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ISO 20022 reason code

BE06: Unknown end customer

The end customer is not known at its bank. BE06 is an ISO 20022 reason code used as a status reason and a return reason: you will see it in pain.002, pacs.004 and camt.053.

BE06 at a glance
CodeBE06
NameUnknown end customer
ISO code listsExternalStatusReason1Code (status reason); ExternalReturnReason1Code (return reason)
WhereStsRsnInf/Rsn/Cd; RtrRsnInf/Rsn/Cd (pacs.004), TxDtls/RtrInf/Rsn/Cd (camt)

What BE06 means

The bank cannot find the customer the payment names: the account points to no customer of that bank, or the customer is no longer in its books (ISO’s definition covers both). It usually follows outdated bank details, such as an account moved to another bank.

Not to be confused with: BE06 says the bank does not know the customer; BE01 that the customer exists but the name and the account do not match.

A reason code always comes with a status or an action: on its own it says why, not what happened. In a status report look at the status next to it (RJCT means the payment will not be executed); on a statement the returned entry tells you the money has come back.

Where BE06 appears

BE06 belongs to two of the ISO 20022 reason code lists, so it can arrive in these places:

  • Status reason (ExternalStatusReason1Code): in a payment status report (pain.002 from a bank to its customer, pacs.002 between banks) that rejects or holds a payment.
  • Return reason (ExternalReturnReason1Code): in a payment return (pacs.004) after the money has moved, and the returned entry on the account statement (camt.053) or notification (camt.054).

In a status report, BE06 explains a status such as RJCT, at transaction level here (the same StsRsnInf block can sit under the group or a payment block):

pain.002.001.10 · a rejected transaction
<OrgnlPmtInfAndSts>
  <OrgnlPmtInfId>PMT-20261028-03</OrgnlPmtInfId>
  <TxInfAndSts>
    <OrgnlEndToEndId>INV-2026-0042</OrgnlEndToEndId>
    <TxSts>RJCT</TxSts>
    <StsRsnInf>
      <Rsn>
        <Cd>BE06</Cd>
      </Rsn>
      <AddtlInf>Free text from the bank, if any</AddtlInf>
    </StsRsnInf>
  </TxInfAndSts>
</OrgnlPmtInfAndSts>

What to do about BE06

  • If you sent the payment or the collection: Confirm the counterparty’s name and account with them before you pay again.

Your bank’s implementation guide and the scheme’s rulebook (for SEPA, the EPC rulebooks) say exactly when it may use BE06; banks do not all apply a code the same way.

Look up BE06 from a script or an AI agent

Scripts and AI agents get this code’s name, definition, where it sits and the address of this page from GET /api/v1/explain, keyless, or from the explain_code tool of the MCP server (API and MCP docs; add it to Claude, Cursor or VS Code).

REST · curl
curl -s 'https://iso20022-navigator.com/api/v1/explain?code=BE06&kind=status_reason'