The most common lines
| Line | Usual meaning | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| ACH pmt, ACH withdrawal, ACH debit, ACH dr | Money a company took from your account | ACH withdrawal |
| ACH xfer, ACH transfer | Money moved between accounts, often your own | What is ACH? |
| ACH dep, ACH deposit, ACH cr, ACH credit | Money paid into your account | ACH deposit |
| ACH txn | An ACH payment, money in or out | What an ACH line shows |
| ACH orig debit | Most likely an ACH debit. The name next to it is the company that took it. Ask your bank | Lines only your bank can explain |
| ACH hold | A payment the bank knows about but has not posted yet | ACH hold |
| Returned mobile ACH payment | A payment you made from a bank account came back unpaid | Returned mobile ACH payment |
What an ACH line shows
A statement line for an ACH payment is built from a few parts. Your bank decides how to print them.
| Part | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| The word ACH, or ACH debit, ACH credit | Your bank. It shows the payment moved through the ACH network |
| A company name | The company that started the payment. The ACH payment has room for 16 characters |
| A short description | The same company. Up to 10 characters. For some payments the ACH rules set the word |
| Short forms | Your bank, or the company in its description. For example PMT, XFER or DEP |
For a personal account, federal law, Regulation E, requires the statement to show, for each electronic payment, the amount, the date, the type of transfer and the name of the other party.
ACH statement terms and where they come from
The short words and codes on an ACH line are of three kinds. Each table below lists one kind.
Short forms your bank or the company chose
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| PMT | Payment |
| XFER | Transfer |
| DEP | Deposit |
| CR | Credit. Money paid in |
| DR | Debit. Money taken out |
| TXN | Transaction |
| ORIG | Most likely originator or originated. The originator is the company that starts a payment |
These short forms are not ACH rule terms. We give the usual meaning. Your bank can tell you whether the word is its own or came from the company.
Words the ACH rules set
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| PAYROLL | Wages, salary or similar pay sent by direct deposit. Required word since March 20, 2026 |
| PURCHASE | A debit for goods you bought online. Required word since March 20, 2026 |
| RETRY PYMT | A debit that came back unpaid and is being sent again. Required word for a payment that is sent again |
| REVERSAL | The sender is undoing a payment it made by mistake. Required word for a reversal |
| ACCTVERIFY | A test payment of less than $1 that a company uses to confirm an account. Required word for these test payments |
Payment type codes (SEC codes)
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| PPD | A payment to or from a person’s account, such as pay or a bill |
| CCD | A payment between businesses |
| WEB | A debit that a person authorized online, on a website or a mobile device. Also a payment from one person to another |
| TEL | A debit that a person authorized in a phone call |
| ARC | A check sent by mail or left in a drop box, turned into an ACH debit |
| BOC | A check handed over at a counter and turned into an ACH debit later |
| POP | A check turned into an ACH debit at the counter, while you are there |
| RCK | A bounced check that is collected again as an ACH debit |
The eight payment type codes are explained in ACH SEC codes. A statement line may or may not show the code.
Lines only your bank can explain
Some lines are one bank’s own wording. No official source defines them. Below is a word-by-word reading of each. Ask your bank before you rely on it.
Recycled ACH debit. Not a term from the ACH rules. It usually describes a debit that is sent again after it came back unpaid. The rules call that a reinitiated entry, and it must carry the words RETRY PYMT. See a debit that is sent again.
ACH orig debit. ORIG is most likely short for originator or originated. Read that way, the line is an ACH debit, and the name next to it is the company that started it. If you do not know the company, see who took an ACH withdrawal.
Reverse ACH WEB single. Three parts. “Reverse” most likely means a payment was undone or sent back. WEB is the payment type for a debit authorized online. “Single” most likely means a one-time payment, because a WEB payment is either a single entry or a recurring one. Ask your bank which payment was undone and why.
Dep return chargeback. DEP is most likely deposit. Read word by word, something you deposited came back unpaid, and the bank took the amount back out of your account. The line does not say whether the item was a check or an ACH payment. Ask your bank which deposit it was and why it came back.
Check truncation entry return. This one is different, because it has an official source. It is the old name of return code R11. Nacha gave R11 a new meaning on April 1, 2020: a payment that did not follow the terms of the authorization. Some older code lists still show the old name.
A check that shows as ACH
A paper check can appear on your statement as an ACH payment. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a US bank regulator, explains why: a merchant or a company can use the ACH network to turn a paper check into an electronic payment. Its example is a check you mail to your credit card company.
The ACH rules have a payment type for each case: ARC, BOC and POP in the table above. RCK is for a bounced check that is collected again.
Regulation E covers a check that is turned into an ACH debit (ARC, BOC and POP) on a personal account. The company must give you notice that the check will or may be processed as an electronic transfer, and it must have your authorization for each one.
RCK is different. Regulation E does not cover a bounced check that is collected again electronically, because the payment started as a check. It does cover a fee the company takes electronically because the check bounced.
“Do not convert to ACH”. These words ask the company to process a check as a paper check. Two official sources are relevant.
- The official commentary to Regulation E says a company may, at its option, specify the circumstances under which a check may not be converted.
- The OCC says you usually cannot choose how a check is processed. It adds that you can contact a company you regularly mail checks to, such as a phone or credit card company, and tell it not to turn your checks into ACH payments.
We found no official source that says the words written on a check bind the company. If it matters to you, contact the company.
How a check and an ACH payment differ is in ACH vs check.
If you do not recognize a line
- Read the company name. Nacha says the name of the company or organization should be shown on your statement.
- Ask the people who share the account.
- Ask your bank. It can see the full company name and the company ID on the payment.
- If nobody authorized it, report it. Nacha’s advice is to do this soon, because there is limited time to report unauthorized transactions. See how to stop an unauthorized ACH withdrawal.
Common mistakes
- Reading a short form as a rule. PMT, XFER and ORIG are short forms chosen by a bank or a company. Another bank or company may write the same payment differently.
- Treating RETRY PYMT as a new charge. It is another try at a payment that came back unpaid.
- Ignoring a tiny ACCTVERIFY payment you did not expect. A company is checking an account number. Ask your bank who sent it.
- Looking for a return code in the line. Return codes such as R01 are sent to the company that started the payment. Your statement may not show them. Ask the company or your bank.
- Calling Nacha. Nacha cannot see individual payments. Your bank can.