Respond to or contest an ACH Direct Debit dispute as a merchant

Per the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) there are only three allowable reasons to dispute an ACH Direct Debit charge as a customer:

  • The transaction was never authorized or the authorization was revoked.

  • The transaction was processed on a date earlier than authorized (any date after is acceptable).

  • The transaction is for an amount different than was authorized.

Unlike credit card disputes, all ACH Direct Debit disputes are final and there is no process to appeal. If a customer successfully disputes a payment, you must work with them directly to resolve the situation.

Additional Information

  • When a customer disputes an ACH Direct Debit payment, it invalidates the mandate associated with the payment method and you can’t reuse it. To attempt charging again, you must resolve the dispute with the customer and collect a new mandate authorization. If they dispute a subsequent payment, Stripe blocks the bank account from further re-use and you must contact Stripe Support for further resolution.
  • In rare situations, Stripe might receive an ACH failure from the bank after a payment has succeeded. If this happens, Stripe creates a dispute. You can read more about this in the documentation for ACH Direct Debits on the Charges API or PaymentIntents API.
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