An ACH return happens when a bank account payment you accepted is sent back by your customer's bank. The payment may have looked successful at first, but the funds didn't stick, so the returned amount comes back out of your ValPay balance.
📧 The ACH Return Email
When a return comes in, ValPay emails every user on your account, using the email address they log in with. It looks like this:
Subject: Urgent: ACH Return Notification for Your Payments Account (Ref: XXXXX)
Date: 03/11/26 · Amount: 24.42 USD · Card Summary: 5180 · Reference Number: XXXXX · Original Reference: XXXXX · Reason: R01 Insufficient Funds
Field | What it means |
Date | When the return was received |
Amount | The amount of the original payment that was returned |
Card Summary | The last four digits of the customer's bank account (not a card) |
Reference Number | The reference for the return itself |
Original Reference | The reference of the original payment |
Reason | The bank's return code and reason, for example R01 Insufficient Funds |
❓ Common Return Reasons
R01 / R09: not enough funds in the account
R02: the account is closed
R03 / R04: the account number is wrong or can't be found
R07 / R10 / R29: the customer or their bank says the payment wasn't authorized
🧭 Finding ACH Returns in the ValPay Portal
ACH returns appear in the Dispute Center alongside card chargebacks. Look for rows with a Payment Method of ACH and a status of Active. Click a row to see the details, and select Mark As Handled once you've followed up with your customer. For a walkthrough, see ACH Returns in the Dispute Center.
⚠️ What to Do
Contact your customer as soon as possible and let them know the payment didn't go through.
Collect payment again. The simplest option is usually a different payment method, like a card or a different bank account.
Get fresh authorization before you debit their account again. Don't re-run a bank payment without the customer's consent.
Only retry the same account for insufficient funds returns (R01 or R09). For those, ACH rules allow up to two more attempts within 180 days of the original payment. Agree with your customer on when the funds will be there first. Don't retry the same account for other return reasons, like a closed or unauthorized account.
🧠 Good to Know
Returns can arrive days after the original payment looked successful.
ACH returns can't be disputed the way card chargebacks can. The funds are returned and it's up to you to collect again.
Frequent unauthorized returns (R05, R07, R10, R29) can put your ability to accept ACH payments at risk, so make sure you have clear written authorization from every customer.
Questions about a specific return? Contact your support team. That's the team that set up your account or the one you normally contact for help.