Disputing ACH Debits: A Step-by-Step Guide

An Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit is a draft from your checking account that you schedule electronically. It is commonly scheduled online or over the phone. If you experience an issue with an ACH debit against your account that you don't recognize or that you dont agree with, you can attempt to dispute it with your bank.

Step 1

Retrieve all details of the ACH debit from your bank statement, including the date it was drafted, the amount of the charge, merchant contact information and the transaction ID if available.

Step 2

Contact your bank to report the ACH debit and ask for a dispute form. The bank can fax or mail you this form. It requires you to agree with certain statements confirming that you did not authorize the debit, that you did authorize the transaction but under different terms, or that you did originally authorize the transaction but decided to revoke it later due to other issues.

Step 3

Confirm your reason for disputing the charge, such as an unauthorized ACH debit (sometimes called eCheck fraud), wrong amount or dissatisfaction with the product or service. You must have a justifiable reason for the dispute and accompanying proof in some cases if you want to come out on top after the bank's investigation is complete.

Step 4

Provide a full description of the occurrences that led to the dispute of this ACH debit. The banks needs this information as a part of its investigation.

Step 5

Sign and submit the form to your bank. You can either fax it back or bring it to your local bank branch. Include your proof, if applicable, such as a copy of the sales confirmation receipt if the amount charged is different. It can take the bank 30 days or more to investigate the matter and credit the account if the bank finds in your favor.

Tip

You must submit a dispute within 60 days but preferably within 24 hours for certain types of disputes, like unauthorized debits.