With the ACH Inquiry API, you can check on the progress of a payment transaction after the ACH processor receives them.

See the specs

The ACH List endpoint is a comprehensive search of all ACH transactions with a single account number. Use the date parameters or identify the ACH transaction status to better define the response. 

"accountNumber": "3123456789",
"dateSearchType": "COLLECTED",
"fromDate": 2024-03-15,
"toDate": 2024-05-31,
"minimumAmount": 100,
"maximumAmount": 75020.5,
"traceNumber": "041001030016002",
"pageNumber": 1,
"pageSize": 150

"transactions": [
  {
  "parNumber": "22018007665985",
  "transactionStatus": "COLLECTED",
  "traceNumber": "000000000000000",
  "transactionAmount": 10.01,
  "settlementDate": "2021-03-08",
  "transactionCode": "22",
  "authorizedCustomerName": "TEST CUSTOMER1",
  "standardEntryClassCode": "CCD",
  "receivingAccount": {
    "accountNumber": "123456789012"
   },
  "receivingParty": {
    "customerIdentificationNumber": "099999999",
  "companyName": "MERCHANT"
  },
  "originatingAccount": {
    "accountNumber": "123456789012"
  },
  "originatingParty": {
    "customerIdentificationNumber": "1234567",
    "companyName": "COMPANY NAME 1"
},
  "returnDate": "2024-02-01",
  "returnReasonCode": "R02",
  "returnReasonDescription": "Account Closed",
  "addendaCount": 1,
  "notificationOfChangeAddendaCount": 1,
  "internationalAddendaCount": 0
  }
 ],
  "metadata": {
    "messages": [
    {
    "code": "099",
    "message": "Search results match the criteria"
    }
  ],
  "page": {
    "pageNumber": 1,
    "pageSize": 10,
    "totalPages": 10,
    "totalRecords": 28,
    "lastPage": true
    }
  }
}

The ACH Detail endpoint retrieves details about an ACH transaction with a single PAR number.

Details returned include transaction IDs, originating parties, receiving parties, return reasons, transaction status, and Nacha SEC data.

curl --location: '{host}/v1/ach/detail/22018007665985'
--header 'Accept: application/json'
--header 'Authorization: Bearer testZcKJDWnwDWmmf9qah6PJvPy8'
                            

{
"parNumber": "22018007665985",
"transactionStatus": "COLLECTED",
"traceNumber": "000000000000000",
"transactionAmount": 10.01,
"settlementDate": "2021-03-08",
"transactionCode": "22",
"transactionCodeDescription": "Automated Deposit",
"transactionDescription": DEPOSIT",
"authorizedCustomerName": "TEST CUSTOMER1",
"standardEntryClassCode": "CCD",
"standardEntryClassDescription": "Cash Concentration or Disbursement",
"receivingAccount": {
  "accountNumber": "123456789012",
  "bankNumber": "0000",
  "routingNumber": "1234567890"
},
"receivingParty": {
  "customerIdentificationNumber": "099999999",
  "companyName": "MERCHANT",
  "customerName": "TEST MERCHANT"
},
"originatingAccount": {
  "accountNumber": "123456789012",
  "bankNumber": "0000",
  "routingNumber": "1234567890"
},
"originatingParty": {
  "customerIdentificationNumber": "1234567",
  "companyName": "COMPANY NAME 1",
  "customerName": "CUSTOMER NAME 1"
},
"returnDate": "2024-02-01",
"returnReasonCode": "R02",
"returnReasonDescription": "Account Closed",
"addendaCount": 1,
"notificationOfChangeAddendaCount": 1,
"internationalAddendaCount": 0,
"customData": "merchant:status",
"checkSerialNumber": "4345",
"transactionDirection": "Receiving Item",
"addenda": [
{
  "sequenceNumber": 1,
  "entryDetailSequenceNumber": "188",
  "paymentRelatedInformation": "Addenda Record (Applies to CCD, CTX, PPD, and WEB entries)"
}
],
"notificationOfChange": [
{
  "changeCode": "C02",
  "changeDescription": "Incorrect transit\/routing number",
  "correctedData": "1234567890"
}
]
}

We all make mistakes. Sometimes we need to pull things back before we can move forward. KeyBank understands and our API Origination API has a few ways to do that.

Does ACH stand for Actual Common Help? It sure doesn’t, but we can answer some questions for you!

Where is my transaction? How can I get more information?

You submitted a request with the ACH Origination API to send or get money. Get the traceNumber or parNumber from the ACH Origination API response and use that identifier with the ACH Inquiry API request to track the status of the ACH transaction (or batch of transactions).

See our information on the ACH Inquiry API to learn more.

I got an error. What went wrong?

Everything went wrong. And you forgot to send that birthday card too!

OK, it’s not that serious. We can’t fix the birthday card situation, but we can help with that API error.

Check out more information in the Errors section of the API documentation for the ACH Origination API or the ACH Inquiry API.

What’s the difference between undo, reversal, and returned?

When you undo a transaction, you stop the ACH processor from receiving the request before the collection window.

For example, let’s say there is a 10-minute window to undo a payment before it is received by the ACH processor. You submit a transaction with the API at 08:15 a.m. EST. You have until 08:25 a.m. EST to undo this transaction before the ACH processor begins to process the transaction.

When you reverse a transaction, you missed the window to undo a request and now need to either submit the file maintenance form for a payment reversal or attempt to reverse it with another transaction. 

When a transaction is returned, it means that something was not right when going through core banking applications for review and settlement. The transaction is returned to the originator without ever being posted.

CCD and PPD seem similar. What is the difference?

PPD transactions are typically from a corporate account to an individual account. Like if you are sending payroll to your employees, you are sending money from a corporate account to a personal account of the employee.

CCD transactions are usually from one commercial or business account to another. It could also be an individual account sending money to a vendor account. One example could be a renter (individual account) sending their rent check to the property management office (business account).

Is there a way to input a value in the request that I recall when using the ACH Inquiry API?

There are two fields available to attached additional information to a transaction.

1. The entry description (companyEntryDescripiton) describes the purpose of the payment as defined by you. This is required for reporting and helps identify any differences between the transactions. This information is visible to the originator and the receiver.

2. Use the custom data (customData) field to append specific information to a payment transaction. This information is only visible to the originator and can be recalled by the originator after a payment is collected.

   The custom data does not transmit with the payment as it is processed. The custom data is safely stored in KeyBank’s database. The traceNumber links the incoming collected or posted payment to the custom data, recalled from the request input.

What is the timing with payments?

ACH transactions are collected/distributed several times throughout the day. KeyBank’s final cutoff time for clients to send us an ACH file is 10:30 p.m. EST. The schedule is as follows:

ACH collection/distribution schedule

1. Collection only, 05:00 a.m. EST
2. Collection and distribution, 06:00 a.m. EST
3. Collection and distribution, 09:30 a.m. EST
4. Collection and distribution, 11:30 a.m. EST
5. Collection and distribution, 01:30 p.m. EST
6. Collection and distribution, 03:30 p.m. EST
7. Collection and distribution, 07:00 p.m. EST
8. Collection and distribution, 09:30 p.m. EST
9. Collection and distribution, 10:30 p.m. EST

Can I do same-day payment?

For an additional fee, you can make same-day payments until approximately 03:00 p.m. EST. Funds are withdrawn the date the payment is processed and delivered by the following business day. The account’s available balance is updated when the payment is processed. The account ledger is updated the day after the payment is sent.

What about future date payments?

You can future date a transaction. The payment transaction is processed as normal and collected, but the payment does not post to the bank until the date specified.

Use effectiveDate in the request to specify when a collected transaction is posted. The effective date can be up to 30 days in the future. Typically, the effective date is set 1-2 days before it is posted. When setting the effective date, consider the schedule for collection windows and supporting processes.

Is there a limit to how many transactions I can send in a single request?

 

The ACH Origination API request is limited to 100 transactions per request for each of KeyBank’s clients. For each of the requests submitted, the clients will receive a message acknowledging either a successful transaction or a transaction error.

Is there a limit to how much money I can send in a same-day transaction?

 

Total same-day ACH payments cannot exceed $100,000 in a single business day.

Are there client requirements I should know about?

There are some required fields to initiate an ACH transaction. After you complete the KeyBank onboarding process, we will assign you values for point and collection application ID parameters that map to a legitimate bank account.

• Point (point) is a short name specific to your company that’s assigned by KeyBank. The point name is nine characters long, but KeyBank limits the assigned name to eight characters. One character is used to match the input data of the request associated with this point value to the shared services payment system before batch processing. The point value is included in the file name and improves security for file transfers.
• Collection application ID (collectionApplicationId) is a sub-level to the point value assigned by KeyBank. Every point requires at least one collection application identifier. The ID must not exceed 9 characters. If you have different settlement accounts, you'll need multiple collection application IDs, each connected to a specific settlement account.

There is another important parameter that is not required, but strongly encouraged. The universal unique identifier (uuid) is a custom value used to identify each transaction created by you. The UUID is required to undo a payment. The ID must not exceed 45 alphanumeric characters. The UUID is only part of the ACH Originate API and is not used to trace a transaction across its lifecycle, meaning it cannot be used as a lookup field in the ACH Inquiry API. The UUID is at the transaction level and provides the status of a specific transaction as Accepted, Waiting for Addenda, Consolidated, or Failed.

How do I send a prenote versus a live transaction?

A prenote (or as my grandfather calls it formerly - the prenotification entry) is a non-monetary entry submitted by an originator to a RDFI before sending a credit or debit entry to the receiver’s account with the RDFI.

A live transaction is a monetary entry submitted by an originator to a RDFI to send a credit or debit to the receiver’s account with the RDFI.

Word soup, right? Basically, a prenote is a notification the tells the RDFI to verify the account information. A live transaction is an actual payment.

In the request, define if the transaction is a prenote (P) or a live (L) transaction with the transactionType field.

• Look at our API reference and specs to get the details about how our API is structured and any API requirements.
  • ACH Origination API
  • ACH Inquiry API
  • Webhooks
• If you want to use our APIs, you need to be an authenticated and authorized user with our developer portal. Check out our Getting Started Guide.