What an ACH fee is
An ACH fee is a charge for moving money through the ACH network. There is no single fee. Each company in the chain charges the next one, and the price you see is the one your own bank or payment processor sets.
There are three layers.
| Layer | Who pays whom | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Network | Banks pay the ACH Operator and Nacha | Fractions of a cent per payment |
| Bank | A business pays its bank to send or collect ACH payments | Cents to a few dollars per payment |
| Processor | A business pays a payment processor or software company | A flat fee, or a percentage, often with a cap |
What the network costs
These are the fees banks pay. You do not pay them directly, but they show how small the base cost is.
| Fee | Amount in 2026 | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| FedACH origination, per item | $0.0035 | Sending bank, to the Federal Reserve |
| FedACH receipt, per item | $0.0035 | Receiving bank, to the Federal Reserve |
| Nacha per-entry fee | $0.000185 | Banks, to Nacha |
| Same Day Entry Fee | $0.052 | Sending bank, to the receiving bank |
Everything above that is the provider’s own pricing.
What payment processors charge
These prices are from each company’s own pricing page. We checked Helcim and Square on October 4, 2026, and the others on October 2, 2026. They are examples, not rules, and they change.
| Provider | Standard ACH price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Melio | $0.50 per payment after a monthly free allowance | 5 free ACH payments a month on the free plan. Receiving by ACH is free. Same-day ACH is 1%, up to $75 |
| BILL | $0.59 per payment | Faster options cost more |
| GoCardless | 0.5% + $0.05, capped at $5 | Standard plan. Failed payments $5 |
| Helcim | 0.5% + $0.25, capped at $6 | 0.05% more on amounts over $25,000. Its recurring payments tool adds 0.4% to each payment, ACH included. Returned payments $5. Checked October 4, 2026 |
| PayPal Braintree | 0.75%, capped at $5 | Returned payments $5 |
| Stripe | 0.8%, capped at $5 | ACH Direct Debit |
| QuickBooks Payments | 1% | No cap is shown. Rate shown as of September 18, 2026 |
| Square Invoices | 1%, at least $1 | Square Free plan: no cap is shown. Square Plus and Square Premium: capped at $10. Checked October 4, 2026 |
Two patterns appear. Tools for paying bills charge a flat fee of about fifty cents. Tools for collecting payments charge a percentage, and many cap it, often at $5.
What banks charge
Banks that let a business send ACH files directly publish fee schedules too. One documented example is Chase’s schedule for business accounts, effective June 14, 2026.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| ACH payments (you pay others) | $2.50 per item for the first 10 a month, then $0.15 per item |
| ACH collections (you collect) | $25 for the first 25 items a month, then $0.25 per item |
| Returned ACH item | $2.50 |
Other banks price differently. Ask for the treasury or cash management fee schedule before you choose.
ACH fees compared with card fees
Card processing is charged as a percentage of the whole sale. QuickBooks, for example, lists 2.99% for an invoice paid by card. ACH is a flat fee or a percentage, and several processors cap the percentage at $5. The bigger the payment, the bigger the gap.
| Payment | Card at 2.99% | ACH at 1% | ACH at 0.8%, capped at $5 | ACH at a flat $0.50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $2.99 | $1.00 | $0.80 | $0.50 |
| $500 | $14.95 | $5.00 | $4.00 | $0.50 |
| $2,000 | $59.80 | $20.00 | $5.00 | $0.50 |
| $10,000 | $299.00 | $100.00 | $5.00 | $0.50 |
Card and 1% ACH rates are QuickBooks’ published rates as of September 18, 2026.
That is why ACH is common for rent, tuition, invoices and other large or repeating payments. Cost is not the only difference. See ACH vs credit card and debit card.
In a 2022 survey by the Association for Financial Professionals, the median cost of a paper check was higher than that of an ACH payment. See the figures in ACH vs check.
Fees people often miss
- Return fees. A payment that comes back for insufficient funds can cost a processing fee, and the customer’s bank may charge them too. See ACH return fees.
- Same Day ACH. Faster settlement costs more. See Same Day ACH.
- Account verification. Some processors charge to verify a bank account. Stripe lists $1.50 per verification with its account-linking service.
- Monthly minimums. Bank ACH services often have a monthly fee or a minimum.
- Unauthorized returns. When a customer’s bank returns a debit as unauthorized, your bank pays the customer’s bank a fee under Nacha rules, and may pass it to you. A clear, signed ACH authorization form is the best protection.
How to pay less in ACH fees
- Match the tool to the job. For paying a handful of bills, a flat fee per payment is cheapest. For collecting many payments, compare the percentage and the cap.
- Avoid returns. Check routing numbers with the routing number checker and collect bank details on a form, not over the phone.
- Use standard ACH when same-day is not needed. Plan payroll and vendor payments a day or two ahead.
- Ask your bank. If you send enough payments, a bank’s per-item price can be lower than a processor’s.