How to Create a Positive Pay File From Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is unusual among the accounting tools on this site: it has a built-in positive pay feature, so you do not always have to export a register and convert it by hand. Using its Electronic reporting engine, it can generate an electronic list of checks for your bank. The catch is that the default format is generic, so it may not match what your specific bank wants. This guide covers how the native feature works and how to export and convert your check data when it does not fit.

If positive pay is new to you, read what is positive pay first. In short, your bank matches each check that clears against a list of checks you issued (check number, amount, and often the payee), and flags anything that does not match before it pays. That list is the positive pay file, also called a check issue file.

Dynamics 365 Finance has a native positive pay export

Unlike Xero or QuickBooks, Dynamics 365 Finance ships a real positive pay function built on Electronic reporting (ER), also labeled SafePay. The setup runs through a few screens:

Import the format under Workspaces > Electronic reporting. On the Microsoft configuration provider, open Repositories > Global, find Positive pay model > Positive pay format, and import the latest version.
Create the format under Cash and bank management > Setup > Positive pay formats. Set the Payment format and Description, select the Generic electronic export format checkbox, and set Export format configuration to Positive pay format.
Assign the format per account under Cash and bank management > Bank accounts > Bank accounts. On the General tab, set the Positive pay format and a Positive pay start date. Leave the start date blank and the first file includes every check ever created for that account.
Add a number sequence for positive pay files on the Cash and bank management parameters page.

To generate a file for one account, open it and select Manage payments > Positive pay > Positive pay file, then set the Cut-off date. Checks dated on or before that date that have not already been included are added. For several accounts at once, run the Positive pay file periodic task. You can review and confirm or recall files on the Positive pay file summary page.

When the native format does not match your bank

Try the native export first. But it produces an XML file from a generic positive pay model, while many banks publish a fixed-width or CSV spec with field positions the stock model does not produce. You then have two options. One is to author a custom ER configuration in Dynamics, a developer-grade task that maps every field to the bank's layout. The other, if you lack ER expertise or just need the file out the door, is to export your check data and convert it.

Export your check data from Dynamics

To pull the check data, go to Cash and bank management > Inquiries and reports > Checks, which lists checks for your bank accounts. Filter the grid and export it to Excel. Vendor checks are created through Accounts payable > Payments > Payment journal, and most Dynamics grids let you export the visible columns to Excel from the grid toolbar.

Capture at least the check number, the amount, the check (issue) date, and the payee or vendor name if your bank matches on payee. Filter to one bank account and your reporting date range so the export holds only the relevant checks.

Column and format gotchas to check

Before you convert, clean the export the same way you would for any source system:

Issued checks only. Filter out Void, Rejected, or Blank status checks, which should not be presented to the bank as payable. See void checks and positive pay.
Check number is just the number. The bank wants 1042, not Check 1042 or a document reference. Strip any prefix.
Amount formatting. Some layouts expect a decimal point, others an implied decimal with no point (so $1,042.50 becomes 104250). Match your bank's spec.
Date format. Dynamics shows dates per your user and company region settings, so an export may read 06/14/2026 or 2026-06-14. Your bank expects one format, often MM/DD/YYYY or YYYYMMDD. Convert the column to match exactly.

Convert the export with PositivePayMaker

Once you have a clean export with check numbers, amounts, and dates, reshape it into your bank's exact layout. PositivePayMaker does this in your browser. Upload the Excel or CSV export, map the columns (check number, amount, issue date, payee), pick your bank's layout, and download a file ready for the portal. It runs client-side, so your check data never leaves your browser.

It ships with several bank layouts, including specs published by Chase and Huntington, plus a custom format builder if your bank is not listed. To understand what the file should contain, see the positive pay file format reference and check your bank against the supported formats.

Validate the first file with your bank

Whether you use the native export or convert it with this tool, treat the first file as a test. Run it through the file validator to catch structural problems, then send it to your bank and confirm the numbers match. A field that is off by one position can reject the whole batch. For more on fixed-width versus delimited output, see fixed-width vs CSV positive pay.

Related guides

Create your positive pay file