Standing instruction not cancelled despite your request

Who this guide is for

This guide is for you if:

• You asked your bank to cancel a standing instruction or auto-debit, but money keeps going out.
• A SIP, insurance premium, loan EMI, OTT, gym, or app subscription keeps debiting after you cancelled it.
• You stopped an e-mandate in the app but the next pre-debit notification still arrived.
• The bank says it cancelled the mandate, yet a debit still hit your account.
• You want a refund of debits taken after the date you asked to cancel.

What you can do this weekend

Friday evening

Friday evening: build your paper trail. Open your statement and list every debit linked to this standing instruction, with the date and amount of each one. Find proof of when you first asked to cancel: an email, a branch acknowledgement slip, an app screenshot, or a call reference. Note whether this is a standing instruction on your account, a card-based e-mandate, or a NACH or ECS mandate, because each is cancelled in a slightly different place. Save your net-banking and app logins so you can act fast on Saturday.

Saturday

Saturday: cancel at the source and demand a refund. Cancel the mandate again at the place it lives: your net banking or bank app standing-instruction or e-mandate menu, or by written request to your branch. For a card e-mandate, also use the card or app option to stop or delete the mandate. Then send one written complaint to the bank's grievance or nodal channel. Quote each wrong debit after your cancellation date, and ask in plain words for the mandate to be stopped and the money refunded. Get a complaint reference number.

Sunday

Sunday: line up your escalation. Confirm in the app whether the mandate now shows as cancelled. Prepare your next move in case the bank goes quiet. Draft your RBI CMS ombudsman complaint so it is ready to file once the bank's complaint timeline passes without a fair reply. If the recurring payment was to a merchant or biller, also tell that merchant to stop billing you. If a public-sector bank or a government billing department is involved, prepare an RTI to ask for the cancellation record. You will file first thing Monday.

Documents and evidence checklist

Step-by-step action plan

1. Identify the exact mandate type. Check whether this is a standing instruction on your bank account, a card or UPI e-mandate, or a NACH or ECS mandate set up for a lender or biller. Each one is cancelled in a slightly different menu, so confirm the type before you act.
2. Cancel again at the source. Go to the standing-instruction or e-mandate section of your net banking or bank app and cancel or delete the mandate. For a card-based e-mandate, also use the option to stop or revoke it. Do this even if you cancelled before, and screenshot the result.
3. Capture the cancellation proof. Save a screenshot or acknowledgement showing the mandate now reads cancelled, with the date. If you cancelled at a branch, collect a stamped acknowledgement. This proof decides your refund claim for any debit taken after this date.
4. Send one written grievance to the bank. Email or submit a complaint to the bank's grievance or nodal officer channel. State the mandate details, the date you first asked to cancel, and a list of every debit taken after that. Ask clearly for the mandate to be stopped and the wrong debits refunded.
5. Get and note the complaint reference. Banks must give you a complaint reference number. Record it with the date. You will need it to track the complaint and to escalate to the RBI ombudsman if the bank does not resolve it within its complaint timeline.
6. Tell the merchant or biller too. If the debit goes to a SIP house, insurer, OTT service, or app, also ask that merchant to stop the recurring payment from their side. Cancelling the bank mandate and the merchant subscription together prevents a fresh mandate being raised.
7. Escalate to the RBI Banking Ombudsman. If the bank does not stop the debits or refund you within its complaint timeline, file on the RBI CMS portal at cms.rbi.org.in. Attach your cancellation proof, the debit list, and the bank complaint reference. The ombudsman handles deficient banking service free of cost.
8. Use RTI only where a public body holds records. If a public-sector bank, a government billing department, or a regulator you already complained to holds the record, file an RTI for the cancellation request log, action taken, and dates. For a purely private bank service issue, stay with the grievance and ombudsman route.

Escalation ladder

Copy-paste complaint template

Adapt the bracketed parts. Keep a copy of everything you send.

To,
The Grievance Redressal / Nodal Officer
[NAME OF BANK]
[BRANCH / ADDRESS]

Subject: Standing instruction not cancelled despite my request - request to stop the mandate and refund debits taken after cancellation

Sir/Madam,

I hold account number ending [LAST DIGITS] with your bank. I had requested cancellation of a standing instruction / e-mandate for [PAYEE / MERCHANT NAME] on [DATE OF FIRST CANCELLATION REQUEST], reference [ACKNOWLEDGEMENT / MANDATE / UMRN IF ANY].

Despite this, the auto-debit has continued. The following debits were taken from my account after my cancellation request:
1. [DATE] - [AMOUNT]
2. [DATE] - [AMOUNT]
3. [DATE] - [AMOUNT]

I request you to:
1. Immediately stop and de-register this standing instruction / e-mandate so that no further debit takes place.
2. Refund all amounts debited on or after [DATE OF FIRST CANCELLATION REQUEST], as listed above.
3. Confirm in writing the date the mandate has been cancelled in your system.

I am attaching my account statement showing the debits and proof of my earlier cancellation request. Please register this as a grievance and share the complaint reference number.

If the matter is not resolved within the timeline of your grievance policy, I will approach the RBI Banking Ombudsman through the RBI CMS portal.

Thank you.

Name: [YOUR NAME]
Account (last digits): [LAST DIGITS]
Registered mobile / email: [CONTACT]
Date: [DATE]

When RTI can help

RTI can help where a public body holds the record. If your account is with a public-sector bank, that bank is a public authority, so an RTI can ask for the log of your cancellation request, the action taken on it, the dates, and the reason any debit went through after your request. RTI also works if a government billing or treasury department keeps raising the recurring charge, or if you want a copy of how a regulator handled a complaint you already filed. Use RTI to build a written, dated record after you have tried the grievance route. If the reply is missing or evasive, you can file a first appeal. See how to file an RTI online and read The RTI Playbook for the full flow.

When RTI will not help

RTI will not force a private bank to cancel a mandate or refund you, because a private bank's auto-debit service is a private commercial matter, not a public record. For a private bank, the correct first remedy is the bank's grievance or nodal officer, and then the RBI Banking Ombudsman through the RBI CMS portal at cms.rbi.org.in, which decides deficient banking service free of cost. For a deficiency-of-service claim you can also use the National Consumer Helpline or e-Daakhil. Keep RTI for the public-body situations above. If you have already escalated and the ombudsman closed your case, see what to do after an RBI ombudsman complaint is closed.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Cancelling only the merchant subscription and forgetting the bank mandate, so a fresh debit still goes through.
• Cancelling only the bank mandate and leaving the merchant active, which can re-raise a new mandate.
• Not saving a dated proof of the cancellation request, which weakens your refund claim.
• Letting debits pile up for months instead of complaining after the first wrong one.
• Filing an RTI against a private bank instead of using the grievance and RBI ombudsman route.
• Jumping to the ombudsman before giving the bank its complaint timeline and a reference number.

FAQs

Why does my standing instruction keep debiting after I cancelled it?

Usually because the cancellation did not reach the right place. A mandate has to be stopped where it lives: the bank account standing instruction, the card e-mandate, or the NACH or ECS mandate. If you cancelled only the merchant subscription, or the bank did not process your request, the next auto-debit still goes through. Cancel again at the bank and demand a refund of debits taken after your request.

Can I get a refund for debits taken after I asked to cancel?

Yes, you can ask the bank to refund every debit taken on or after the date you asked to cancel, because the bank should have stopped the mandate. Send a written grievance listing each wrong debit with its date and amount, attach proof of your earlier cancellation request, and ask for the refund in plain words. If the bank refuses or stays silent, escalate to the RBI Banking Ombudsman.

Where exactly do I cancel a standing instruction or e-mandate?

On a bank account, use the standing-instruction menu in net banking or the bank app, or a written branch request. For a card-based e-mandate, use the card or app option to stop or delete the mandate. For a NACH or ECS mandate set up for a lender or biller, cancel through your bank, and tell the lender or biller too. Always screenshot the cancelled status.

Will an RTI stop my private bank's auto-debit?

No. A private bank's auto-debit service is a private commercial matter, so RTI does not apply and will not force a cancellation or refund. Use the bank's grievance or nodal officer first, then the RBI Banking Ombudsman through the RBI CMS portal. RTI helps only where a public body holds the record, such as a public-sector bank, a government billing department, or a regulator you already complained to.

What do I do if the bank ignores my complaint?

Note the complaint reference and the date you raised it. Once the bank's grievance timeline passes without a fair resolution, file on the RBI CMS portal at cms.rbi.org.in. Attach your cancellation proof, the list of wrong debits, and the bank's complaint reference. The Banking Ombudsman looks at deficient banking service and the process is free of cost to you.

How do I make sure a cancelled mandate does not come back?

Cancel both sides. Stop the mandate at the bank and ask the merchant or biller, such as the SIP house, insurer, or app, to stop the recurring payment from their end. If only one side is closed, the other can raise a fresh mandate. After cancelling, check the bank app once more to confirm the mandate shows as inactive, and keep that screenshot.

Clear next steps

• List every debit taken after the date you first asked to cancel, with amounts.
• Cancel the mandate again in your bank app or net banking and screenshot the result.
• Send one written grievance to the bank asking to stop it and refund the wrong debits.
• Note the bank complaint reference and draft your RBI CMS ombudsman complaint as backup.
• If a public-sector bank or government biller is involved, prepare an RTI for the cancellation record.