Wondering when your ACH bank payments will arrive? Understanding the settlement timeline and Helcim's batching process is key to managing your cash flow.
This article explains typical ACH deposit times and the fixed daily settlement cut-off times. It also shows you how to adjust your ACH batch close frequency in your Helcim account settings.
In this article
How long do ACH payments take to deposit?
Once an ACH transaction is successfully processed by Helcim before the daily cut-off (3:45 PM MST), it will be sent to your bank through the ACH network. Funds will appear in your linked bank account in 3-4 business days.
Several factors can influence this timeframe:
ACH network processing: The ACH network operates on a batch system and has its own clearing and settlement schedules.
Bank holidays: Payments are processed on business days. Bank holidays in the US or Canada can extend the timeline.
Batch reviews: When you first start processing with us, we take more time to review your batches. This could extend your initial funding timelines by a business day or two.
Your bank's policies: Individual banks might have their own hold policies or posting schedules that can affect when you see your funds.
Making the daily processing cut-off: If your transaction is approved before Helcim's daily processing cut-off time of 3:45 PM MST, it's included in that day's processing and will be deposited on time. If it's approved after this cut-off, it joins the next business day's batch, which results in a delayed deposit.
Fixed daily settlement cut-off times
To ensure your ACH transactions are included in a specific day's processing batch by Helcim, they need to be approved before our daily cut-off time. This cut-off is the same for both your Canadian and US Dollar ACH transactions.
Daily Merchant Cut-Off Time: 3:45 PM MST (Mountain Standard Time).
| Transactions approved before this 3:45 PM MST cut-off on a business day will be included in the batch Helcim prepares for that day's submission to the ACH network. Transactions approved after this time will be included in the next business day's batch. This cut-off time cannot be changed. |
Understanding ACH batch close frequency
While daily settlement cut-off times are fixed at 3:45 PM MST, you control how frequently settlements occur. Your account defaults to a Daily batch close frequency.
The default frequency means your approved ACH transactions are batched together each business day. This batch is then prepared for submission to meet the daily settlement cut-off.
However, you can change this frequency. The available options are:
Daily (default): Your ACH transactions are batched once every business day.
Weekly: Transactions are batched together once a week, with the batch closing every Friday.
Semi-monthly: Transactions are batched together twice a month, with the batch closing every second Friday.
Monthly: Transactions are batched together once a month, with the batch closing on the last business day of the month.
Adjusting your ACH batch close frequency
If you want less frequent batching (for example, weekly instead of daily), you can change this setting.
Log into your Helcim account.
Select All Tools, and then Settings.
Under 'Payments and Plans', click on ACH Payment Settings.
Look for the Batch Close Frequency setting.
Use the dropdown to choose a frequency (daily, weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly).
Important considerations
Changing your batch frequency from the "Daily" default has significant impacts on when your funds are processed and deposited.
Daily frequency (default)
Transactions approved before the 3:45 PM MST merchant cut-off are processed by Helcim that business day, starting their 3-4 day settlement journey with the ACH network.
Weekly, Semi-monthly, or Monthly frequency
If you choose one of these less frequent options, all your approved ACH transactions will be held and will not be processed by Helcim until your scheduled batch close day.
For example, with a Weekly frequency (closing on Friday), a transaction approved on a Monday will only be sent by Helcim for processing on Friday. It then enters the 3-4 business day ACH network settlement window. This means a delay in receiving funds compared to a daily batch.
The same applies to Semi-monthly (closing every second Friday) and Monthly (closing the last business day of the month) frequencies.
The 3-4 business day ACH network settlement timeline itself does not change. What changes is how long your transactions wait before starting that journey.
Next steps
Review your ACH Payment Settings to confirm your batch close frequency (default is Daily).
Consider if you’d like to change this frequency, depending on your transaction volume and reconciliation preferences.
Keep the fixed daily merchant processing cut-off of 3:45 PM MST in mind when anticipating which transactions will be processed by Helcim each day.
| To understand what different payment statuses mean while you're waiting for settlement, read next: view ACH transactions and batches. |
FAQs
Can I change the time of my daily ACH settlement cut-off?
No, the daily processing cut-off for merchants to have transactions included in that day's batch is fixed by Helcim at 3:45 PM MST and cannot be changed. You can only change the frequency (Daily, Weekly, etc.) of your batch closes.
If I choose a weekly batch close, when are my funds deposited?
If you select a Weekly batch close, your approved ACH transactions will be held and accumulated throughout the week. The entire batch is then closed and sent by Helcim for processing on Friday (including any transactions made before the 3:45 PM MST merchant cut-off on that Friday).
The 3-4 business day deposit window through the ACH network begins after this Friday batch processing. This means a transaction approved early in the week will wait until Friday to even start its settlement journey.
How do weekends or holidays affect ACH settlement if I have a daily batch close?
ACH payments are processed on business days. Even with a daily batch close, if your batch closes on a Friday, it will be processed, but the 3-4 business day settlement window will count business days only. Similarly, batches that would process on a bank holiday will be processed on the next business day.
Why would I choose a frequency other than daily for my ACH batches?
Some businesses with lower ACH transaction volumes or specific reconciliation processes might prefer to see their ACH deposits arrive in larger, less frequent sums, aligning with a weekly or monthly accounting cycle. For most, the default daily frequency is suitable.