> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.hoopai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# ACH and bank transfers — invoice payments via bank
> Enable ACH Direct Debit and SEPA Direct Debit for invoice payments — ideal for large B2B transactions with lower processing fees.
ACH Direct Debit (US) and SEPA Direct Debit (Eurozone) let your customers pay invoices directly from their bank accounts. These methods typically carry lower processing fees than card payments and are well-suited to large B2B invoices, retainers, and recurring billing arrangements where card fees would otherwise be significant.
ACH and SEPA Direct Debit require **Stripe Connect** to be active on your account. These methods are not available with NMI, Authorize.net, Square, or Adyen. Go to **Payments → Payment Integrations** to connect Stripe if you have not done so already.
***
## What are ACH and SEPA Direct Debit?
Both ACH and SEPA are automated direct debit systems — they pull funds from a customer's bank account with their authorization rather than processing a card charge.
* **ACH (Automated Clearing House)** — the US domestic bank payment network. Supports USD only and requires a US bank account.
* **SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area)** — the Eurozone's equivalent standard. Supports EUR only and requires an IBAN from a participating country.
### ACH vs. card payments
| | ACH / bank transfer | Card (Visa, Mastercard) |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| **Typical merchant fee** | \~0.8% (capped) via Stripe | \~2.9% + \$0.30 |
| **Settlement time** | 3–5 business days | Instant (funds available next business day) |
| **Dispute window** | Up to 60 days after payment | 120 days (varies by card network) |
| **Availability** | US bank accounts only | Global |
| **Customer authentication** | Bank account and routing number | Card number, expiry, CVV |
| **Best for** | Large invoices, B2B billing | Consumer purchases, fast settlement |
### SEPA vs. card payments
| | SEPA Direct Debit | Card (Visa, Mastercard) |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| **Typical merchant fee** | \~0.8% (capped) via Stripe | \~1.5%–2.9% + fixed fee |
| **Settlement time** | 1–3 business days | Next business day |
| **Dispute window** | Up to 8 weeks (56 days) | 120 days |
| **Availability** | Eurozone IBAN holders only | Global |
| **Customer authentication** | IBAN entry + mandate authorization | Card number, expiry, CVV |
| **Best for** | EU B2B invoices, subscriptions | Consumer purchases |
For invoices over \$1,000 USD or €1,000 EUR, bank transfers typically save significant fees compared to card payments. Consider enabling both methods and letting customers choose.
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## Requirements
Before enabling bank transfers, confirm the following:
* **Stripe Connect is active** — go to **Payments → Payment Integrations** and confirm Stripe shows as connected.
* **Live mode is active** — ACH and SEPA are not available in test mode for live transactions.
* **ACH** — your Stripe account must be verified and in good standing to enable ACH.
* **SEPA** — your Stripe account must support EUR and have SEPA mandates enabled in your Stripe dashboard settings.
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## Enabling bank transfers globally
Use global invoice settings to make bank transfers available as an option on all new invoices by default.
Go to **Payments → Payment Settings → Invoice Settings**.
Find the **Payment Methods** section and toggle on **Bank transfers (ACH / SEPA)**. This sets bank transfers as an available payment option on all newly created invoices.
Click **Save**. The setting applies to all invoices created from this point forward. Existing invoices are not affected.
Enabling bank transfers globally does not disable card payments. Customers will see both payment options at checkout unless you specifically configure an invoice to restrict payment methods.
***
## Enabling bank transfers on a specific invoice
You can also enable or disable bank transfers on a per-invoice basis regardless of the global setting.
Go to **Payments → Invoices & Estimates**, then open an existing draft invoice or create a new one.
Scroll down to the **Payment Methods** section within the invoice editor.
Enable the **Bank Transfer** toggle. For US customers, this enables ACH. For EU customers with a Eurozone billing address, this enables SEPA.
If you want to accept bank transfers as the exclusive payment method for this invoice — for example, to avoid card fees on a large invoice — disable all other payment methods and leave only bank transfer enabled.
Click **Save** (for a draft) or **Send** to deliver the invoice to the customer.
***
## What the customer experiences
When a customer opens their invoice payment page with bank transfer enabled:
1. They see a **"Pay by bank"** option alongside any other enabled payment methods.
2. For **ACH**, they enter their US bank routing number and account number, then authorize the direct debit mandate.
3. For **SEPA**, they enter their IBAN and authorize the SEPA mandate.
4. After authorizing, the customer receives a confirmation that the payment is being processed.
5. The invoice status updates to **Payment Processing** while the funds are in transit.
6. Once settled, the invoice status changes to **Paid** and the customer receives a receipt.
The invoice is not marked as fully paid until the bank transfer settles. Do not fulfill orders or services that depend on confirmed payment until the invoice shows **Paid** status — not just **Payment Processing**.
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## Processing timelines
### ACH settlement
ACH payments do not process instantly. The timeline from authorization to funds availability is:
| Stage | Typical duration |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Customer authorizes the debit | Immediate |
| Bank verifies account details | Same day or next business day |
| Funds in transit | 1–3 business days |
| Funds available in your Stripe account | 3–5 business days total |
Bank holidays and weekends extend these timelines. ACH does not process on US federal holidays.
### SEPA settlement
SEPA Direct Debit is faster than ACH for European customers:
| Stage | Typical duration |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Customer authorizes SEPA mandate | Immediate |
| Mandate submission to bank | Next business day |
| Funds in transit | 1–2 business days |
| Funds available in your Stripe account | 1–3 business days total |
***
## Risk and dispute handling
ACH and SEPA carry a higher dispute risk than cards because customers can dispute a direct debit at their bank after the fact.
* **ACH dispute window** — customers can dispute a charge up to **60 days** after the payment date.
* **SEPA dispute window** — customers can dispute a charge up to **8 weeks** (56 days) after the payment date for authorized transactions; up to **13 months** for unauthorized transactions.
Stripe provides **Stripe Radar** fraud protection, which applies to bank transfer transactions processed through your Stripe Connect account. You can review flagged transactions in your Stripe dashboard.
Unlike card disputes, ACH and SEPA disputes often result in an immediate debit from your Stripe balance while the dispute is investigated. Maintain clear documentation of customer authorization (e.g., signed agreements, mandate acceptance records) to support your case in the event of a dispute.
***
## Bank transfers on payment links
Bank transfer methods including iDEAL (Netherlands) and Bancontact (Belgium) are also available on payment links when you are using Stripe and the relevant methods are enabled in your Stripe dashboard.
* **iDEAL** — available for customers in the Netherlands; enables instant bank-to-bank payment via Dutch online banking.
* **Bancontact** — available for customers in Belgium; the most popular payment method in Belgium.
These methods are enabled at the payment link level in **Payments → Payment Links** when you configure the accepted payment methods for the link.
iDEAL and Bancontact require that your Stripe account have these payment methods enabled. Log in to Stripe, go to **Settings → Payment methods**, and activate them before they appear in your HoopAI Platform payment method options.
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## ACH for subscriptions
Customers can save their US bank account for recurring ACH charges on subscriptions and recurring invoices.
* When a customer pays their first subscription charge via ACH, Stripe saves the bank account as a payment method for that customer.
* Subsequent subscription charges are automatically debited from the saved account without the customer needing to re-enter their details.
* If an ACH subscription charge fails (e.g., insufficient funds or closed account), the invoice reverts to **Unpaid** and the system retries according to your subscription retry settings.
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## Frequently asked questions
No. ACH Direct Debit requires Stripe Connect. It is not available with NMI, Authorize.net, Square, Adyen, or manual payment recording. Connect Stripe at **Payments → Payment Integrations** to access ACH.
Yes. Customers can authorize a US bank account for recurring ACH charges. Stripe saves the bank account mandate and uses it for future subscription billing cycles automatically, so the customer only needs to authorize once.
If an ACH payment fails — for example due to insufficient funds, a closed account, or incorrect routing details — Stripe returns a failure notice after 3–5 business days. The invoice reverts from **Payment Processing** back to **Unpaid**. You will receive a notification and can ask the customer to re-attempt payment. There is no automatic retry for ACH failures on one-time invoices; you must resend or have the customer pay again.
Stripe may impose ACH limits depending on your account verification level. Newly connected Stripe accounts typically have lower limits that increase as your account builds a transaction history. Log in to your Stripe dashboard and check your account settings for your current ACH limits. There is no HoopAI Platform-level limit on ACH amounts beyond Stripe's restrictions.
Yes. Enable both payment methods in the **Payment Methods** section of the invoice editor. The customer's payment page will show both options and they can choose whichever they prefer. There is no restriction on offering multiple payment methods simultaneously.
No. SEPA Direct Debit is an automated pull payment — you initiate the debit after the customer authorizes a mandate. Wire transfers (also known as SWIFT transfers) are push payments initiated by the customer from their bank. Wire transfers are not natively supported as a payment method in the HoopAI Platform; you would record them as a manual payment if received.
Yes. ACH is the US domestic payment network and requires a US-based bank account with a US routing number. For customers outside the US, use SEPA (EUR, Eurozone customers) or consider offering card payments, which are globally available.
Yes. In **Payments → Transactions**, use the filter options to filter by payment method type. ACH transactions are labeled as bank transfers and can be filtered and exported separately from card and other payment types.