The Central Bank of Barbados has issued an advisory explaining that some commercial banks and credit unions, working with government and private sector employers, are conducting "penny tests" after incorrectly formatted account information caused some workers to receive their salaries late during the transition to the BiMPay payment rail. The test involves sending a one-cent deposit to payment accounts to confirm that the account details on file are in the required format. A successful transfer confirms the information is correctly formatted, while a rejected transfer leads to correction and validation. Customers who see a one-cent deposit should not be alarmed and do not need to take any action. Not all employers or financial institutions are conducting the test because some formatting issues were resolved before the BiMPay transition, so the absence of a one-cent deposit does not indicate an error. Where account information needs to be corrected, the accountholder's bank or credit union will contact them directly. The Bank said penny tests were previously used for selected pension payments and government interest payments, and similar validation will be carried out for upcoming pension and government interest payments.
Central Bank of Barbados2026-06-23
Central Bank of Barbados explains penny tests to correct BiMPay account formatting errors delaying salary payments
The Central Bank of Barbados said some commercial banks, credit unions and employers are using one-cent "penny tests" to identify and correct account formatting errors that delayed some salary payments on BiMPay. A successful test confirms account details are correctly formatted, while rejected transfers are corrected and revalidated. Customers do not need to act, and banks or credit unions will contact affected accountholders directly if changes are needed.