ACH Mandate Charges

Automated Clearing House (ACH) mandates essentially lead to financial transfers made between banks in an electronic format. This transfer will be carried out through the ACH network. The Automated Clearing House network follows a batch processing system or methodology that is used by other banks to aggregate several transactions so that they can be processed. This aggregation happens 3 times on every working business day. ACH transfers have plenty of uses and also happen on a frequent basis when it comes to receiving direct payments and paying bills.

You could go forward with two methods of payments with ACH: ACH one-time payment or ACH mandate. The one-time payment begins with you receiving a notification about your bill that had to be settled. You would further have to decide the payable amount and authorize the direct payment through ACH. Whereas, the ACH mandate involves a recurring payment set up between you and the billing company. This method would involve an auto-debit of money from your account to that business for the service you have opted for.

ACH can be beneficial for several reasons. Let us have a look at a few key areas and situations where ACH can be useful.

• ACH mandates make transactions convenient for the user through the auto-debiting of a certain amount for every payment cycle.

• Both sending and receiving ACH payments are easy and simple.

• Paying for recurring expenses and bills such as utility bills, mortgages, etc., is easier with ACH.

• Transfers made via ACH are often free of cost thereby mitigating the stress of service and convenience fees.

• When compared to wire transfers, ACH transfers are highly cost-efficient.

ACH is most commonly used for recurring transactions. These ACH transfers are either made through the direct deposit method or through the direct payment method. The direct deposit method involves money being directly deposited into your account electronically. On the other hand, the direct payment method involves money being automatically deduced or debited from your account.

1. In the case of direct payments, ACH can be used in the following scenarios:

• Subscriptions

• Recurring gifts and donations

• Tuition fee payment plans

• Mortgage loan payments

• EMI payments

• Tax payments

• Membership fees

• Recurring investments like SIPs

2. For direct deposit, ACH can be used in the following cases:

• Salaries

• Annuities

• 401K disbursements

• Pension

• Tax refunds

• Interest payments or dividend payments

• Expense reimbursements

Typically, direct payments or direct deposits made through ACH do not carry any fees or charges. Especially for bills that are pre-authorized by you to seamlessly carry out recurring payments, no charges will be accounted for through ACH. However, these charges may or may not be incurred, depending on the bank. For instance, ACH charges in SBI bank could vary from the ACH charges in HDFC bank. Some banks or lending institutions may charge convenience fees or processing fees. In addition, some government agencies including other service providers may also charge a convenience fee for both direct payments and direct deposits. Hence, it is best to check with the bank regarding ACH payments.

The ACH charges may depend on your bank or financial institution. These charges could be spread out across different types of fees. Let us have a look at the modes in which banks can charge for a transfer made through ACH.

• Credit Fee

The credit fee will be typically charged for direct deposits made through ACH. This fee is a transaction fee that will be charged for each transfer that is made. This fee typically covers the cost of processing the transaction. It is required to ensure that the funds are successfully transferred from one bank account to the other via ACH. This fee depends on your bank. For example, the SBI ACH charges could vary from another bank.

• Debit Fee

The debit fee is usually charged for direct payments that are made via ACH. This fee will be charged each time an ACH debit is carried out. The charges for ACH mandate processing, from one bank to another will be covered in this case. Moreover, paying the debit fee ensures that the funds are successfully transferred. The debit fee varies between banks. For example, the ACH charges in SBI can differ from other banks.

• Account Fee

The account fee that is charged covers plenty of services that are provided by the bank. These services could be to maintain your bank account without any issues, to include the distribution of monthly statements, to provide great customer services, to maintain processing systems, to monitor all transactions and resolve fraud, and many more. As these services vary between banks, so will the account fee. For example, ACH mandate charges in SBI can vary from another bank.

• Discount Fee

A discount fee is typically a percentage-based fee that only applies only for certain transactions. As high-risk transactions have an undeniably increased risk, a discount fee is offered as a means of compensation for the high risk. Again, the discount fee depends on the bank. The discount fee that is considered as ACH charges SBI can differ from other banks.

ACH mandates and transfers have made the process of transfers and transactions easier and more convenient. Moreover, making transfers through ACH does not typically hold any charges. However, the ACH mandate charges may be included depending on the bank. It is always best to check with the bank regarding their ACH charges in bank.