Ach Deposit Not Showing Up
An ACH deposit that has not shown up is almost always still in transit if it has been fewer than 5 business days since initiation. Standard ACH credit takes 1–3 business days; standard ACH debit takes 3–5 business days. Weekends and federal bank holidays do not count. If today is Monday and the deposit was sent Thursday, it may not arrive until Tuesday.
Why This Happens
- Configuration gaps between tools or services
- Missing integrations or manual workarounds that weren't designed to scale
- Changes in vendor behavior, pricing, or API that weren't communicated clearly
What To Check First
- Verify your current setup matches the vendor's latest documentation
- Look for recent changes — platform updates, new team members, configuration drift
- Check if the problem is consistent or intermittent (different root causes, different fixes)
When To Escalate
- The problem is costing you money or customers per week
- You've spent more than 2 hours on it without progress
- A vendor quoted you more than $500 and you're not sure if it's necessary
Dealing with this right now?
If it has been more than 5 business days: ask the sender for the ACH trace number (a 15-digit identifier assigned by their bank). Call your bank's ACH department — not customer service — and give them the trace number. They can locate any ACH transaction in the Federal Reserve's system within minutes, even if it has not posted to your account yet. This works whether your deposit is with a small credit union or a large national bank.
