How to Receive ACH Payments With PayJunction

Welcome to PJ University, where we teach you how to use PayJunction like a pro. Today’s lesson is how to run an ACH payment.

How to Receive ACH Payments

After logging into PayJunction, the process page will automatically load; but if you happen to be on another page, just click “Process” from the menu on the left. On this page, select the “ACH” tab in the top menu. Enter the routing and account number on the check. Next, select the account type and transaction type. PPD is generally for personal transactions and CCD is for business transactions.

Next, enter the action and amount followed by the customer’s first and last name, then enter their address. When you’re finished, click “Process.”

After you’ve done this, a modal will pop up to let you know if the ACH payment processing transaction is approved or declined. If it’s approved, you will have the option to collect an electronic signature.

If your customer isn’t present, or you don’t have our Smart Terminal, you can collect the signature via email. Just click the “Email Receipt” button, enter your customer’s email address, make sure the “Request Signature” box is checked and then “Send Receipt.” If no signature is required, simply de-select this check box and your customer will receive their receipt.

If you would like to print a receipt, click the “Print Receipt” button. After you have done this, click “Complete” to finish the transaction.

The Virtual Terminal stores electronic signatures as well as the checking account information associated with the ACH payment. This allows you to run recurring payments via ACH, which are popular for B2B transactions and might be a preference for your B2C customers as well.

The Virtual Terminal allows you to email an authorization form to obtain an electronic signature for ongoing payments. You can then set the payment schedule as stipulated in your authorization form and receive ongoing ACH payments.

ACH Payment Processing Tips

If you establish a recurring billing schedule with an ACH account, it’s beneficial to know the most common ACH reject codes. Because checks take longer to process than credit card and debit card purchases, the error codes can occur days after an attempted ACH payment. Because PayJunction stores customer account information, it’s easy to follow up in the event of an ACH reject.

• “R01 Insufficient funds” triggers when the customer needs to transfer money to the account to successfully complete the transaction.
• “R02 Bank account closed” signifies a bank account that’s now closed and can’t be used to process the transaction. Ideally, the customer genuinely forgot to notify you of the bank account closure.
• “R03 No bank account/unable to locate account” can trigger if the account number doesn’t correspond to the identified customer or if the account isn’t open.
• “R29” reject is specific to a type of account because some accounts have specifications for their use (e.g. your business might need the green light to withdrawal from the account).

Knowing these ACH error codes will ensure you can address any delinquent ACH payments and maintain your cash flow.

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Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness and accuracy.