What is an ACH Transfer? All about ACH bank transfers | Plaid (2024)

FAQs

What is an ACH Transfer? All about ACH bank transfers | Plaid? ›

ACH transactions are commonly called “eChecks'', “direct deposit”, “direct debit”, “automatic withdrawal”, and so on. If you've ever been paid via direct deposit, it was through an ACH transfer. ACH transfers are another way to transfer money that doesn't involve paper checks, wire transfers, or cash.

An ACH transfer is an electronic transfer of funds from one bank account to another over the ACH (Automated Clearing House) network. This includes everything from person-to-person transfers and bill payments to direct deposits. Common uses of ACH bank transfers include: Payroll.

Both ACH and wire transfers work in a similar way, but with different timelines and rules. Wire transfers are direct, generally immediate transfers between two financial institutions. ACH transfers, meanwhile, pass through the Automated Clearing House, and can take up to a few business days.

ACH transfers are generally free or low-cost, while wire transfers can cost anywhere from $25 to $50. In other words, a wire transfer is your best option f you need to make an urgent payment or transfer money overseas, Conversely, for domestic payments that can wait a few days, ACH transfers usually make more sense.

In addition to “insider employee fraud” typical examples of ACH scams include: Data breaches: Criminals often gain access to customer credentials via a data breach. In this scenario, fraudsters log into bank accounts with bought or stolen information from the dark web before withdrawing funds through the ACH network.

Amount limits

Some banks may impose limits on how much money can be transferred via an ACH payment. This might be a daily limit, weekly, monthly, or per-transaction, and the limits may differ depending on the type of ACH transaction.

To make a transfer, you'll need to provide your name, routing/ABA number, account number, account type, and transaction amount.

ACH transfers are a bit safer for senders. Unlike most wire transfers, funds can be reversed in cases of fraud or payment error. The criteria for reversals is usually determined by banks. Wire transfers have little disadvantage for the recipient.

On average, ACH transfers take about one to three business days to complete. There are two kinds of ACH transactions—ACH debit transactions and ACH credit transactions—and NACHA mandates different processing speeds for each. ACH credit transactions.

What is a ACH in layman's terms? ›

An ACH transaction is an electronic money transfer made between banks and credit unions across a network called the Automated Clearing House (ACH). ACH is used for all kinds of money transfers, including direct deposit of paychecks and monthly debits for routine payments.

(If you own a small business, see our guide to ACH transfers for businesses.) For sending money to friends and family, many transfer providers — including banks and third-party apps like PayPal, Venmo and Zelle — use the ACH network.

A direct bank-to-bank payment, called an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfer, allows you to send money from your checking or savings account to someone else's account, even if it's at a different bank. This is the same technology used when employers send paychecks via direct deposit, or if you use online bill pay.

Basically, all Zelle payments are (instant) ACH payments but not all ACH payments are Zelle payments. The primary difference between Zelle and regular ACH payments is related to speed—whereas a standard ACH payment can take 2-5 days to clear, Zelle payments tend to clear in minutes.

Apart from the Bank of America's $1k a day ACH transaction limit, most offer higher transaction limits. On average, most banks have slightly over $5k daily ACH transaction limits, usually around $10k a month.

Because ACH transfers are processed in batches, direct ACH payments typically take one to three business days to appear in the recipient's account—longer than it generally takes to process wire transfers, credit card transactions, and ATM transactions. No international payments.

No, ACH and Zelle are not technically the same thing, although Zelle utilizes the ACH network. Basically, all Zelle payments are (instant) ACH payments but not all ACH payments are Zelle payments.