ACH Response Codes

ACH Response Codes represent reasons for non-payment by the Auto Draft processor. Typical reasons are insufficient funds in the student's account (NSF), incorrect routing number, account closed, etc.

ACH Response Codes List

Response Code Reason Name Reason Description
R01 Insufficient Funds The available and/or cash reserve balance is not sufficient to cover the dollar value of the debit entry.
R02  Account Closed   A previously active account has been closed by action of the customer or the RDFI.
R03  No Account/Unable to Locate Account The account number structure is valid and it passes the check digit validation, but the account number does not correspond to the individual identified in the entry or the account number designated is not an open account.
R04  Invalid Account Number   The Account number structure is not valid. The entry may fail the check digit validation or may contain an incorrect number of digits.
R05  Reserved Reserved
R06  Return per ODFI's Request The ODFI has requested that the RDFI return the ACH entry. If the RDFI agrees to return the entry, the ODFI must indemnify the RDFI according to Article Five (Return, Adjustment, Correction, and Acknowledgment of Entries and Entry Information) of these Rules.
R07 Authorization Revoked by Customer (Adjustment Entries)

The RDFI's customer (the Receiver) has revoked the authorization previously provided to the Originator for this particular transaction. The Receiver may request immediate credit from the RDFI for an unauthorized debit. The request must be made in writing within fifteen (15) days after the RDFI sends or makes available to the Receiver information about that debit entry. The Receiver must also provide the RDFI with a written statement under penalty of perjury that the authorization for the debit entry has been revoked by the Receiver.

The RDFI must return the rescinded transaction to its ACH Operator by its deposit deadline for the adjustment entry to be made available to the ODFI no later than the opening of business on the banking day following the sixtieth calendar day following the Settlement Date of the original entry.

This code and related Operating Rule provisions apply to Consumer entries only.

Note: This Return Reason Code may not be used for POP entries, Single-Entry WEB entries, or TEL entries.

R08 Payment Stopped The Payment of a debit transaction has the right to stop payment on any specific ACH debit.
R09  Uncollected Funds A sufficient book or ledger balance exists to satisfy the dollar value of the transaction, but the dollar value of transactions in the process of collection brings the available and/ or cash reserve balance below the dollar value of the debit entry.
R10  Customer Advises Not Authorized, Notice Not Provided, Improper Source Document, or Amount of entry Not Accurately Obtained from Source Document  
R11  Check Truncation Entry Return This Reason is only used if no other return reason code is applicable. The addenda Record should specify the reason for the return. (e.g., "exceeds dollar limit" ).
R12  Branch Sold to another DFI A Financial institution may continue to receive entries destined for an account at a branch that has been sold to another financial institution. Because the RDFI no longer maintains the account and is unable to post the entry, it should return the entry to the ODFI. 
R14  Representative Payee Deceased or Unable to Continue in that Capacity The representative payee is a person or institution authorized to accept entries on behalf of one or more other persons. The representative payee is deceased or unable to continue in that capacity. The beneficiary is not deceased.  
R15  Beneficiary or Account Holder (Other Than a Representative Payee) Deceased (1) The beneficiary is the person entitled to the benefits and is deceased. The beneficiary may or may not be the account holder or (2) The account holder is an owner of the account and is deceased.        
R16  Account Frozen The Funds in the account are unavailable due to specific action taken by the RDFI or by legal action.
R17  File Record Edit Criteria Some Fields that are not edited by the ACH Operator are edited by the RDFI. The fields causing the processing error must be identified in the addenda record information field of the return.
R20  Non-Transaction Account The ACH entry destined for a non-transaction account, as defined in Regulation D, would include an account against which transactions are prohibited or limited or a pass-through where the entry is for a credit union or thrift organization and Regulation E descriptive requirements cannot be met.   
R21  Invalid Company Identification The identification number used in the Company Identification Field is not valid. This Return Reason Code is normally used on CIE transactions. 
R22  Invalid Individual ID Number In CIE and MTE entries, the Individual ID Number is used by the Receiver to identify the account. The receiver has indicated to the RDFI that the number with which the Originator was identified is not correct.
R23  Credit Entry Refused by the receiver

The Receiver may return credit entry because one of the following conditions exists:

  1. A minimum amount required by the Receiver has not been remitted.
  2. The exact amount required by the Receiver has not been remitted.
  3. The account is subject to litigation and the Receiver will not accept the transaction.
  4. Acceptance of the transaction results in an overpayment.
  5. The originator is not known by the Receiver; or (6) the Receiver has not authorized this credit entry to this account.
R24  Duplicate Entry The RDFI has received what appears to be a duplicate entry; i.e., the trace number, date, dollar amount and/or other data matches another transaction. This code should be used with extreme care. The RDFI should be aware that if a file has been duplicated, the Originator may have already generated a reversal transaction to handle the situation.  
R29  Corporate Customer Advises Not Authorized The RDFI has been notified by the Receiver that a specific transaction has not been authorized by the Receiver.
R31  Permissible Return Entry (CCD and CTX only) N/A
R33  Return of XCK Entry The RDFI determines at its sole discretion to return an XCK (Destroyed Check Entry).  
R37 Source Document Presented for Payment The source document to which an ARC entry or a POP entry relates has been presented for payment. The Receiver may request immediate credit from the RDFI for an ARC entry or a POP entry for the reason described above. The request must be made in writing within fifteen (15) days after the RDFI sends or makes available to the Receiver information relating to that debit entry. The Receiver must also provide the RDFI with a written statement under penalty of perjury that the source document was presented for payment. An RDFI using this return reason code must transmit the return entry by its ACH Operator's deposit deadline for the return entry to be made available to the ODFI no later than the opening of business on the banking day following the sixtieth calendar day following the Settlement Date of the ARC entry or the POP entry.
R38  Stop Payment on Source Document The RDFI determines that a stop payment order has been placed on the source document to which the ARC entry relates. An RDFI using this Return Reason Code must transmit the return entry by its ACH Operator's deposit deadline for the return entry to be made available to the ODFI no later than the opening of business on the banking day following the sixtieth calendar day following the Settlement Date of the ARC entry to which the source document relates.
R40-47 Codes to be used by Federal Government Agencies Returning ENR Entries (Automated Enrollment Entry)  
R50-53 Codes to be used for the Return of RCK Entries (Re-presented Check Entry)  
R80-84 Codes to be used for the Return of CBR and PBR Entries (Corporate or Consumer Cross Border Payments)  
  Codes to be used by ACH Operator  
R13 Receiving DFI Not Qualified to Participate RDFI is not qualified to participate or the Routing Number is not valid.
R18   Improper Effective Entry Date The effective entry date for credit entry is more than two banking days after the banking day of processing as established by the Originating ACH Operator.
R19 Amount Field Error

•   Amount Field is non-numeric

•   Amount Field is not zero in an entry other than a pre-notification, DNE, ENR, Notification of Change, Refused Notification of Change, or zero dollar entry

•   Amount field is zero in an entry other than a pre-notification, DNE, ENR, Notification of Change, Refused Notification of Change, Return, Dishonored Return, Contested Dishonored Return, or zero dollar entry  

R25 Addenda Error   
R26 Mandatory Field Error  
R27 Trace Number Error  
R28 Routing Number Checking Digit Error  
R30 RDFI Not participant in Check Truncation Program  
R32 RDFI Non-Settlement  
R34 Limited Participation DFI  
R35 Return of Improper Debit Entry  
R36 Return of Improper Credit Entry    
C01 Incorrect DFI Number  
C02 Incorrect Routing Number  
C03 Incorrect Routing Number and Incorrect DFI Account Number    
C04 Incorrect Individual Name/Receiving Company Name The correct Individual Name/Receiving Company Name is displayed in the first 22 positions of the Corrected Data Field.
C05 Incorrect Transaction Code  
C06 Incorrect DFI Account Number and Incorrect Transaction Code  
C07 Incorrect Routing Number, Incorrect DFI Account Number, and Incorrect Transaction Code The correct Routing Number (including Check Digit) is displayed in the first nine positions of the Corrected Data Field - correct DFI Account Number is displayed in the 10th through 26th positions of the same field - and the correct Transaction Code is displayed in the 27th and 28th positions of the same field.
C09 Incorrect Individual Identification Number  
C13 Addenda Format Error CBR, PBR: This change code should not be used for outbound cross-border entries due to field length limitations.