What are the requirements for an ACH batch file?

ACH batch files require specific fields and information in order to process successfully. Understanding what the required information is, and knowing how to format the file is essential when using Batch Processing. 

ACH batch files will always process in USD dollars. Bambora does not support cross border transactions for bank-to-bank transactions / files.  

Follow the requirements below when formatting your file for a successful upload. 

Must know:

  • You need to have Batch Processing enabled on your account in order to upload these files. Please contact Customer Care to add this feature if you don’t currently have it available. 
  • Both your bank account and your employees/customers must be a US bank account in order to process Automated Clearing House (ACH) files. You cannot mix multiple currencies in one batch.
  • All banking information and customer codes are mandatory.
  • Do not mix customer codes from a Payment Profile and banking information, otherwise, transactions with banking information will not be processed.
  • A customer’s payment profile must be in Active status.
  • For text files, use a comma to separate the data for each field. If there is no data for a field, make sure you still enter a comma.

What are the requirements for an ACH batch file? 

How to use the ACH batch file template?
  1. Download our template spreadsheet for a credit card batch file. 
  2. Enter your payment information in row 3 and below. 
  3. Once complete delete row 1-2 (the title and example data). 
  4. Save the spreadsheet as a CSV.
How to create your own file?
  1. Do not skip, reformat, or change the order of the fields below.. 
  2. The Column letters correspond to the columns in your spreadsheet file. 
  3. If you are using a text-file format (ex. Notepad), please use commas to separate the data.

ACH batch file requirements:

Field Name Description

A

Designates the type of transaction record. Enter A for ACH.

C or D

Indicates the type of bank payment being processed. 

C – Credit recipient bank accounts. 

D – Debit an outside bank account and depositing funds into your own account.

9-digit transit number

Enter the Transit Routing Number from the customer’s check. See the link  below to help identify this number. 

5-15 digit account number

Enter the number of the customer’s bank Account Number as it appears on their void cheque.

2-letter Account Code

Enter an Account Code to designate the type of bank account to be credited. 

PC – Personal Checking

PS – Personal Savings

CC – Corporate Checking

CS – Corporate Savings

Transaction amount in pennies

Enter the total transaction amount in pennies. Do not include a decimal point. e.g. for $45.99 enter 4599

Optional reference number

You can create an internal reference number of up to 19 digits. If you don't want a reference number, enter 0 (zero).

Recipient Name

Full name of the person you are paying.

Customer Code

Enter the 32-character customer code located in the payment profile. Do not populate bank account fields in the file when processing against a customer code.

Dynamic Descriptor

By default, the Bambora company name will show on your customer's bank statement. You can override this default by populating the Dynamic Descriptor field.

SEC Code

Standard Entry Code. Tells the network the type of bank transaction being performed. By default, this field must be blank or not provided, and Bambora will automatically insert a value. This will be based on the Account Code of the transaction where a PPD will be assigned for a personal account and CCD for corporate.

PPD – US Personal Checking and Personal Savings

CCD – US Corporate Checking and Corporate Savings

CTX – Corporate trade exchange

WEBS – Non-recurring web transaction

WEBR – Recurring web transaction

Important: The merchant must have SEC code permission to populate this field. If the field is populated without permission, the transaction will be rejected.

Addendum Data

Entry Detail Addenda Record (Optional). Used for CCD, CTX, and PPD Standard Entry Code (SEC) classes. The Addenda information contains additional payment-related information. This field accepts a maximum of 80 characters for CCD and PPD transactions, and up to 799920 characters for CTX transactions. Important: The merchant must have SEC code permission and must pass an SEC Code in their transaction to use this field.

 

Sample Files

Sample ACH file - Text file format with banking details

Screenshot of sample ACH file with text file format with banking details

Sample ACH file - Spreadsheet format with customer code (Secure Payment Profiles)

Screenshot of sample ACH file with spreadsheet format with customer code

Sample ACH file - Text file format with customer code (Secure Payment Profiles)

Screenshot of sample ACH file with text file format with customer code

Good to know:

  • If you are using the API to process batches, please visit our Developer Docs.
  • US cheques are typically formatted the same way. Follow this guide for how to find the appropriate information on a US cheque. 
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