Managing transactions
Manage and optimize transactions efficiently with Check's comprehensive payment solutions.
Overview
"Transactions" refers to any movement of money managed by Check. You can view and manage transactions for any company in the “Transactions” tab in Console.
Check manages two primary movements of money:
- Debits: Funds are moved from the Employer to Check. Check uses the following payment methods for Employer debits: ACH, FedWire
- Credits: Funds are moved from Check to the Employee or the tax authority. Check users the following payment methods for Employee credits: ACH, Instant payments (Real Time Payments, and FedNow)
Timing
- ACH debit: posts to Employer bank account between 12:00pm ET and 10:00pm ET on the day of the approval deadline
- ACH credit: Posts to Employee bank account by 9am local time on payday*
- Instant payment credit: Posts to Employee bank account between 7:30am ET and 8:00am ET on payday
*Check transmits all ACH credits to Employee banks by 8:30am ET on payday. Most banks make these funds available immediately. However, some banks may not post funds to Employee bank accounts until later in the day. In these cases, the Employee should contact their bank for more details on posting schedules.
Instant payments
Instant payments are new payment methods in the US and have not been adopted by all banks. Check sends funds via instant payment selectively based on payroll timing and bank adoption.
Most banks accept instant payments without requiring any action from the employee. In some cases, instant payments will fail if the employee doesn't first enable instant payments for their bank account. In the case of an instant payment failure on the morning of payday, Check will immediately retry via same-day ACH (settling by 1pm ET on payday). Employees who encounter this delay should talk to their bank and ensure instant payments are enabled. If Check encounters more than one instant payment failure on an employee bank account, we will revert to only paying that employee via ACH on subsequent payrolls.
Instant payments work like wires, Venmo, or Apple Cash meaning once payment is sent, it is irrevocable and can't be reversed. If an instant payment is sent to an incorrect account, the employee will need to work with their bank to resolve the issue.
Companies and employees cannot opt out of instant payments.
Debits
Debits are submitted for processing on the day of the approval deadline, typically 60 minutes after the payroll is approved. Debits typically post to the Employer bank account between 12:00pm ET and 11:30pm ET on the day of the approval deadline. Debits sometimes fail (see failed funding guide). Check typically receives notification of this failure between 12-72 business hours after processing. This means that some debits initially succeed, are marked as "paid", and are then updated to a "failed" status. This delayed timing is a feature of the ACH network and is out of Check's control.
Debits cannot be canceled, but failed debits can be retried in the Transactions tab in console. See more details on failed debits in our Failed Funding Guide.
Some business bank accounts have "debit blocks" on them for security. In this case, Check needs specific authorization before it can debit funds. To avoid failed fundings (and delays to payroll), companies should whitelist the following ACH company ID:
- 1209306000
Retry debits
- Find the transaction in the Transaction screen in console
- Open the “actions” menu and click “retry payment”. Note that this action is only available to Admin users.
- Select “wire transfer” or “ACH”. Wire transfer is preferable because money settles immediately. ACH takes much longer to settle.
- If you select “wire transfer”
- Check will display wire details on the next screen. You must follow up with the Employer and have them initiate a wire transfer from their bank, using the displayed wire details. Check does not process the wire transfer automatically. Note that wire details can change from transaction to transaction. Always use the wire details displayed on the screen.
- Once you select “wire transfer”, the transaction will move to a “processing” status and Check will monitor incoming wires. If Check detects a wire from the Employer for the matching amount, we will reconcile it against the processing payment, at which point the status will update to “paid”. Wires must be sent for exactly the amount shown to avoid delays in reconciliation. If a wire is not received within 2 weeks, the payment will return to a “failed” status.
- See Funding Payroll via Wire for more details
- If you select “ACH”
- Check will initiate processing to retry the payment. Note that ACH rules only allow Check to retry the Employer debit two times (not including the initial failed debit).
Credits
Credits (for payroll items and contractor payments) are processed by Check on the day before payday.
Cancel credits
ACH credits can be canceled until 1:00pm ET on the day before payday. Instant payment credits can be canceled until 8:00am ET on payday. Once canceled, they can be retried to a new Employee bank account, or refunded to the Employer. To cancel an eligible credit:
- Find the transaction in the Transactions screen in console
- Open the “actions” menu and click “cancel payment”. Note that this action is only available to Admin users.
- Review details and confirm cancelation
- See “Retry employee credits” or “Refund employee credits” in this guide for next steps
Reverse credits
ACH credits can be reversed in the Transactions tab in console up to 5 business days after payday. Instant payment credits cannot be reversed. Employers should communicate directly with the receiving party to arrange return of funds.
Reversing an ACH credit removes the funds from the Employee bank account and cannot be undone. To reverse an eligible credit:
- Find the transaction in the Transactions screen in console
- Open the “actions” menu and click “reverse payment”. Note that this action is only available to Admin users.
- Select a reason for reversal. Note that ACH rules only allow reversals for the specified reasons. Failure to provide accurate justification could result in account suspension.
- When you submit the reversal, Check will initiate processing. First Check will move funds back from the Employee to Check. This can take up to 4 business days. If the reversal is successful, Check will then refund the funds to the Employer.
- Note that you cannot retry a reversal to another bank account. If payment is still owed to the Employee, it must be made manually (via cash or check) after reversal.
Retry credits
A failed or canceled credit can be retried to a new bank account or to the original bank account. Credits can be retried immediately after they fail. To retry a credit:
- Find the transaction in the Transactions screen in console
- Open the “actions” menu and click “retry payment”. Note that this action is only available to Admin users.
- Select from available bank accounts and click “retry payment"
Refund credits
A failed or canceled credit can be refunded to the Employer. This means that Check will not pay the Employee via direct deposit but will instead refund funds back to the Employer. If payment is still owed to the Employee, it must be made manually (via cash or check) after reversal.
Please note that credits associated with ACH-funded payrolls cannot be refunded to the employer until the payroll’s debit transaction is clear of the ACH return window (2 business days after Check has received the payroll funds).
To refund a credit:
- Find the transaction in the Transactions screen in console
- Open the “actions” menu and click “refund payment”. Note that this action is only available to Admin users.
- Review details and confirm
Transaction limits
Three day payroll (3DP) is limited to $1M per payroll. Payrolls over this amount must be funded by wire or approved on an accelerated (2DP or 1DP) schedule.
Transaction statuses
Status | Description |
draft | Transaction has been created but no money movement has been initiated |
pending | Transaction is being prepared for processing |
processing | Transaction has begun processing |
paid | Transaction has completed successfully. Note that paid transactions can still subsequently fail due to ACH returns. |
canceled | Transaction was canceled via Console, API, or by the Check team |
failed | Transaction either failed immediately or was returned after initially succeeding |
refund processing | Transaction is being refunded to the Employer but has not yet succeeded |
refund failed | Refund to the Employer has failed |
refunded | Transaction has been refunded to the Employer |
reversal processing | Reversal from the Employee is processing |
reversal failed | Reversal from the Employee has failed |
reversed | Reversal from the Employee has succeeded. In most cases, a refund will automatically process. |
Last updated on May 31, 2025