Reference guide

Same Day ACH, window by window.

The three daily windows, the limit and what qualifies, from Nacha and the Fed.

Updated October 25, 2026 · 8 primary sources

The short answer

The three windows

Same Day ACH windows and cutoff times

ACH Operator deadlines for banks; ask your bank for its own cutoff.

Window	Deadline (ET)	Settlement (ET)	Credit funds available
First	10:30 a.m.	1:00 p.m.	1:30 p.m., receiver's bank time
Second	2:45 p.m.	5:00 p.m.	5:00 p.m., receiver's bank time
Third	4:45 p.m.	6:00 p.m.	End of the receiver's bank processing day

Eligibility

Today's date: The batch's Effective Entry Date is today, or stale or invalid; never a future date.
Before a deadline: The file reaches the ACH Operator by a Same Day submission deadline.
Up to $1 million: $1 million per payment; RCK and XCK entries are capped at $2,500.
Not IAT or ENR: International and automated enrollment entries cannot settle the same day.
Other conversion limits: ARC, BOC and POP entries keep their own dollar limits.
Avoid accidental same day: Use a future Effective Entry Date when a batch should not settle today.

The per-payment limit

Date	Change
September 23, 2016	Launch: credits only, $25,000 per payment
September 15, 2017	Debits added, still $25,000 per payment
September 20, 2019	First-window credits available by 1:30 p.m. local
March 20, 2020	Limit raised to $100,000 per payment
March 19, 2021	Third window, submissions until 4:45 p.m. ET
March 18, 2022	Limit raised to $1 million per payment
September 17, 2027	Limit rises to $10 million per payment

Returns

Returns qualify: All returns and notifications of change can use the third window.
Dated today: A return dated today, stale or invalid settles same day by 4:45 p.m. ET.
Future-dated returns wait: A future-dated return does not settle the same day.
Return deadlines: Most returns are due by the second banking day after settlement.
Consumer claims: Unauthorized consumer debits can be returned for 60 days.

Same Day or regular

Point	Same Day ACH	Regular ACH
Settlement	1:00, 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. ET	Next banking day, or two for credits
Per-payment limit	$1 million per payment	Set by your bank's exposure limits
International (IAT)	Not eligible	Eligible
Credit funds available	1:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. or day's end	9:00 a.m. local, since September 18, 2026
Dating the batch	Today's date, or stale or invalid	A future date: one day for debits, two for credits

Questions

What are the Same Day ACH cutoff times?: ACH Operator deadlines are 10:30 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. ET.
When does Same Day ACH settle?: At 1:00, 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. ET, one settlement per window.
What is the Same Day ACH limit?: $1 million per payment today; Nacha raises it to $10 million on September 17, 2027.
Can ACH debits settle the same day?: Yes. Debits joined Same Day ACH on September 15, 2017.
Can returns settle the same day?: Yes, if dated today, stale or invalid and received by 4:45 p.m. ET.
What is Same Day ACH?: ACH entries that settle on the day they are sent, in three daily windows.

Sources

Primary sources only. Rules change, so check the date above.

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