Stripe ACH Direct Debit Fees

ACH Direct Debit on Stripe — 0.8% capped at $5 in the US. Dramatically cheaper than cards for high-ticket B2B and recurring payments. Settlement times, dispute rules, and when to use it.

At a glance

US rate
0.8% capped at $5
Settlement time
3–5 business days
Dispute window
Up to 60 days (R10/R29 returns)
Best for
B2B vendor payments, high-ticket SaaS, payroll
Worst for
Time-sensitive consumer transactions

ACH Direct Debit on Stripe is 0.8% capped at $5 for US merchants. So a $200 ACH payment costs $1.60; a $1,000 payment costs $5; a $10,000 payment also costs $5. Compare to card processing: a $10,000 card charge costs $290.30. ACH is dramatically cheaper for high-ticket B2B, recurring high-MRR subscriptions, and any non-time-sensitive payment.

Frequently asked questions

Does Stripe support ACH outside the US?
Stripe supports US ACH only. The equivalent in the UK is Bacs Direct Debit (1% capped at £4); in the EU it’s SEPA Direct Debit (€0.35 per transaction); in Australia it’s BECS. See the SEPA and Bacs sub-pages for those.
How does the $5 cap work?
Stripe charges 0.8% on the transaction up to a maximum of $5. So 0.8% × $625 = $5. Any ACH transaction over $625 is effectively rate-capped at $5 — meaning a $5,000 transaction and a $50,000 transaction both cost the same $5 in fees.
How long do ACH payments take to settle?
3–5 business days standard. Stripe also supports "Standard ACH" with same-day settlement on shorter cutoffs (additional fee). For consumer-facing flows where customers expect instant confirmation, ACH adds friction; for B2B where invoices are normally Net-30 anyway, ACH speed is a non-issue.
Do disputes work differently for ACH?
Yes — ACH disputes (called "returns") use NACHA reason codes (R01 insufficient funds, R10 not authorized, R29 corporate not authorized, etc.). Authorization disputes can come up to 60 days later (vs ~120 days for cards), and the customer’s bank typically just pulls the funds back without merchant input. Mitigate by using Plaid for instant verification + collecting clear authorization language.
Can I use ACH for recurring subscriptions?
Yes — Stripe Billing supports ACH as a recurring payment method. Combined with the 0.8%/$5 cap, ACH is significantly cheaper than card for high-MRR subscriptions. The trade-off is that ACH has higher involuntary churn (return rates ~1–2%) compared to cards.

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