ACH Direct Debit

ACH Direct Debit lets customers in the United States pay from their bank account instead of a card. It runs on the Automated Clearing House network and is offered on USD checkouts for one-time payments.

Why Offer ACH Direct Debit?

Lower Processing Cost

ACH costs a flat 1.5% per payment, capped at $15, instead of the card fee. See pricing.

No Card Required

Reach US customers who prefer to pay from a bank account, or who don’t want to use a card for a large purchase.

Higher Value Orders

Because the fee is capped at $15, the saving over a card fee grows with order value. ACH suits large one-time purchases.

Overview

Detail	Value
Billing Currency	USD
Supported Countries	United States
Subscriptions	No
Min Amount	$0.50
Settlement	Up to 4 business days

ACH Direct Debit is not instant. A payment can take up to 4 business days to succeed or fail. An authorized debit is not a settled payment: fulfill the order only after the payment reaches the succeeded state.

How It Works

Customer Experience

The customer selects ACH Direct Debit at checkout.
The customer enters the account holder name, routing number, account number, account type (checking or savings), and email address. Checkout checks that the routing number is valid.
The customer submits the form, which authorizes the debit from their US bank account under a mandate.
The payment is submitted to the ACH network and enters the processing state. Checkout completes without waiting for clearing.
Clearing completes over the following business days.
The payment moves to the succeeded state, or fails if the bank returns it.

Because clearing is asynchronous, use webhooks to learn the final outcome instead of the checkout redirect. A redirect after checkout only means the customer authorized the debit.The payment emits payment.processing once the debit is submitted, then payment.succeeded or payment.failed when clearing completes. Fulfill only on payment.succeeded.

Availability

ACH Direct Debit appears at checkout when all of the following are true:

The billing currency is USD.
The billing country is US.
The transaction is a one-time payment.

ACH Direct Debit is not available for subscriptions. For recurring payments, use cards or another method that supports subscriptions. See the Payment Methods overview.

Configuration

const session = await client.checkoutSessions.create({
  product_cart: [{ product_id: 'pdt_123', quantity: 1 }],
  allowed_payment_method_types: ['ach', 'credit', 'debit'],
  billing_currency: 'USD',
  billing_address: {
    country: 'US',
    zipcode: '94102'
  },
  return_url: 'https://example.com/success'
});

ACH Direct Debit requires a USD billing currency and a US billing address. If you price in another currency, enable Adaptive Currency so US customers are billed in USD and ACH becomes available.

API Method Type

Type	Method	Country
`ach`	ACH Direct Debit	United States

Refunds and Disputes

Refunds and disputes for ACH payments use the same APIs and dashboard flows as every other payment method. You don’t need ACH-specific handling.

A customer’s bank can return an ACH debit after it appears to have gone through, and under Nacha rules a customer can return an unauthorized debit from a personal account for up to 60 calendar days after settlement. Don’t issue a refund until the original payment has reached the succeeded state.

Testing

Enable test mode

Turn off the Live Mode switch in the dashboard sidebar, and use API keys created in test mode.

Set currency and billing address

Set the billing currency to USD and the billing address country to US.

Include ach in allowed methods

Pass ach in allowed_payment_method_types, or omit the field to show every eligible method.

Enter the test bank details

Enter one of the test routing and account number pairs below. Then confirm that your webhook handler receives the final payment status.

Test Bank Accounts

The customer types the account and routing numbers into the checkout form. In test mode, use the routing number 110000000 with one of these account numbers to force an outcome:

Account Number	Routing Number	Behavior
`000123456789`	`110000000`	The payment succeeds.
`000222222227`	`110000000`	The payment fails due to insufficient funds.
`000111111113`	`110000000`	The payment fails because the account is closed.
`000111111116`	`110000000`	The payment fails because no account is found.
`000333333335`	`110000000`	The payment fails because debits aren’t authorized on the account.
`000444444440`	`110000000`	The payment fails due to an invalid currency.
`000555555559`	`110000000`	The payment succeeds, then triggers a dispute.
`000000000009`	`110000000`	The payment stays in processing indefinitely. Use it to test a pending-state UI.

Test payments reach a final status much faster than live payments, so you don’t need to wait days to verify your integration. The exception is 000000000009, which stays in processing.

Best Practices

Don't fulfill on authorization

An ACH authorization is not a payment. Wait for the payment to reach the succeeded state before you grant access or ship. The customer’s bank can still return the debit.

Set customer expectations at checkout

Tell customers that bank payments don’t clear immediately. This reduces support tickets that ask why an order is still pending.

Provide card fallbacks

Include credit and debit alongside ach, so customers who need immediate access to your product can choose a faster method.

Use ACH for high-value one-time purchases

The ACH fee is capped at $15, so the saving is largest on large one-time purchases.

Troubleshooting

ACH not appearing at checkout

Check:

Is the billing currency USD?
Is the customer’s billing country US?
Is ach included in allowed_payment_method_types?
Is this a one-time payment? ACH is not offered on subscriptions.
Is the amount at least $0.50?

Solution: Remove allowed_payment_method_types temporarily to see all eligible methods, then check the billing currency and address country in your API request.

ACH not appearing on a subscription checkout

Cause: ACH Direct Debit is offered for one-time payments only.Solution: Use cards or another subscription-capable method for recurring billing.

Payment stuck in processing

Cause: This is expected. An ACH payment stays in the processing state for the whole clearing window, which is much longer than for a card payment.Solution: Wait for the final webhook. Don’t retry the payment, because a retry can debit the customer twice.

Payment failed after initially succeeding at checkout

Cause: Checkout completed, but the customer’s bank returned the debit during clearing, most often for insufficient funds or a closed account. The payment emits payment.failed.Solution: Treat the payment as failed, and ask the customer to pay with another method. Fulfill only on the succeeded state to avoid this.

Payment Methods Overview

See all supported payment methods.

Adaptive Currency

Currency support and automatic conversion.

Checkout Guide

Complete checkout implementation guide.

Webhooks

Handle delayed payment confirmations asynchronously.

Getting Started

Features

Integrate

Merchant of Record

Miscellaneous

Why Offer ACH Direct Debit?

Lower Processing Cost

No Card Required

Higher Value Orders

Overview

How It Works

Customer Experience

Availability

Configuration

API Method Type

Refunds and Disputes

Testing

Test Bank Accounts

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Payment Methods Overview

Adaptive Currency

Checkout Guide

Webhooks

​Why Offer ACH Direct Debit?

Lower Processing Cost

No Card Required

Higher Value Orders

​Overview

​How It Works

​Customer Experience

​Availability

​Configuration

​API Method Type

​Refunds and Disputes

​Testing

​Test Bank Accounts

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Related Pages

Payment Methods Overview

Adaptive Currency

Checkout Guide

Webhooks

Why Offer ACH Direct Debit?

Overview

How It Works

Customer Experience

Availability

Configuration

API Method Type

Refunds and Disputes

Testing

Test Bank Accounts

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Related Pages