How Long Does an ACH Transfer Take?
Most ACH transfers settle the next business day, and Nacha rules allow 2 at most: an ACH debit settles no later than the next banking day, and an ACH credit no later than the second. Only the U.S. Treasury can schedule a credit further out. Same Day ACH settles the day it is sent, for payments up to $1 million. Weekends and Federal Reserve holidays do not count. A transfer sent on one of those days, or after your bank's cut-off, starts on the next banking day.
Settlement is when the money moves between the two banks. Your bank or payment app can wait before it sends a transfer; its account terms set that. Once your bank has received the money, it must let you withdraw it no later than the next business day (12 CFR 229.10(b)). A balance inside a payment app that is not a bank account follows the app's terms.
When the money settles
| Type | Settles | FedACH settlement time | Example: sent Mon, Nov 16, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same Day ACH (up to $1 million) | The same banking day | 1:00, 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. ET | Mon, Nov 16, 2026 |
| Standard ACH debit or credit | Next banking day | 8:30 a.m. ET | Tue, Nov 17, 2026 |
| Two-day ACH credit (the longest allowed) | Second banking day | 8:30 a.m. ET | Wed, Nov 18, 2026 |
The limits. Nacha, which writes the ACH rules, says debits "cannot have a settlement date that is more than one banking day into the future," and credits no more than two. Only the U.S. Treasury can send credits further out. Nacha estimates that about 80% of ACH volume settles in one banking day or less.
The times. The Federal Reserve's FedACH schedule settles Same Day ACH at 1:00, 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. ET, for files the sending bank delivers by 10:30 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. ET. Transfers dated for a later day settle at 8:30 a.m. ET on that day. Your bank's own cut-off comes earlier than these, because it has to send the file first.
Who picks the speed. The sender does. A payroll company can send a two-day credit so that it lands on payday; the extra day is planned, not a delay.
The example is a transfer your bank sends before its cut-off on a banking day. Last updated: November 1, 2026 (U.S. Central time).
Find the dates for your transfer
Next-day ACH settles on Tue, Nov 17, 2026
Same Day ACH: Mon, Nov 16, 2026.
Two-day ACH credit, the latest allowed: Wed, Nov 18, 2026, 2 calendar days after it was sent.
No Federal Reserve holiday falls inside these dates.
Dates follow the Federal Reserve holiday calendar. They are settlement dates between banks; check your bank's terms for when it shows the money.
ACH settlement around holidays, November 2026 to December 2027
A weekday Federal Reserve holiday inside the transfer moves settlement one banking day later, which is three calendar days when the move crosses a weekend. Each row is a standard transfer sent before the cut-off.
| Sent | Next-day settlement | Two-day settlement | Holiday in the way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Nov 10, 2026 | Thu, Nov 12 | Fri, Nov 13 | Veterans Day, Nov 11 |
| Wed, Nov 25, 2026 | Fri, Nov 27 | Mon, Nov 30 | Thanksgiving, Nov 26 |
| Thu, Dec 24, 2026 | Mon, Dec 28 | Tue, Dec 29 | Christmas, Dec 25 |
| Thu, Dec 31, 2026 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 | Tue, Jan 5, 2027 | New Year's Day, Jan 1 |
| Fri, Jan 15, 2027 | Tue, Jan 19 | Wed, Jan 20 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan 18 |
| Fri, Feb 12, 2027 | Tue, Feb 16 | Wed, Feb 17 | Washington's Birthday, Feb 15 |
| Fri, May 28, 2027 | Tue, Jun 1 | Wed, Jun 2 | Memorial Day, May 31 |
| Thu, Jun 17, 2027 | Fri, Jun 18 | Mon, Jun 21 | None: Juneteenth is on Saturday, Jun 19 |
| Fri, Jul 2, 2027 | Tue, Jul 6 | Wed, Jul 7 | Independence Day, observed Mon, Jul 5 |
| Fri, Sep 3, 2027 | Tue, Sep 7 | Wed, Sep 8 | Labor Day, Sep 6 |
| Fri, Oct 8, 2027 | Tue, Oct 12 | Wed, Oct 13 | Columbus Day, Oct 11 |
| Wed, Nov 10, 2027 | Fri, Nov 12 | Mon, Nov 15 | Veterans Day, Nov 11 |
| Wed, Nov 24, 2027 | Fri, Nov 26 | Mon, Nov 29 | Thanksgiving, Nov 25 |
| Thu, Dec 23, 2027 | Fri, Dec 24 | Mon, Dec 27 | None: Christmas is on Saturday, Dec 25 |
| Thu, Dec 30, 2027 | Fri, Dec 31 | Mon, Jan 3, 2028 | None: New Year's Day 2028 is on Saturday |
"No ACH on federal holidays" is wrong three times in 2027. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, federal offices close the Friday before, but the Federal Reserve stays open: "For holidays falling on Saturday, Federal Reserve Banks and Branches will be open the preceding Friday." So ACH settles on Fri, Jun 18, Fri, Dec 24 and Fri, Dec 31, 2027. A Sunday holiday does move, to the Monday. The days the two calendars disagree are listed on bank days.
A transfer sent on Sat, Nov 14, 2026 counts as sent Mon, Nov 16 and settles Tue, Nov 17, three calendar days later. One sent Mon, Nov 16 after the cut-off counts on Tue, Nov 17 and settles Wed, Nov 18.
If an ACH transfer is missing or wrong
For a personal account, Regulation E sets the clock (12 CFR 1005.11):
- You: tell your bank within 60 days after it sends the statement that first shows the problem. A phone call counts, but the bank can ask you to confirm in writing within 10 business days.
- Your bank: must decide whether there was an error within 10 business days, tell you the result within 3 business days after that, and fix an error within 1 business day of finding it.
- If it needs longer: it can take up to 45 days, but then it must put the money back in your account within the first 10 business days while it investigates. It can skip that if it asked you to confirm a phone report in writing and you did not.
- New accounts and transfers from abroad: for a transfer within 30 days after the first deposit, the bank has 20 business days instead of 10, and up to 90 days instead of 45. A transfer started outside the U.S. also gets the 90 days.
Here a business day is a day your bank's offices are open for substantially all of their business (12 CFR 1005.2(d)), so it follows your bank's own calendar.
Questions
Why does my ACH transfer take 3 to 5 business days?
Not because of the ACH network, which settles in 2 banking days at most. The extra days usually come before settlement: a bank or app can wait a day or more before it sends the transfer. After your bank receives the money, it has until the next business day to let you use it (12 CFR 229.10(b)).
Do ACH transfers go through on weekends?
No. ACH settles only on Federal Reserve banking days, so a transfer sent on Friday after the cut-off, or on the weekend, starts on Monday, or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday. The 2027 dates are on 2027 federal holidays.
How long does an ACH transfer take between two banks?
The next banking day for a standard transfer, the same day for Same Day ACH, and two banking days at most. Moving money between your own accounts at two banks is an ACH credit or debit like any other. A transfer between two accounts at the same bank may not use ACH at all, so the bank's own rules set its timing.
How long does a direct deposit take?
A direct deposit is an ACH credit, and employers usually schedule it to settle on payday. For pay dates moved by holidays, see the direct deposit holiday schedule.
How do I count business days for other deadlines?
Use the business days calculator. For deposited checks, see how long does a check take to clear.
Sources: Nacha, "The Significant Majority of ACH Payments Settle in One Business Day—or Less" (August 28, 2023); Federal Reserve Financial Services, FedACH Processing Schedule and holiday schedule; 12 CFR 1005.2(d) and 1005.11 (Regulation E, eCFR as of October 1, 2026). This page explains timing rules; it is not legal or banking advice.