ACH Growth Gets Boost from Stimulus Payments and Shift from Checks Strong growth continued on the ACH Network in the final quarter of 2020, with 7 billion payments made, an increase of nearly 9% from a year earlier. Combined with data on check payments, the results show the dramatic impact of the pandemic on the use of payments by Americans, businesses and government agencies compared to a year ago, before the pandemic had significantly impacted the U.S.

Moving the modern ACH Network forward to provide users with the best possible experience is one of Nacha’s most important goals. That’s why the ACH Network is always evolving, and this year will be no different. “2021 is going to be a year full of some great Rules changes, things that help drive our ACH Network forward, increase our volume, and keep it the safe, reliable ACH Network that we all know and love,” said Debbie Barr, Nacha Senior Director, ACH Network Rules Process. During the Jan.

File holders, you know who you are, but for those who don’t, allow us to explain.  Sometimes, organizations originating ACH payments use stale or other invalid dates in the “Effective Entry Date” field. Accidents happen, but some do it routinely or have never implemented the capability to use current Effective Dates.  With ACH payments like that, there’s a choice to be made.

Nacha is requesting comment on a proposal to increase the dollar limit for Same Day ACH payments.  Complete details, including the Rules Proposal Description, the Modifications to the Rules, the link to comment, and more can be found here. We also invite you to watch our video:

A big Same Day ACH enhancement arrives in March, but the chairman of the Nacha Board of Directors said changing to meet user needs is an ongoing process.

Volume on the ACH Network totaled 6.8 billion payments in the third quarter of 2020, a 9% increase from the same period in 2019.

The new third window for Same Day ACH is coming in March, meaning the time to prepare is now.

With paper check use declining and electronic payment methods on the rise, the ACH Network has grown tremendously in recent years. A recent PaymentsJournal podcast unpacked how this growth continued into 2020, even as the pandemic disrupted regular economic activity. In fact, the pandemic underscored just how reliable and valuable the ACH Network is to commercial and economic activity.

Business Email Compromise is a major concern today, but it appears that the recent enhancement to Same Day ACH has not resulted in any increase in criminal activity, an informal Nacha survey found.

The ACH Network reported payment volume growth of 7.9% in the second quarter of 2020, compared to the same period a year ago, reflecting the use of the Network to deliver economic assistance to individuals and businesses, as well as an acceleration in the shift from paying by paper check to paying electronically.

A new white paper authored by Mercator Advisory Group highlights how – as payments become faster – ACH supports the future of the industry with Same Day ACH, while providing the money-movement infrastructure for many other payment products.