Short answer
Same Day ACH settles an ACH payment on the banking day it is sent, in one of three windows that close at 10:30 AM, 2:45 PM and 4:45 PM ET. The limit is $1 million per payment, rising to $10 million on September 17, 2027. Whether you can send one depends on your bank: many personal transfer screens offer standard or next-day delivery instead.
On this page
Same Day ACH is not a separate app or service. It is a faster clearing schedule inside the ACH network, the system that carries paychecks, bill payments and transfers between your own accounts at different banks. The sending bank decides whether a payment goes same day; the receiving bank has to accept it and post it on time.
At a glance
- SettlementSame banking day, at 1:00 PM, 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM ET
- Per-payment limit$1 million; $10 million from September 17, 2027
- Credits and debitsBoth can go same day
- Not eligibleInternational ACH payments (IAT)
- Weekends and Fed holidaysNo Same Day ACH
- Volume in 20251.4 billion payments worth $3.9 trillion
Sources: Nacha: Same Day ACH, Nacha: Same Day ACH limit to increase to $10 million, Nacha: Expanding Same Day ACH · Checked on October 5, 2026
For the latest quarterly figures, see same day ach q3 2026.
The three Same Day ACH windows
Your bank has to get the payment to the ACH operator before a window closes. The receiving bank then has a deadline, in its own local time, to make a credit available to you.
| Window | Sending bank’s deadline | Settlement | Credit available to you by |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 10:30 AM ET | 1:00 PM ET | 1:30 PM, receiving bank’s local time |
| Second | 2:45 PM ET | 5:00 PM ET | 5:00 PM, receiving bank’s local time |
| Third | 4:45 PM ET | 6:00 PM ET | End of the receiving bank’s processing day |
Source: Nacha: Same Day ACH schedules and funds availability (PDF), Nacha: Expanding Same Day ACH · Checked on October 5, 2026
These deadlines bind banks, not you. Your bank sets its own, earlier cutoff for customers so it can make a window, and it may not offer same-day sending to personal accounts at all.
Timeline
- Before your bank’s same-day cutoffa payer’s bank accepts a same-day credit to you
- By 10:30 AM ETthe bank submits it to the ACH operator for the first window
- 1:00 PM ETthe payment settles between the two banks
- By 1:30 PM your bank’s local timethe money is available in your account
Source: Nacha: Providing faster funds availability, Nacha: Same Day ACH, Phase 1 · Checked on October 5, 2026
Where you meet Same Day ACH
Getting paid. An employer or payroll provider can send a direct deposit same day, for example to fix a missed paycheck. Nacha’s rules require every receiving bank and credit union to accept Same Day ACH payments, so you do not need to sign up for anything.
Paying a bill late. A biller can pull a same-day ACH debit. Money can leave your account the day you authorize it, so a balance you count on for tomorrow may already be gone.
Moving money between your own banks. This is where banks differ most. The table shows what four banks in our Banks catalog publish as their faster option for personal accounts. None of them calls it same day.
| Bank | Faster option for personal accounts | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Citibank | Next Day transfer if requested by 3:00 PM ET; up to $1,000 in and $1,000 out per business day | Free |
| Bank of America | Next-business-day transfer up to $1,000; 8:00 PM ET cutoff | No fee |
| Ally | Next-day transfer (1 business day) | No fee |
| Synovus | Next-day transfer out | $8 ($3 standard) |
Sources: Citibank: Inter-institution transfer terms, Bank of America: Personal schedule of fees, Ally Bank deposit agreement (PDF), Synovus: Personal schedule of fees (PDF) · Citibank checked on October 5, 2026; the others on September 27, 2026
Citi’s 12:30 PM ET same-day ACH cutoff is in its guide for CitiBusiness clients: it applies to business banking, not to personal transfers.
Same Day ACH, next-day ACH or a wire
| Same Day ACH | Standard ACH | Domestic wire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Settles | Same banking day | Next banking day or the one after | Usually within hours, same day |
| Credit available by | 1:30 PM, 5:00 PM or end of day | 9:00 AM on the settlement date | |
| Limit per payment | $1 million ($10 million from Sept. 17, 2027) | Set by your bank | |
| Runs on weekends | No | No | No |
Sources: Nacha: Same Day ACH schedules and funds availability (PDF), Nacha: Funds availability requirements for non-Same Day credit entries, Federal Reserve: Fedwire Funds Service operating hours · Checked on October 5, 2026
A wire is final once sent; an ACH payment can be returned under the network’s rules. For timing on ordinary ACH, see how long does ACH take. For the full comparison, see ACH vs wire transfer.
Warning
Same Day ACH does not run on weekends or Federal Reserve holidays. A same-day payment started on Friday after the last window, or on Monday, October 12, 2026 (Columbus Day), settles on the next banking day. See federal reserve holidays 2026.
If a Same Day ACH payment has not arrived
- Check the time. A credit settled in the third window only has to be available by the end of your bank’s processing day.
- Ask the payer which window they used. A payment sent after the last same-day deadline goes out as next-day ACH.
- Check for a hold. A receiving bank that reasonably suspects a credit is unauthorized may hold it and must tell the sending bank.
- Still missing on the next banking day? Follow the steps for an ACH transfer pending.
Source: Nacha: Same Day ACH, Phase 3 rule text · Checked on October 5, 2026
