An ACH payment is a bank-to-bank transfer over the US ACH network. For a small business that sends invoices, it usually costs far less than a card, takes longer to arrive and can fail after you think you've been paid. On a $2,400 invoice, a card costs about $70 and an ACH debit can cost $5 or less on some processors' published schedules, but the card money lands in a day or two while the bank debit takes several days and can be returned. This page runs that invoice through both, then covers failure windows, account verification and when to offer both.
Fees are changing all the time, so the figures below come from one processor's published page as of October 2026. Check the current page of whichever provider you use.
What ACH is, in plain words
ACH stands for Automated Clearing House. Instead of the customer's card number moving through a card network, you pull money from, or the customer pushes money to, a bank account. Payroll direct deposit and utility autopay run on the same system. There are two directions: a debit, where you (with permission) pull the money, and a credit, where the customer sends it. Most small business invoice setups use the debit: the customer enters routing and account numbers once and authorizes the payment.
Card versus ACH on the same invoice
Take a $2,400 invoice for a fictional bookkeeper, Wen, who is paid by a landscaping client. Using Stripe's published pricing as of October 2026: 2.9% + 30 cents for a domestic online card payment, and 0.8% for an ACH Direct Debit with a $5.00 cap.
- Card: 2.9% of $2,400 is $69.60, plus $0.30, for a fee of $69.90. Wen receives $2,330.10.
- ACH debit: 0.8% of $2,400 is $19.20, but the fee is capped at $5.00. Wen receives $2,395.00.
The difference on one invoice is $64.90. If Wen bills six such invoices a month, that's $389.40 a month, or about $4,670 a year, on the same work. These are one provider's numbers, not a market average, and other processors have different fees and caps. The cap is the key detail: percentage-only ACH pricing on a large invoice can cost nearly as much as a card.
Fees you will actually see
- The per-payment fee, as above. Some providers charge a flat amount, some a percentage with a cap.
- A fee for failed or returned payments. Providers publish it, often a few dollars; look for it on the fee page, because it isn't in the headline number.
- A fee for faster settlement, such as same-day payouts, if offered.
- Dispute fees, which are different for cards: Stripe lists $15.00 per card dispute, as published October 2026.
- Monthly or account fees on bank-payment products, if any.
How long until the money lands
A card payment is approved in seconds, and the money typically reaches your bank in one to three business days, depending on the provider and your payout schedule. An ACH debit takes longer: the request goes into the next batch, and funds are often described as arriving in several business days. Providers state the exact time on their pages and it can differ for new accounts. Expect cash from a bank debit on a Monday invoice around the end of that week, not that afternoon. Never schedule a supplier payment against ACH money until it has actually settled.
Failed and returned payments
This is where ACH differs most from cards. The customer's bank can reject a debit, most often because the account has insufficient funds, the account is closed or the numbers are wrong. Business-account returns usually come back within a couple of banking days, but a consumer can dispute a debit they say they did not authorize for a much longer period, which the ACH rules (set by Nacha) put at about 60 days. A card dispute can come up to 120 days after the sale on many networks. So neither is final the day it clears.
What to do: wait for the settled status before you release goods or start work that can't be undone, keep the signed authorization from the customer, and have a standing line in your terms about returned payments and any fee you charge. Your late-payment policy should cover it; see late payment fees for small businesses.
Verifying a bank account
A customer can mistype a routing number, or enter someone else's account. Processors verify in one of two ways. Instant verification logs the customer into their bank through a secure connection and confirms the account. Micro-deposit verification sends two tiny deposits that the customer then confirms, which takes a day or two. Use instant verification when you can; micro-deposits delay the first payment. Either way, a verified account is much less likely to return. Check whether the provider you use offers bank debits in your country, because it's mostly a US feature and others use different local systems.
When to offer both on one invoice
Put both on the invoice and let the customer choose. A customer with a corporate card may like the points; a customer paying $2,400 from their business checking account will see a bank option as normal. Some businesses add a small discount for the bank option, which is a legal way to steer people toward lower fees; check your state's rules and your processor's terms on surcharges and discounts. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
A good rule: cards for quick, smaller invoices and for first-time customers, where speed and a fast yes matter. ACH for larger and recurring invoices, where the fee difference adds up and the customer has paid you before. For more on how providers compare, see Stripe versus Square and Stripe versus PayPal, and for the full picture of card costs, read accepting credit cards as a small business. To set up payment links on your own site, see how to accept payments on your website, send the invoice with how to send an invoice, and speed up payment with how to get paid faster. Terms matter too: net 30 turns a fast payment method into a slow one.
Payment methods only matter once there's a customer to pay. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and both Launch and Frontier start with a 7-day free trial, card required.