ACH
Automated Clearing House
ACH is the backbone of US payroll — Bitwage uses it for domestic funding and contractor direct deposit.
ACH Key Facts
USA Rail · Bitwage
ACH Technical Specifications
How Bitwage Uses ACH
ACH (Automated Clearing House) is how the majority of US payroll and direct deposit has worked for 50 years. Bitwage uses ACH in two primary contexts: (1) clients funding their Bitwage Balance via ACH pull from their US bank account, and (2) US contractor payroll disbursements where real-time payment networks (RTP, FedNow) aren't available.
For Balance funding, clients can authorize ACH pull from their bank account. Standard ACH clears in 1–2 business days; Same-Day ACH (submitted before the 2:45 PM ET cut-off) clears the same business day. For US contractors at banks not yet on RTP or FedNow, Bitwage routes payroll via Next-Day ACH.
ACH has a return window: transactions can be returned for up to 60 days in some cases. This means ACH payments don't have the same finality as RTP/FedNow/USDC. Bitwage manages this risk operationally. For international payments, ACH is domestic only — Bitwage uses USDC, SEPA, PIX, or SPEI for cross-border.
ACH vs SWIFT
ACH and SWIFT overlap for international payments but serve different purposes: ACH is domestic US only; SWIFT handles cross-border. For domestic US payroll, ACH is cheaper ($0–1 per transaction vs $25+ for wire) and covers all US banks. For international payments, Bitwage bypasses both SWIFT and ACH in favor of local rails (SEPA, PIX, SPEI) or USDC stablecoin.
Full stablecoin vs SWIFT comparisonACH FAQ
Common questions about Automated Clearing House and how Bitwage uses it.
Clients authorize Bitwage to pull from their US bank account via ach transfer. Standard ACH clears in 1–2 business days. Same-Day ACH (submitted by 1 PM ET) clears same business day. For faster funding, FedNow or wire transfer are alternatives.
ach transfer has a return window — the receiving bank can return transactions for reasons including insufficient funds (up to 2 days) or unauthorized (up to 60 days). Bitwage manages this risk. For irrevocable payments, RTP or FedNow provide real-time finality.
Same-Day ACH settles the same business day if submitted before 2:45 PM ET. It's appropriate for urgent US contractor payments where RTP or FedNow aren't available. Standard ACH is fine for scheduled payroll with 2-day lead time.
Pay via ACH — Automatically
Bitwage routes payments through ACHwhen it's the optimal rail for your recipients. No configuration required.