Standard Bank salary switching; FNB debit order / salary switching; Nedbank switch your account.
Open the new account and get proof
Complete FICA with the new bank. Download or request an account confirmation letter that shows your name, account number, account type and branch code. FNB and Nedbank describe downloading this letter from the app for payroll. Standard Bank describes a salary switching form and Call Me Back path. Use the channel your new bank shows live. Do not send card PINs or OTPs to payroll.
Tell payroll before the cut-off
- Ask HR or payroll for the last date they can change banking details for the next pay run.
- Send the confirmation letter plus any internal form they use (employee number, salary date, payroll contact).
- Ask for written confirmation that the change is loaded.
- Check the first pay date on the new statement. If salary still hits the old account, escalate with payroll the same day.
Some employers only load changes once a month. Missing the cut-off usually means another cycle on the old account, so plan ahead if you have rent or loan debits timed to payday.
Debit orders, DebiCheck and stop orders
The Code says you must also engage service providers so collections use the new account. Your new bank may, after your instruction, notify originators and tell you which ones did not accept the switch. Some providers need a new mandate (including DebiCheck approval in-app, ATM or SMS). Approve only mandates you recognise. Stop orders you set yourself must be cancelled on the old bank and reloaded on the new one if you still need them.
FNB’s switching service describes retrieving debit orders, selecting which to move, tracking status, and downloading a salary switching letter. Nedbank describes salary and debit-order switching on the Money app or Online Banking, and warns not to close the old account until switches confirm. Menu labels change; follow the live app. Where a provider refuses the bank switch message, update them yourself with the new account proof.
Keep both accounts funded
The Code asks you to keep the old account open for at least six weeks so you can confirm every collection moved. Fund both accounts through at least one full billing cycle. Annual or infrequent debits (licences, policies, school fees) are easy to miss. Watch SMS alerts on both accounts for unexpected collections.
If a debit still hits the old account
Contact the provider and use bank tools for stop or dispute. Stopping a future debit order is not the same as cancelling a scheduled payment you created yourself. See stop debit orders on SA banking apps and, for Capitec payments you scheduled, cancel Capitec scheduled payments.
Last checked: September 2026 against the Banking Association switching page, Standard Bank salary switching, FNB debit-order switching, and Nedbank switch pages. Bank menus and payroll cut-offs change. Not financial advice.