IEFC621I: Expected continuation not received

What it means

A JCL statement can run over several lines. To continue one, you end the last complete parameter on the line with a comma. The next line must start with // in columns 1 and 2, have a blank in column 3, and start its text somewhere in columns 4 to 16. Statements end at column 71. A character in column 72 also tells the converter that the statement continues.

When a statement ends with a comma, or has a character in column 72, the converter expects the next line to carry on with it. If the next line is a new statement, or a continuation whose text starts after column 16, the continuation never arrives. The converter writes IEFC621I against the statement that was left open, and the job fails with IEFC452I JOB NOT RUN - JCL ERROR.

The next line often gets an error of its own. If it started after column 16, the converter reads it as a new statement with no valid operation and adds IEFC605I UNIDENTIFIED OPERATION FIELD. If a long value ran past column 71 and was cut off, other syntax errors can appear with it, such as IEFC622I UNBALANCED PARENTHESES. Fix the first error in the list, and the others usually go away.

No step runs. The converter checks the whole job before it starts, so you fix the JCL and resubmit.

Common causes

• A stray comma after the last parameter of a statement, with no continuation line after it. IBM once shipped a CICS-supplied procedure with this exact mistake after a COND parameter and fixed it with a PTF.
• The continuation line starts after column 16.
• A comment written to the right of a parameter runs into column 72, so the converter thinks the statement continues.
• A long value, such as a PARM string, runs past column 71. The part past 71 is ignored, so the closing parenthesis or apostrophe is lost.
• A continuation line was deleted, or a new statement was inserted between a statement and its continuation during an edit.
• A value in apostrophes was continued the wrong way. Such a value must run to column 71 and carry on in column 16 of the next line.

How to find the problem

1. Open JESYSMSG in SDSF. The number to the left of IEFC621I is the statement that was left open, not the line after it.
2. Open the JCL in ISPF edit and use the COLS line command to show a ruler. Check the end of that statement for a trailing comma, and check column 72 for any character.
3. Check the next line. It must start with // and a blank in column 3, with its text starting by column 16.
4. In JESJCL, statements from a cataloged procedure show XX in columns 1 and 2. If the open statement is one of those, the fix belongs in the procedure.

How to fix it

• Remove a trailing comma that has nothing after it.
• Move continuation text so it starts in columns 4 to 16.
• Keep comments short enough to end before column 72, or put them on their own //* comment line.
• Split long values over several lines. Put a list in parentheses and end each line with a comma after a complete item, such as PARM=(OPT1, on one line and OPT2) starting in column 16 on the next.
• If a product generated the job, apply the vendor's fix. IBM has fixed generated jobs that broke column 72 this way.
• Resubmit the job. Nothing ran, so there is nothing to clean up.

What it looks like

 STMT NO. MESSAGE
        3 IEFC621I EXPECTED CONTINUATION NOT RECEIVED

Last reviewed 2026-10-18 by the WND Software team. Written in our own words. For the full reference, check IBM’s documentation for your z/OS release.