Electronic Funds Transfer – Automated Clearing House (ACH) Credit

The ACH Credit method allows you to transfer funds by instructing your financial institution to debit your account and credit the Department's bank account. This transfer is initiated by you through your financial institution.

Cost

You must pay the fees charged by your financial institution for any set-up costs and for each ACH credit transaction initiated.

Record Format Requirements

In order to report your tax or fee payment correctly, your financial institution must originate your payment using the Cash Concentration or Disbursement plus Tax Payment Addendum (CCD+/TXP) format. This is the standard format that has been adopted for tax and fee payments by the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA). If you register for the ACH credit method, you will be provided with specific record format information including the Department's bank account and transit/routing numbers.

Before you select the ACH credit method, you should check with your financial institution to confirm that they can originate an ACH credit transaction in the required record formats.

How to Report a Payment

Since your financial institution will originate your payment, you should contact them for specific procedures to follow to report a tax or fee payment.

It is strongly recommended that your financial institution conduct a prenote (prenotification) test to validate the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration's routing/transit number and bank account number. This test uses a zero-dollar amount and must be made at least ten days prior to origination of your first EFT payment.

If you are making payments to more than one California state department, please note that each department has its own bank account number and requests different information in the free form area of the TXP addendum record.

When to Report a Payment

For an electronic tax or fee payment to be timely, it must be initiated on or before the tax or fee due date and the funds must settle into the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration's bank account on or before the banking day following the date the transfer is initiated. You must check with your financial institution to determine when you should originate your payment so that it will settle in the Department's bank account on time.

The Department cannot guarantee timely settlement for an ACH credit transaction. If you use the ACH credit method and discover you have reported erroneous information to your financial institution, you must contact them for assistance.

Payment/Transaction Verification

If proof of payment is required, it is your responsibility to work with your financial institution to obtain verification that funds were transferred from your account to the Department's account.