Frequently Asked Questions and Troubleshooting

Question: When is an ACH table really needed?

Answer: In many cases, an ACH table is not needed and you can let the files post as direct deposit and build Transfer Files where possible. For example, rather than build an ACH table for a handful of members, you can set up the members with Transfer File ACH Distributions.

Question: How often should I balance out ACH GLs and what should I do for an out-of-balance situation?

Answer: Balance your ACH GLs every day. For an out-of-balance situation, check the ACH Origination Posting/Exception Activity Report 173 Report to identify any dishonored return(s). If the situation is not resolved, contact Portico Customer Service as soon as possible, on the day the out-of-balance is discovered.

Question: When is the ACH processing cut-off time?

Answer: 5:00pm CST for returns and ACH origination. The credit union can manually post an item from the suspense general ledger at any time; however, if balancing moves have been completed, this will effect return totals. Be sure to process all ACH exceptions before posting the fees online.

Question: When posting my exceptions, I am getting the message “Effective Date Not In Dividend Range.” What does this mean and what do I do?

Answer: This message usually occurs at month-end after back-office processing. Items are being posted against a balance from the previous end-of-month. Change the effective date of the item to the first of the new month and post as normal.

Question: Can I correct a return that was posted in error?

Answer: Yes, but the return will have to be manually set up on the Single Return Item window using the 170 and 178 Reports. An additional resource for ACH payroll items is the 172 Report.

Question: Can I correct a returned item that should be posted?

Answer: Yes. Access the Single Return Item window. Click the Return Code down arrow and select No Return. Then, click Save. The item amount will have to be manually posted to the member account via the Adjustments - Share Withdrawal From General Ledger tab or the Adjustments - Share Deposit to General Ledger tab depending on whether item is debit or credit. These type of corrections will not be reflected on the ACH Exception Items window and the Return Items Summary window.

Question: What is the best way to process an NOC (notification of change)?

Answer: Always process the Notification of Change window after the item is posted or returned.

Prenotes (notification of intent to send a debit/credit item to member account or general ledger, usually a zero dollar amount) that exception with R03 (can not find account number) can be returned using code R03. Then, set up an NOC using code C01 (correct account number.)
Manual NOCs are setup with member number zero using the 170/178 Reports.
Notification of change codes (C01, C02, C03, etc.) require specific data located in specific locations of the correction data field. Host input requires precise field input.

Question: Can I change the default settings for the fees and notices?

Answer: Yes. You'll need to make the changes before clicking the ACH Fee icon to post fees online.

Question: If I do not post my fees online, what happens?

Answer: The fees will post in the back-office cycle as scheduled on the ACH Exception Items window.

Question: I have an exception item on the ACH Exception Items window that is not on my 170 Report. Why?

Answer: This is most likely an ACH payroll item. Check the 263 Report. Payroll exception codes can be numeric codes without an alpha prefix (01, 02, 03, etc.). Exceptions codes are found at the end of the reports.

Question: What is the difference between the 170 and 178 Reports?

Answer: The 170 Report is the member detail report; details for all the members in the batches. The 178 Report is the batch summary. Batch totals are by Federal Reserve file ID in date order. The short reports for each are used to work the exceptions and balance the general ledgers. The short reports are the exceptions and the summary totals for balancing.

Question: Where will I find my daily returns?

Answer: Look for the 174 Report. This report will also reflect any NOCs (notification of change).

Any returns that are rejected will be on the 173 Report. Check this report daily. This report also audits the ACH origination items.

Rejected ACH origination items on the ACH Exception Items window cannot be returned or posted from the ACH Exception Items window.

Question: An ACH returned item was rejected by the Fed or ODFI as "dishonored return" on the 173 Report. What should I do?

Answer: Go to the bottom of the ACH report and read the definition of the reject code.

Untimely returns (R68) may not be accepted depending on the effective date of the item.
Mandatory field errors (R26) and Multiple (R69) errors require field corrections.
Receiving destination institution (RDFI) not a participant (R13) requires a route/transit number correction.
Consult your ACH guide book for codes and corrections. Correction of the returns may require a call to the Federal Reserve Bank for details on why the item was rejected.

Question: Can I return ATM and DBC (debit card) exception items?

Answer: As ATM/DBC items are transmitted through X-Roads rather than the Federal Reserve, these items can not be returned via ACH. They will have to be processed via the ATM/DBC processor single point correction procedures. Notice that the source code for these items is “E” for EIS which represents X-Roads. Whereas normal ACH items have source code “F” for FRB for Federal Reserve Bank.

Question: What happens if I do not complete my run date?

Answer: Portico assumes the run date is complete whether one item or all items are processed, and the run date is purged in back-office cycle that night. If the intent is to keep the run date for the next day, on the Return Items Summary dialog box, click the Retain ACH Items option, then click Save.

Question: My member states that the ACH deposit should have posted to the account today. What happened?

Answer: ACH credits are posted based on the effective date. The member item may be part of a batch that was received too late (after 8:30 PM CST, File ID E) to post. Look at the 171S Report in the Short Reports folder in Nautilus Essentials (available the day following the batch post). Be aware that this is a batch report, listing batch totals by OFI (originating financial institution) and COID (company identification), effective date, and pended reason. This might be a good time to look at ACH Online Posting. You can monitor the batches that have posted online and post any items that have exceptioned during online posting.

Question: Is it possible to see pended ACH items?

Answer: Yes, the Display ACH Pending check box must be selected in the ACH section on the Credit Union Profile - ACH/Payroll tab. The Accumulate Pending check box must be selected on the ACH Processing Rules window.

Question: How do I trace a missing ACH batch?

Answer: If an ACH batch does not post on an expected day and your credit union cannot locate the batch, look for the Federal File ID on the advice slip, the total debit and credit amount for the ACH batch, and call Customer Service. The file ID is in a month\day\file format. For example, the file B for December 5 reads 1205B.

Portico will call the Federal Reserve in order to research the items and find out why your credit union did not receive the batch.

Question: How do I trace a missing ACH item?

Answer: To trace a missing ACH Origination item, complete the following steps:

Check the member’s history for the last posting.
Review the detail of the last posted item on the ACH History Inquiry dialog box.
Determine if there were changes in the OFI, COID, company name, format ID, location, format ID selected, and displacement.
Cross-check the member SSN, 2nd ID, and 3rd ID using the Contact Information tab and the 171 Report.

Question: How do I trace a missing ACH payroll?

Answer: To trace a missing ACH payroll, complete the following steps:

Check the 263 Short Report for posting exceptions.
Verify the Stop Ded field on the Payroll Group Details window and Member Payroll Maintenance dialog box.
Determine if there were changes in the OFI or COID.
Cross-check the member SSN, 2nd ID, and 3rd ID using the Contact Information tab and the 171 Report.

ACH Payroll files do not post throughout the day. If the file is received too late to process in the normal back-office cycle, it will not post until the nightly back-office cycle.

Question: How do I trace a missing ACH return?

Answer: When performing a return using the Single Return Item window and a discrepancy exists:

Federal Reserve Bank sends you a respondent FedACH Advice within five to seven days. The FedACH Advice shows the file ID and debit and credit totals sent to your settlement account.
Compare the FedACH Advice to the ACH System Auto Return Items Report 174 and settlement statement for discrepancies immediately.
If a discrepancy exists, call Customer Service to initiate a trace on the return. You must call within 10 business days of the date the item was originally returned. Have the following information available:

CU routing and transit no.
OFI routing and transit no.(ABA number)
destination company name
dollar amount
effective date
member name
date item was originally received (run date from the 170 Report)

Question: How do I reverse an ACH Item returned in error:

Answer: To reverse an ACH item returned in error on the same day only, complete the following steps:

Access the Single Return Item window.
Click the Return Code down arrow and select blank to prevents the item from being extracted and forwarded to the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank.
Click Save.

Use the Reversals – Same Day Reversals tab to reverse a rejected item that was initially posted.

Check the general ledger accounts for movement from the suspense GL to the ACH settlement GL. If the Single Return Item window, Notification of Change window or Reversals – Same Day Reversals tab is used to reverse a return, notification of change or a posted item, the system does not adjust the summary totals. The general ledger accounts must be adjusted manually.

Question: The sponsor company changed the OFI, COID or Company Name format in the incoming ACH payroll file and the system did not complete the distributions. What should I do?

Answer: When this occurs, you must complete the distributions manually and submit a request to build a new ACH table with updated information.

Question: Husband and wife both work for the same company or both receive benefits from US Treasury and the file is tied to a payroll number. Each person wants their funds distributed differently. What should I do?

Answer: Remove everyone from the payroll table and set up a Transfer File ACH Distribution instead.

Question: The ACH default table has a payroll number. All companies’ payroll post through the same ACH table. What should I do?

Answer: Update the default ACH table to remove any 3-digit payroll number.

ACH Return Helpful Hints:

The following standard entry class codes (SEC) come in with check serial numbers and must be returned with those check serial numbers in the Individual ID field on the Single Return Item window or the item will rejected back the credit union with R26 Mandatory Field Error on the 173 Report:

XCK Destroyed Check Entry
TRC Truncated Entries
POP Point of Sale Entry
RCK Re-Presented Check Entry
ARC Accounts Receivable Entry

Electronic standard entry class code (SEC) items such as WEB Internet Initiated Entry, TEL Telephone Initiated Entry, POP Point of Sale Entry are time sensitive and should be returned as quickly as possible. Also, be careful what return codes are used for these SEC codes as they are sensitive, as well. For example, WEB cannot be returned with code R07. Consult your ACH guide book and their representative for what return code to use.

ACH Balancing Helpful Hints:

Confirm whether that the Adjust ACH GL Account check box is selected in the ACH Returns NOC section on the Credit Union Profile - ACH/Payroll tab.
Check the ACH Processing Options window for the clearing general ledger, suspense general ledger and in-transit general ledger. How this is set up will affect how the balancing moves are made.
Does the credit union process ATM/DBCs via PBF/ACH and if so, are the transaction files extracted into separate files at the end of the 178 Report? These files totals should not be considered part of the FedACH Advice totals. Use the 173, 174 and 178 Reports to assist in balancing.

The following tabs/windows can be helpful in solving ACH problems:

Payroll Group Details window - ACH Payroll
Payroll Posting Summary window - ACH Payroll
Member Payroll Maintenance dialog box - Member Payroll
Contact Information tab - SSN, 2nd ID, and 3rd ID
Account Information - Overview tab - Delinquent loans, holds on accounts, share types, and alternate share types
Shares – Draft Info tab - Share draft ID