ACH

When a client pays your invoice by bank transfer, it usually travels over ACH. The client authorizes a debit from their checking account, and the money lands in yours, typically within a few business days. Same-day ACH exists, but not every payment uses it.

On larger invoices, ACH usually costs less to accept than a credit card: card processing is typically charged as a percentage of the payment, while ACH fees tend to be lower or capped. Check your processor’s current pricing rather than assuming.

An ACH payment can still fail after it appears to go through, for example if the account doesn’t have enough money, and a client can dispute an unauthorized debit. On big amounts, wait until the payment settles before treating it as cleared.

ACH isn’t the same as a wire transfer, which is faster and generally final but costs more. Watch for payment fraud by email: if anyone asks you to change bank details for a payment, confirm it by phone using a number you already have.

BuildWell clients can pay invoices by card or by bank transfer (ACH) through Stripe.