MT940 Transaction Type Codes: NTRF, NCHG, NDDT and the Rest
The MT940 :61: transaction type codes in full: what the S, N and F letter means, and all 57 three-letter codes from TRF and CHG to the securities set.
On this page
Every :61: line of an MT940 carries a four-character transaction type: one letter, then three characters. NTRF, for example, is N, then TRF: Transfer. The letter says what the three characters are, and for N and F they come from a short list that SWIFT keeps. This page is that list, all 57 codes.
The letter in front
- S + three digits: the SWIFT message type behind the entry, such as
S103. - N + three characters: a code from the list below, for entries arising from payment and transfer instructions.
- F + three characters: a code from the same list, for entries the account servicing institution originated itself.
So NCHG and FCHG are both charges; the letter says who started them. A bank's MT940 description says which codes it sends โ most send a handful, and some put their own codes in the :86: field beside the line.
The codes
From SWIFT's User Handbook, as Banco Bradesco reproduces it in its MT940 layout, checked against Commerzbank's list. The third column is how each appears in a file.
| Code | Meaning | As it appears |
|---|---|---|
| BNK | Securities Related Item - Bank fees | NBNK, FBNK |
| BOE | Bill of exchange | NBOE, FBOE |
| BRF | Brokerage fee | NBRF, FBRF |
| CAR | Securities Related Item - Corporate Actions Related | NCAR, FCAR |
| CAS | Securities Related Item - Cash in Lieu | NCAS, FCAS |
| CHG | Charges and other expenses | NCHG, FCHG |
| CHK | Cheques | NCHK, FCHK |
| CLR | Cash letters/Cheques remittance | NCLR, FCLR |
| CMI | Cash management item - No detail | NCMI, FCMI |
| CMN | Cash management item - Notional pooling | NCMN, FCMN |
| CMP | Compensation claims | NCMP, FCMP |
| CMS | Cash management item - Sweeping | NCMS, FCMS |
| CMT | Cash management item - Topping | NCMT, FCMT |
| CMZ | Cash management item - Zero balancing | NCMZ, FCMZ |
| COL | Collections | NCOL, FCOL |
| COM | Commission | NCOM, FCOM |
| CPN | Securities Related Item - Coupon payments | NCPN, FCPN |
| DCR | Documentary credit | NDCR, FDCR |
| DDT | Direct Debit Item | NDDT, FDDT |
| DIS | Securities Related Item - Gains disbursement | NDIS, FDIS |
| DIV | Securities Related Item - Dividends | NDIV, FDIV |
| EQA | Equivalent amount | NEQA, FEQA |
| EXT | Securities Related Item - External transfer for own account | NEXT, FEXT |
| FEX | Foreign exchange | NFEX, FFEX |
| INT | Interest | NINT, FINT |
| LBX | Lock box | NLBX, FLBX |
| LDP | Loan deposit | NLDP, FLDP |
| MAR | Securities Related Item - Margin payments/Receipts | NMAR, FMAR |
| MAT | Securities Related Item - Maturity | NMAT, FMAT |
| MGT | Securities Related Item - Management fees | NMGT, FMGT |
| MSC | Miscellaneous | NMSC, FMSC |
| NWI | Securities Related Item - New issues distribution | NNWI, FNWI |
| ODC | Overdraft charge | NODC, FODC |
| OPT | Securities Related Item - Options | NOPT, FOPT |
| PCH | Securities Related Item - Purchase | NPCH, FPCH |
| POP | Securities Related Item - Pair-off proceeds | NPOP, FPOP |
| PRN | Securities Related Item - Principal pay-down/pay-up | NPRN, FPRN |
| REC | Securities Related Item - Tax reclaim | NREC, FREC |
| RED | Securities Related Item - Redemption/Withdrawal | NRED, FRED |
| RIG | Securities Related Item - Rights | NRIG, FRIG |
| RTI | Returned item | NRTI, FRTI |
| SAL | Securities Related Item - Sale | NSAL, FSAL |
| SEC | Securities | NSEC, FSEC |
| SLE | Securities Related Item - Securities lending related | NSLE, FSLE |
| STO | Standing order | NSTO, FSTO |
| STP | Securities Related Item - Stamp duty | NSTP, FSTP |
| SUB | Securities Related Item - Subscription | NSUB, FSUB |
| SWP | Securities Related Item - SWAP payment | NSWP, FSWP |
| TAX | Securities Related Item - Withholding tax payment | NTAX, FTAX |
| TCK | Travellers' cheques | NTCK, FTCK |
| TCM | Securities Related Item - Tripartite collateral management | NTCM, FTCM |
| TRA | Securities Related Item - Internal transfer for own account | NTRA, FTRA |
| TRF | Transfer | NTRF, FTRF |
| TRN | Securities Related Item - Transaction fee | NTRN, FTRN |
| UWC | Securities Related Item - Underwriting commission | NUWC, FUWC |
| VDA | Value date adjustment | NVDA, FVDA |
| WAR | Securities Related Item - Warrant | NWAR, FWAR |
About half the list is securities-related items; the payment codes โ TRF, CHG, INT, DDT, STO, COM, MSC and their kin โ are the ones on a cash account's statement. Commerzbank's list also has ECK, Eurocheques, which the handbook version reproduced here does not.
The same movement in camt
A camt.053 statement does not use these codes. It carries ISO's three-level bank transaction code instead, so an incoming SEPA transfer that is NTRF here is PMNT-RCDT-ESCT there. Moving an importer from MT940 to camt means a new mapping on this field, not a renamed one.
Three from this page
Three codes from the tables above. Pick what each one means.
Primary sources
The transaction type identification codes of MT940 field 61, sub-field 6, as reproduced from the SWIFT User Handbook (November 2008) in Banco Bradesco's MT940 layout, cross-checked against Commerzbank's list of SWIFT transaction codes. SWIFT's own handbook is behind a login.
- Banco Bradesco โ MT940 bank reconciliation file layout (English), section 2.1 SWIFT Transaction codes, from SWIFT User Handbook November 2008 โ accessed 2026-10-15
- Commerzbank โ S.W.I.F.T. Transaction Codes โ accessed 2026-10-15
The code tables in this article are also in the code lookup โ one search box across the SAP, SWIFT MT, ISO 20022, BAI2 and NACHA ACH references.
Frequently asked questions
(3)
What does NTRF mean in an MT940?
It is the transaction type of a :61: statement line: N, then TRF, which is Transfer in SWIFT's list of codes. N marks a code from that list; the three letters after it say what kind of entry it is. NTRF marks a transfer, in either direction: the D or C mark earlier in the same line says which.
What is the difference between NTRF, FTRF and S103 in field 61?
The first letter says what follows. S is followed by the number of the SWIFT message type behind the entry, such as S103. N is followed by one of SWIFT's three-letter codes. F is followed by one of the same codes, for an entry the account servicing institution originated itself.
Where do the MT940 transaction type codes come from?
From SWIFT's standards for the MT940, field 61, sub-field 6 (format 1!a3!c). The list itself is in SWIFT's User Handbook, which is behind a login; banks reproduce it in their MT940 format descriptions, and this page is built from two of those.