A standard ACH credit, such as a direct deposit or a transfer from another bank, must now be available to you by 9:00 AM your bank’s local time on the settlement date, no matter how late the day before your bank received it. The change to the Nacha Operating Rules took effect on September 18, 2026.
What changed
- Deadline for standard ACH credits9:00 AM on the settlement date (receiving bank’s local time)
- Condition removed
Only if the bank received the file by 5:00 PM the day before→ Applies to every standard ACH credit- FromSeptember 18, 2026
- WhoAnyone receiving next-day or two-day ACH credits; the rule binds the receiving bank
Source: Nacha: Funds availability requirements for non-Same Day credit entries · Checked on September 26, 2026
On this page
Why it matters
Under the old rule, the 9:00 AM deadline applied only if the receiving bank got the ACH file by 5:00 PM local time on the banking day before settlement. ACH operators deliver files to banks several times after 5:00 PM, so some credits fell outside the deadline. Nacha says the change will speed up availability for some of those credits.
The rule covers standard ACH credits, not Same Day ACH, which has its own deadlines, and not ACH debits. It sets the latest time a bank can make the money available. A bank can post it earlier.
One exception
A related rule, also effective September 18, 2026, gives banks east of the Atlantic Time Zone and west of the International Date Line, such as those in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, a later deadline when files reach them after 8:00 AM local time on the settlement date.
What to do
Nothing. If a standard ACH credit is missing after 9:00 AM on the day it was due, the settlement date in the payer’s notice or your bank’s transfer screen is the date to raise with your bank.
We have updated How long does ACH take to reflect the new rule.
