ACH trace number lookup
Enter a 15-digit ACH trace number to see the routing number of the bank that sent the payment and what the digits mean.
Find the bank's name
This tool cannot tell you which bank the routing number belongs to. Ask your bank, or look the number up yourself in one of these official lookups. You type the number there; we do not send it. Both ask you to accept their terms first. When we checked in October 2026, the ABA lookup allowed two lookups a day and ten a month.
If a payroll company or a payment app sent the payment, the bank can be that company's bank, not the bank of the employer or person who paid you.
Read on your device. This site does not send the number anywhere. This tool explains the number. It cannot show where a payment is, because only the banks hold that record.
Free. No signup. The number is read on your device. This site does not send it anywhere.
How to use the trace number lookup
- Type or paste the 15 digits. Spaces and dashes are ignored. If you do not have the number, ask the side that sent the payment. It may also be listed on your bank statement.
- Read the two parts. The tool shows the sending bank’s routing digits and the item number.
- Take it to your bank. Give your bank the trace number, the date and the amount, and ask it to find the payment.
What the 15 digits mean
| Digits | What they are |
|---|---|
| 1 to 8 | The first 8 digits of the routing number of the bank that sent the payment (the originating bank) |
| 9 to 15 | A 7-digit item number that the sending bank gave this payment |
A routing number has 9 digits. The ninth is a check digit that can be worked out from the first eight, so the tool shows you the sending bank’s full routing number as well.
Within one batch of payments, trace numbers go up from one payment to the next. They do not have to be consecutive.
How to trace an ACH payment
Only the banks can trace an ACH payment. The trace number is what lets them find it. What you do depends on your side of the payment.
If you are waiting for the money
- Get the trace number from the sender. It proves the payment was sent and when.
- Check the date. Most ACH payments settle on the next banking day or the one after. See how long an ACH transfer takes.
- Call your bank with the trace number, the amount and the date. Ask whether the payment arrived, was returned, or was posted to a different account.
- If it was returned, ask for the return code and look it up in the ACH return codes list.
Did money arrive that you did not expect? See what an ACH deposit is and how to find out who sent it.
If you sent the money and it has not arrived
- Get the trace number. Your bank or the software you paid with can give it to you. It may also be listed on your bank statement.
- Send it to the person or company you paid, with the amount and the date. Their bank can then look for the payment.
- Ask your bank whether the payment came back. If it did, ask for the return code and look it up in the ACH return codes list.
- Did you change their bank details after an email? Call the person or company on a phone number you already had, not a number from the email. If they did not ask for the change, call your bank at once. See what to do if fraud happens.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Using a confirmation number from an app. It is not a trace number unless it has exactly 15 digits, and 15 digits alone do not prove that it is one.
- Using an EFTPS number. When you pay a federal tax through EFTPS, you get an EFT Acknowledgment Number. It is your receipt for the tax payment, not an ACH trace number. The IRS manual says this number has 15 digits. Its first digit, 2, stands for EFTPS, and the other digits include the payment method, the date and a serial number. None of them is a bank’s routing number. Keep the number with your tax records.
- Expecting the trace number to show where the money is. Only the banks can see that.
- Mixing up the two banks. The first 8 digits belong to the bank that sent the payment, not the bank that received it.
Questions and answers
What is an ACH trace number?
An ACH trace number is a 15-digit number that the sending bank gives to each ACH payment. The first 8 digits are the first 8 digits of that bank's routing number. The last 7 digits are the item number of the payment. Banks use it to find one payment among millions.
How many digits are in an ACH trace number?
Fifteen. If your number is longer or shorter, it is probably a different reference, such as a confirmation number from an app.
How do I find my ACH trace number?
Ask the side that sent the payment. An employer's payroll provider, a payment app, a government agency or the sender's bank can give you the trace number of a payment they sent. Your own bank can also see the trace number of a payment it received. It may also be listed on your bank statement.
Can I track a payment myself with the trace number?
No. There is no public website that tracks ACH payments, and this tool does not look anything up. Give the trace number, the date and the amount to your bank and ask it to locate the payment. The trace number lets the bank find it quickly.
Is an ACH trace number the same as an EFT trace number or trace ID?
Often, but not always. Banks and apps often call an ACH payment an EFT or a direct deposit, and call the trace number a trace ID. One number that is not an ACH trace number is the EFT Acknowledgment Number that EFTPS gives you when you pay a federal tax. It is your receipt for the tax payment. It does not show a bank, so this tool cannot read it.
Does a check have a trace number?
Not in this sense. A paper check has a check number. An ACH trace number belongs to an electronic ACH payment.
Sources
- Green Book, chapter 8: Glossary (trace number), US Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service
- ACH file details (trace numbers are assigned by the ODFI), Nacha
- ACH file overview (trace numbers ascend within a batch), Nacha
- E-Payments Routing Directory (official lookup, asks you to accept its terms of use first), Federal Reserve Financial Services
- ABA Routing Number Lookup (official lookup; in October 2026 it allowed two lookups a day and ten a month), American Bankers Association
- Internal Revenue Manual 3.17.277, Electronic Payments (glossary, reference number; the ACH trace number may be listed on the bank statement), Internal Revenue Service
- Internal Revenue Manual 2.3.70.4, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Number (15 digits; the first digit 2 means EFTPS), Internal Revenue Service
- Internal Revenue Manual 21.5.7, Payment Tracers (EFTPS gives the taxpayer an acknowledgment number; the EFTPS 15-digit tracking number begins with a 2), Internal Revenue Service
- Publication 966, EFTPS, a guide to getting started (the EFT Acknowledgment Number), Internal Revenue Service
- EFTPS activation brochure (the EFT Acknowledgment Number acts as a receipt), US Treasury, EFTPS
- Third Parties in the ACH Network (the ODFI is the Originator's or Third-Party Sender's bank), Nacha
- ACH Operations Bulletin 2-2014, ACH Transactions Involving Third-Party Senders and Other Payment Intermediaries (December 30, 2014; payroll processor and e-wallet examples), Nacha
General information, not legal or financial advice. Rules change and banks set their own requirements. Check with your bank before you act. ACH Forms is not affiliated with Nacha.