Same Day ACH saw double-digit increases in both volume and value during the first quarter as the payment method continued to gain acceptance.
The volume of Same Day ACH payments rose 19.1% year over year to reach 326 million, while the value increased 24.8% to reach $897 million, Nacha, which governs the ACH Network, said in a Wednesday (April 23) press release emailed to PYMNTS.
“As Same Day ACH nears moving $1 trillion in a quarter, it is clear that this faster payment method is gaining acceptance across a range of use cases,” Nacha President and CEO Jane Larimer said in the release.
According to the Nacha website, Same Day ACH is commonly used by businesses, government entities and consumers for purposes like urgent bill pay, payroll, insurance claims and disaster relief, refunds and reimbursements, and tax payments.
Standard ACH also continued to grow, according to the press release.
During the first quarter, compared to the same quarter a year ago, ACH payment volume rose 4.2% to 8.5 billion, while the value increased 6.6% to $22.1 trillion, the release said.
Among the major transaction types, the volume of person-to-person (P2P) leapt 20.4% to 109 million, B2B jumped 9% to 1.9 billion, healthcare rose 8.1% to 125 million and internet climbed 6.9% to 2.8 billion, according to an infographic released Wednesday.
Direct deposit saw a decline in volume in the first quarter, slipping 0.3% to 2.2 billion, per the infographic.
“ACH continues to show remarkable growth, as consumers, businesses and other organizations recognize the value and convenience it provides,” Larimer said in the release.
When the White House announced in March that President Donald Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the use of paper checks for federal disbursements, Larimer noted that the U.S. Treasury moved $8.5 trillion through the ACH Network in 2024.
In comparison to Direct Deposit, paper checks are slow, costly, and prone to theft and fraud, Larimer said in a statement released March 26.
“Nacha has long supported the migration from paper checks to electronic payments,” Larimer said. “In 2023, Nacha filed comments supporting Treasury’s efforts to increase electronic disbursements. We look forward to working with the Treasury and agencies as they implement this order.”
