ISO 8583 DE Reference
Format: nLength: 6Fixed length
DE 3

Processing Code

Data element
3
Format
n
Length
6
Encoding type
fixed
Bitmap
Primary

What it is

The processing code says what the transaction is. Positions 1–2 are the transaction type (00 purchase, 01 cash withdrawal, 09 purchase with cashback, 20 refund/credit, 30 balance inquiry, 40 transfer). Positions 3–4 and 5–6 give the "from" and "to" account types (00 default, 10 savings, 20 checking, 30 credit).

Issuer hosts branch on this field early: a 20xxxx refund follows a completely different posting path than a 00xxxx purchase.

Example values

000000Goods/services purchase, default accounts.
013000ATM cash withdrawal from credit account.
200000Refund (merchandise return credit).

Specification reference

Defined in ISO 8583:1987 (base). Card networks publish their own dialect tables (Visa BASE I / V.I.P., Mastercard CIS) that refine formats, lengths, and — for private-use elements — the entire layout. Always confirm against the interface specification you implement.

Decode & build this element

📦ISO 8583 Parser

Related data elements

DE 4Amount, TransactionDE 18Merchant Type (MCC)DE 25POS Condition Code
← PreviousDE 2 Primary Account Number (PAN)Next →DE 4 Amount, Transaction