• What's this guide for?

    Learn how to give permission to users so they can authorise transactions.

  • Why you'd do this

    To allow users to authorise transactions on behalf of the business.

  • What you'll need

    • Administrator permissions
    • An existing user who will be added to the Electronic Account Authority on the linked accounts

Background

  • For Administrator users

    By default, new CommBiz users cannot authorise any payments – even if they are an Administrator.

    To allow users to authorise transactions, you'll need to set up authorisation rules for each account. Each account's set of rules is called an 'Electronic Account Authority' (EAA) and defines:

    • Who can authorise transactions
    • How many authorisers are required
    • Any limits that apply

    You'll need a separate EAA for each of your accounts.

  • 'Electronic Account Authorities' vs. Account Signatories

    You would have listed people as Account Signatories when you opened your CommBank accounts. Account Signatories can sign cheques, make branch withdrawals and access your organisation's accounts via NetBank or the CommBank app.

    However, CommBiz works a little differently. Because it has its own transaction authorisation rules (EAAs, see above), your Account Signatories do not automatically have access or authorisation permissions in CommBiz. To give them access, you'll need to create a user profile for them, and then add them onto the EAA for each account you'd like them to be able to authorise transactions.

    Note: CommBiz users have no permissions outside CommBiz, even if they’re listed as authorisers on an account's EAA. For example, they cannot sign cheques or make branch withdrawals.

Adding an Electronic Account Authority where no EAA currently exists for the account 

  • Before starting, make sure you've added all of the desired authorisers as users to CommBiz.

    Step 1A: Adding a EAA for one account

    1. Go to Admin Maintenance Requests
    2. Select Add an Electronic Account Authority from the left-hand menu
    3. Choose an account. Click Next
    4. Select the account holder type. Click Next

    Optional: Copy authorisers from another account's Electronic Account Authority

    If you've already set up an EAA on another account of the same type, you can save time by copying it to your new EAA. This will only copy across the authorisers, not the number of authorisers required or transaction limits and thresholds – you'll set these up in the next few steps.

    Select Yes or No, and click Next.

    Step 1B: Adding an EAA for multiple accounts

    1. Go to Admin Maintenance Requests
    2. Select Edit an Electronic Account Authority from the left-hand menu
    3. Select multiple accounts from the list. Click Define Authority

    Define Electronic Account Authority

    Choose from the following options:

    • Define a new Electronic Account Authority lets you define new authorisation rules for the selected accounts
      • Select this option and click Next
      • Then refer to Step 2: Electronic method of operation
    • Add the selected accounts to an existing Electronic Account Authority lets you group the selected accounts with another account for which you've already defined an EAA
      • Select the account you wish to group this account with. Click Next
      • You'll be taken back to the account summary screen, where you can edit another EAA if you wish. Click Next
      • Then refer to Step 4: Confirm details
    • Copy and edit an existing Electronic Account Authority copies all information from another account's EAA then lets you edit this
      • Select the account you wish to copy information from. Click Next
      • Then refer to Step 2: Electronic method of operation
  • Step 2: Electronic method of operation

    Choose your preferred electronic method of operation. 

    • One authoriser required means only one user is needed to authorise transactions
    • More than one authoriser required means two or more users will be needed. You can specify the exact number at the next step
    • Custom (multiple authorisers with rules) lets you set detailed rules on which users can authorise what amounts. This gives your organisation different levels of oversight of different-sized transactions

    Click Next. 
     
    Custom electronic method of operation

    Note: This screen will only appear if you’ve selected Custom (multiple authorisers with rules).

    Here you can set up different authorisation rules for different transaction amounts, split into monetary bands. For each band:

    1. Specify an upper and a lower limit
    2. Select the number of authorisers required from each list (you'll specify which users are on which list later)
    3. Click New Row
    4. Repeat for each monetary band you require. The lower and upper limits are required to be in sequential order (i.e. each band must start $0.01 higher than the previous one). The last band’s upper limit must be ‘No Limit’

    Click Next.

  • Step 3: Account authorisers

    Here you'll add the users as authorisers. If you’ve copied users from another EAA, they'll be displayed.

    To add a new authoriser:

    1. Select Yes to 'Do you want to add a new authoriser?' Click Next.
    2. Choose a user from the drop-down menu. Click Next.
      Note: If we haven't identified the selected user, we’ll take you through an identification process that must be completed before the user will be able to authorise transactions.
    3. If you selected a custom electronic method of operation, assign each authoriser to a list.
      Note: A payment won’t be processed until the number of required authorisers in each list authorise the payment. For example, if you have one authoriser required from list A and one from list B, the payment won't be processed until an authoriser from each list has authorised it.

    Click Next.

  • Step 4: Confirm details

    Review the details you've provided.

    Click Confirm.

  • Step 5: Add an Electronic Account Authority – confirmed

    The request is now submitted for authorisation by your organisation.

    If you have a service delegate on your CommBiz service:

    • Click on their name
    • Ask them to enter their login details (if they're not with you, they can do this when they next log on to CommBiz) 

    If you don't have a service delegate or the new authorisers require identification, some paperwork is required:

    • Print the EAA form(s)
    • Acknowledge you've printed the form by checking the box
    • Click OK
    • Ask your organisation's representatives to sign Part C of the form
    • Scan and email the completed form to bankfeed@cba.com.au

Editing an Electronic Account Authority (changing existing authorisation rules on an account)

  • Before starting, make sure you've added all the desired authorisers as users to CommBiz.

    Step 1: Editing an EAA

    1. Go to Admin Maintenance Requests
    2. Select Edit an Electronic Account Authority from the left-hand menu
    3. Find the account (or group of accounts) you wish to edit the Electronic Account Authority for. Click Edit
  • Step 2: Choose an electronic method of operation

    • One authoriser required means only one user is needed to authorise transactions
    • More than one authoriser required means two or more users will be needed. You'll specify the exact number at the next step
    • Custom (multiple authorisers with rules) lets you set detailed rules for which users can authorise what amounts. This gives your organisation different levels of oversight of different-sized transactions

    Click Next.

  • Step 3: Account authorisers / Custom electronic method of operation

    The current method of operation will be displayed.

    To change the number of authorisers required:

    • If you selected One authoriser required or More than one authoriser required, change the number in the list A drop-down menu
    • If you selected a Custom Electronic Method of Operation, change the number of authorisers required from each list. You can also change the lower and upper limits of each monetary band. The lower and upper limits are required to be in sequential order (i.e. each band must start $0.01 higher than the previous one). The last band’s upper limit must be ‘No Limit’

    To add a new authoriser who has been previously identified:

    1. Select a user from the drop-down menu of identified users. Click Add
    2. If you selected a Custom Electronic Method of Operation, assign the user to a list

    To add a new authoriser who has not been previously identified:

    1.  Click Add
    2. On the Add/Edit authorisers screen next screen select the user from Service Users list and input the user details.  Click Add and then Next
    3. If you selected a Custom Electronic Method of Operation, assign the user to a list

    To remove an authoriser:

    1. Click Delete next to the authoriser's name. If you’re removing a suspended user you won’t see their details. You’ll need to re-activate their profile before completing this step.

    Click Apply Authority.

    Account summary

    You'll be taken back to the ‘Account summary’ screen, where you can edit another EAA if you wish.

    Once you’ve finished your updates to all EAAs, click Next.

  • Step 4: Confirm details

    A ‘Confirm details’ page will display for every Electronic Account Authority you have edited. 

    Click Confirm.

  • Step 5: Edit an Electronic Account Authority – confirmed

    The request is now submitted for authorisation.

    Ask an existing authoriser to authorise. Two authorisations will be required if the account is two-to-sign:

    • Click on their name
    • Ask them to enter their login details (if they're not with you, they can do this when they next log on to CommBiz) 

    If an existing authoriser isn’t available, or if any of the new authorisers require identification, you’ll need to:

    • Print the EAA form
    • Check the ‘Proceed with paper based authorisation’ box
    • Click OK
    • Acknowledge you've printed the form by checking the box
    • Click OK
    • Ask your organisation's representatives to sign part C of the form
    • Scan and email the completed form to bankfeed@cba.com.au

Important information

  • This guide is published solely for information purposes. As this guide has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and if necessary seek the appropriate financial advice before acting on information in this guide. Call 13 1998 or view the CommBiz Terms and Conditions.