US payments · checked 22 October 2026
Sent an ACH payment to the wrong account?
Under the Nacha rules that govern US ACH payments, a business can only reverse a payment for a few specific errors, and only within 5 banking days of settlement. If you paid a fraudster because of fake "new bank details", a reversal may not be the right tool, so act through your bank straight away.
When a reversal is allowed
An originator (the business that sent the payment) may send a reversing entry only for:
- a duplicate payment,
- a payment to the wrong receiver,
- the wrong amount, or
- the wrong date (a debit earlier, or a credit later, than intended),
- plus certain payroll credits after an employee leaves.
The reversal has to reach the receiving bank within 5 banking days after the original payment settled, and must match the original entry's company ID, entry type and amount. A reversal sent for any other reason, or late, is improper; the receiver's bank can return it, and the sender can face Nacha enforcement.
What if I paid a fraudster?
If you were tricked into paying a fake supplier account, the payment went where you told it to, so it isn't clearly a "wrong receiver" error, and in any case the money is often moved out within hours. Don't rely on a reversal alone:
- Call your bank's fraud line now. Ask them to contact the receiving bank to freeze and return the funds, and ask about any reversal or recall options they offer.
- Report it at ic3.gov. The FBI's Recovery Asset Team works with banks on fresh business email compromise cases.
- Tell the real supplier their email may be compromised, and don't pay the next invoice until bank details are verified by phone.
Full checklist: paid a fake invoice? The first 24 hours. Since 2026, Nacha's fraud-monitoring rules also expect banks and businesses to watch for credits sent under false pretenses: what the rule means for you.
Preventing it
- Verify every bank-detail change by calling back on a number you already had. How to verify.
- Hold the first payment to new details until verified, and use two-person approval for changes.
- Clean up old and duplicate supplier records. Vendor master file audit.
Sources: Nacha, Reversals and Enforcement rules (permissible reasons, 5 banking days, format, improper reversals, R11 and R17 returns; effective 30 June 2021). Read 22 October 2026. Ask your bank about its own recall procedures.
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