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Overview

The transfer processing time denotes the duration required for a bank transfer to complete. Understanding transfer processing times helps ensure seamless user experience, workflow optimization, and business operations. By managing expectations and designing efficient processes, you can enhance your customer experience and drive business success.

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Bank-to-Bank Transfers

Bank-to-bank transfers at Dwolla involve two steps:
  • Payment In (Debit) - Funds are pulled from the sender’s bank account (source) into the Dwolla Network.
  • Payment Out (Credit) - Funds are pushed into the recipient’s bank account (destination) from the Dwolla Network.
The transfer processing time depends on the transfer speed chosen for both the debit and credit sides of the transfer.

For more information

Reference our Transfer Lifecycle, which explains bank-to-bank transfers in full detail.

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Understanding Transfer Processing Times

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Standard ACH Transfers

Standard ACH is the default processing option for bank transfers, requiring no additional setup or configuration. Any transfer created will automatically follow the standard clearing time. It applies to both ACH payment in (debit) and ACH payment out (credit) transfers. Key Points to Note for Standard ACH Transfers:
  • Export deadline: Approximately 4 p.m. Central Time
  • Transfer processing time:
    • Debit transfers: 3-4 business days
    • Credit transfers: 1-2 business days
  • Processed on business days (processing unavailable on weekends and banking holidays)

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Standard ACH Debit (Payment In)

A Standard ACH debit from a bank to the Dwolla Network processes within 3-4 business days. This extended processing time accounts for ACH returns and processing delays, and checks on common return codes like insufficient funds and invalid bank accounts. If a failure occurs during ACH processing, the transfer will be marked with a return code. For detailed information on ACH return codes and transfer failures, refer to our developer resource article.
Standard ACH Debit Transfer Schedule
All times in Central Time (CT) (*approximate deadlines)
Transfer created betweenTransfer exportedTransfer processed
Friday 4 p.m. to Monday 4 p.m.Monday 4 p.m.Thursday morning
Monday 4 p.m. to Tuesday 4 p.m.Tuesday 4 p.m.Friday morning
Tuesday 4 p.m. to Wednesday 4 p.m.Wednesday 4 p.m.Monday morning
Wednesday 4 p.m. to Thursday 4 p.m.Thursday 4 p.m.Tuesday morning
Thursday 4 p.m. to Friday 4 p.m.Friday 4 p.m.Wednesday morning
*Dwolla cannot guarantee an exact deadline for transmission of ACH files. Please be mindful that these are target cut-off times for transfer processing.

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Standard ACH Credit (Payment Out)

A Standard ACH credit from the Dwolla Network to a bank processes within 1-2 business days.
Standard ACH Credit Transfer Schedule
All times in Central Time (CT) (*approximate deadlines)
Transfer created betweenTransfer exportedTransfer processed
Friday 4 p.m. to Monday 4 p.m.Monday 4 p.m.Tuesday morning
Monday 4 p.m. to Tuesday 4 p.m.Tuesday 4 p.m.Wednesday morning
Tuesday 4 p.m. to Wednesday 4 p.m.Wednesday 4 p.m.Thursday morning
Wednesday 4 p.m. to Thursday 4 p.m.Thursday 4 p.m.Friday morning
Thursday 4 p.m. to Friday 4 p.m.Friday 4 p.m.Monday morning
*Dwolla cannot guarantee an exact deadline for transmission of ACH files. Please be mindful that these are target cut-off times for transfer processing.

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Next Day ACH Transfers

Dwolla offers expedited clearing into the Dwolla Network from a bank account in the form of Next Day ACH. Funds are made available in the Dwolla Network 1-2 business days after a Next Day ACH debit transfer is created. Next Day ACH transfers can be enabled on an account-level basis for you and users that send funds on your application. Once obtaining approval from us, you will gain capability for Next Day ACH transfers into the Dwolla Network. Once activated, Next Day ACH is the default processing speed for all ACH debits unless you specify otherwise using the clearing object. Refer to the example clearing object below to slow down the processing time from Next Day to Standard. Example clearing Object: 
{
  "clearing": {
    "source": "standard"
  }
}
Key Points to Note for Next Day ACH Transfers:
  • Available for debit transfers only
  • Export deadline: 4 p.m. Central Time
  • Transfer processing time:
    • Debit transfers: 1-2 business days
  • Processed on business days (processing unavailable on weekends and banking holidays)
Next Day ACH Debit Transfer Schedule
All times in Central Time (CT) (*approximate deadlines)
Transfer created betweenTransfer exportedTransfer processed
Friday 4 p.m. to Monday 4 p.m.Monday 4 p.m.Tuesday morning
Monday 4 p.m. to Tuesday 4 p.m.Tuesday 4 p.m.Wednesday morning
Tuesday 4 p.m. to Wednesday 4 p.m.Wednesday 4 p.m.Thursday morning
Wednesday 4 p.m. to Thursday 4 p.m.Thursday 4 p.m.Friday morning
Thursday 4 p.m. to Friday 4 p.m.Friday 4 p.m.Monday morning
*Dwolla cannot guarantee an exact deadline for transmission of ACH files. Please be mindful that these are target cut-off times for transfer processing.

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Same Day ACH Transfers

We can enable Same Day ACH transfers on an account-level basis for transfers within your application. With Same Day ACH, you can apply it to the ACH debit, the ACH credit, or both. After receiving approval from Dwolla to enable Same Day ACH for your account, you can create a Same Day debit and/or credit on a per-transfer basis by specifying it in the clearing object of an API transfer request. Transfer processing is expedited with Same Day ACH, but checks for common return codes may experience delays, which could increase the risk of losses incurred from return codes.

For more information on Same Day ACH

Reference our Concept article, which explains Same Day debits and credits in full detail.
What You Need to Know
** Availability:**
  • Transfer Types: Both debit (sending money out) and credit (receiving money) transfers are eligible for Same Day ACH.
  • Financial Institutions: While Dwolla supports Same Day ACH, the actual deadline for submission might vary depending on the bank or credit union.
Timeframes:
  • Export deadlines for Veridian Credit Union:
    • 9 a.m. CT
    • 1 p.m. CT
    • 3 p.m. CT
  • Export deadline for Evolve Bank & Trust:
    • 1 p.m. CT
  • Processing Time: Once a Same Day ACH transfer is submitted before the deadline, it typically takes 0-1 business day to settle, regardless of whether it’s a debit or credit.
Important Note: The $1 million transaction limit is enforced by Nacha, the governing body for ACH transfers.

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Same Day ACH Debit (Payment In)

A Same Day ACH debit from the Dwolla Network to a bank processes within 0-1 business days. To initiate a debit transfer with Same Day ACH processing, you can include the following clearing object in your API request: Example clearing Object: 
{
  "clearing": {
    "source": "next-available"
  }
}
The “next-available” value indicates that the transfer will be exported in the next available Same Day ACH export window. Refer to the table below for a more detailed schedule of Same Day debit transfers.
Same Day ACH Debit Transfer Schedule
All times in Central Time (CT) (*approximate deadlines)
Transfer created betweenTransfer exportedTransfer processed
3 p.m. to 9 a.m.9 a.m.11:30 a.m.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.1 p.m.5 p.m.
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.3 p.m.5 p.m.
*Dwolla cannot guarantee an exact deadline for transmission of ACH files. Please be mindful that these are target cut-off times for transfer processing.

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Same Day ACH Credit (Payment Out)

A Same Day ACH credit allows for expedited processing of funds from the Dwolla Network to a bank account within 0-1 business days. To initiate a credit transfer with Same Day ACH processing, you can include the following clearing object in your API request: Example clearing Object: 
{
  "clearing": {
    "destination": "next-available"
  }
}
The “next-available” value indicates that the transfer will be exported in the next available Same Day ACH export window. Refer to the table below for a more detailed schedule of Same Day credit transfers.
Same Day ACH Credit Transfer Schedule
All times in Central Time (CT) (*approximate deadlines)
Transfer created betweenTransfer exportedTransfer processed
3 p.m. to 9 a.m.9 a.m.11:30 a.m.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.1 p.m.5 p.m.
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.3 p.m.5 p.m.
*Dwolla cannot guarantee an exact deadline for transmission of ACH files. Please be mindful that these are target cut-off times for transfer processing.

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RTP (Real-Time Payments)

RTP is a payment method that allows for near-instantaneous transfer processing. Key Points to Note for RTP Transfers:
  • Available for credit transfers only
  • Export deadline: None
  • Transfer processing time: Funds available within minutes
  • Processed 24/7/365 (business days, weekends and banking holidays)
To initiate a credit transfer with RTP processing, you can include the following processingChannel object in your API request: Example processingChannel Object: 
"processingChannel": {
  "destination": "real-time-payments"
}

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Transfer Processing Timeline Scenarios

This table outlines the expected processing times for different transfer scenarios:
Bank Account to Dwolla Network ClearingDwolla Network to Bank Account ClearingTime to Dwolla Network (Debit)Time to Destination Bank Account (Credit)Total time to processed
StandardStandard3-4 business days1-2 business days4-6 business days
StandardSame Day3-4 business days0-1 business days3-5 business days
StandardRTP3-4 business daysInstant3-4 business days
Next DayStandard1-2 business days1-2 business days2-4 business days
Next DaySame Day1-2 business days0-1 business days1-3 business days
Next DayRTP1-2 business daysInstant1-2 business days
Same DayStandard0-1 business days1-2 business days1-3 business days
Same DaySame Day0-1 business days0-1 business days1-2 business days
Same DayRTP0-1 business daysInstant0-1 business days

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Best Practices and Considerations

Canceling a transfer: Transfers can be canceled up until they are exported out of the Dwolla Network. To help you determine if a transfer is eligible for cancellation, Dwolla will return a cancel link on the transfer resource. Export cut-off: Please note that while there’s a cut-off time for transfer processing, it’s not a strict deadline. In some cases, the export out of the Dwolla Network may experience delays, causing transfers created slightly after the cut-off time to be included in the same batch. As a best practice, we recommend using the cancel link returned on the transfer resource to determine if a transfer is cancellable instead of relying solely on the export timing. ACH return: Next Day ACH and Same Day ACH expedites the transfer processing time; however, checks for common return codes might experience delays which may increase the risk of losses incurred from return codes.