Last reviewed: · Curated by Ohmyfin Organisation editorial.
Field 70 is the Remittance Information — the free-format text the sender includes so the beneficiary knows what the payment is for. Up to 4 × 35 characters.
How an MT103 maps to the UETR (field 121), sender reference (field 20), value-date/currency/amount (field 32A) and beneficiary details. Source: SWIFT MT103 specification.
Details
Best practice is to begin each line with a structured tag like /INV/12345 or /RFB/CUST-001 so the beneficiary's ERP can auto-reconcile the payment.
Quick facts
SWIFT field specification
Example value
:70:/INV/2025-12345
Valid characters / format
4 lines x 35 chars unstructured
Required on MT103
Optional
Required on MT202
Not used
Required on pacs.008
Optional
Notes
Remittance information. ISO 20022 supports 9,000 chars structured.
Key facts
Optional MT103 field
Up to 4 lines × 35 characters of free text
Structured tags improve auto-reconciliation
Visible on the beneficiary's bank statement
Frequently asked questions
How much text can I include?
4 lines × 35 characters = 140 characters max. ISO 20022 pacs.008 allows much more.
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