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.

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.

Recorded Jan. 7, 2021
Recording access valid until June 30, 2021
Recording access purchases are final

File holders, you know who you are, but for those who don’t, allow us to explain. 

Nacha is requesting comment on a proposal to increase the dollar limit for Same Day ACH payments. 

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.

Recorded Sept. 30, 2020
Recording available until May 15, 2021
AAP & APRP credits: 1.2

Recorded Sept. 29, 2020
Recording available until May 15, 2021
AAP & APRP Credits: 1.5

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.

By Richard Oliver & George Warfel Jr.

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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.

Nacha has issued guidance regarding the $100,000 per transaction limit on Same Day ACH transactions. 

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.

Nacha has released ACH Network results for the first quarter of 2020.

Starting today the Same Day ACH per payment dollar limit jumps from $25,000 to $100,000.

The wait is almost over. This Friday, the latest enhancement to Same Day ACH takes effect.

Following Nacha’s confirmation of March 19, 2021, as the effective date for the new, third Same Day ACH window, The Clearing House and the Federal Reserve Banks, as