Consumer FAQs on ACH Payments
If you have a question about a Direct Deposit or another type of ACH payment (Direct Payment), in almost all cases the parties in the best position to assist you would be either your bank or credit union, or the organization that is initiating the payment. As an association, Nacha does not process any ACH payments and does not have access to information about individual payments.
Nacha’s role in the ACH Network is to produce the Nacha Operating Rules, which govern the processing of ACH payments and define the roles and responsibilities for ACH Network participants.
Consumers with questions regarding a Direct Deposit or Direct Payment should review the guidance below:
The Direct Deposit or other payment I was expecting went to another bank or to the wrong account, what should I do?
Contact the company or government agency that sent the Direct Deposit, as they are in the best position to locate the payment.
I don’t know who debited my account and my bank can’t tell me, what should I do?
The name of the company or organization should be shown on your account statement. If you do not recognize the company, and you or someone else on your account did not authorize the payment, contact your bank to report this. Do this soon, as there is limited time to report unauthorized transactions. Make sure to check with others that use the account whether they authorized the payment.
Why is my bank holding my deposit?
There could be several reasons why your account may show a Direct Deposit is pending, so you should contact your bank or credit union to explain what is happening. One common reason is that your financial institution has received notice of the Direct Deposit but has not yet received the funds for it, which will happen on a specific date in the future. In this case the Direct Deposit may show as pending. In this example, the financial institution has yet to actually receive the funds and is letting you know a Direct Deposit is on the way.
How do I find my routing number and account number for my Direct Deposit or other ACH payment?
You will often need your financial institution’s routing number (also known as an RTN or ABA number), and your own account number, to enroll for Direct Deposit or to make other payments. The best way to find these is directly from your bank or credit union; log on to their website or mobile app. You can also look at the numbers on the bottom of your personal checks. Otherwise, you can contact your bank or credit union for help finding the correct numbers. Note that these are different from the number on your debit card.
The IRS sent my refund to the wrong place because of an error by my tax preparer. Who should I contact to get the refund sent to the right account?
Your tax preparer needs to contact the IRS to fix the error for you. You might also want to contact the IRS.
I’m having an issue with a check, wire transfer, credit card or debit card payment, what should I do?
Please contact your bank, credit union or card issuer. These types of payments are different than ACH payments, and Nacha does not have any information about specific payments.