Guide to ACH Return Codes

The ACH network provides a means for businesses and consumers to make payments and receive payments electronically. The ACH network is also used for other types of transactions, such as automatic withdrawals for bills and payments. If there is an issue with an ACH payment or withdrawal, the financial institution may issue an ACH return code.

There are many different return codes in the ACH system. The following is a list of some common ACH return codes and their explanations:

1. R01 – Requested presentment within 5 days; return if not presented in required timeframe.
2. R02 – Requested presentment after time of day specified by originator; usually means the payment was due yesterday.
3. R03 – Requested presentment on a day other than the originator’s designated day; usually means the payment was due on the originators’ designated day.
4. R04 – Unable to effect delivery; may be caused by an invalid account number or routing number, invalid bank name, closed bank, account frozen, or other similar reason.
5. R05 – Payment stopped by sender; may be caused by a stop payment order on the account or an invalid account number or routing number.
6. R06 – Receiver not yet established; may be caused by an incorrect bank name or incomplete account number.
7. R07 – Payment stopped by receiver; may be caused by a stop payment order on the account or an invalid account number or routing number.
8. R08 – Account frozen; may be caused by a hold on the account, such as for legal or administrative reasons.
9. R09 – Insufficient funds; may be caused by an outstanding check or an incorrect account number or routing number.
10. R10 – Duplicate payment; may be caused by a payment that was already processed or by an incorrect account number or routing number.
11. R11 – Payment not authorized; may be caused by an incorrect account number or routing number, invalid bank name, closed bank, or other similar reason.
12. R13 – Invalid sender account number or routing number; may be caused by an incorrect bank name, closed bank, or other similar reason.
13. R15 – The originator did not specify the amount of the return on the original transaction. The same amount must be returned to the originator as was received from the originator.
14. R16 – The primary account number (PAN) is invalid, e.g., the length of the PAN was not correct or it contained an incorrect number of digits for that type of account.
15. R17 – Invalid data for that PAN; may be caused by an incorrect bank name or account number.
16. R18 – The originator’s bank account number is missing or incomplete.
17. R19 – The transaction cannot be completed because the originator’s bank account does not exist at this bank. This may be caused by a discrepant name, a closed account, an incorrect routing/transit number, a typo in the account number, or a mismatch between the account number and the bank name.

If you encounter an ACH return code that is not listed here, be sure to contact your financial institution for more information. By understanding the different ACH return codes, you can better troubleshoot payment and withdrawal issues.