TABLE OF CONTENTS
If you stumble across ACH return code R70, you’re not alone. Return codes can be frustrating and are usually abrupt, due to returned transactions by a customer’s bank. However, as intimidating as they may seem, you can fix them in a jiff.
ACH return codes contain additional details on why a transaction hasn’t been fully completed. Since ACH return codes derive from ACH payments, we can’t go into detail without explaining a word or two about what ACH is. The Automated Clearing House, also known as ACH, connects all financial institutions throughout the United States, electronically. The National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) oversees this system, and as a result, it is responsible for overseeing all ACH transfers.
ACH transfers can take up to a few days to process successfully. Merchants can manage their ACH transfers during this time, meaning that you can stop, reverse or cancel payments when necessary. However, you can only do this if you follow the predetermined ACH reversal rules. While most ACH transfers won’t require you to revert them, there are times when you’ll need to. By understanding these rules, you can prepare yourself for possible ACH reversals within your business. In this article, we’ll discuss ACH return code R70 in detail—its meaning, formal definition, and solution.
What Does ACH Return Code R70 Mean?
To start, we need to understand what the RDFI and ODFI are. RDFIs, or Receiving Depository Financial Institutions, are the institutions that obtain debit or credit entries directly from ACH operators. ODFIs, or Originating Depository Financial Institutions, agree with ACH operators to transfer entries through the network on behalf of their customers. In simple banking terms, it is the financial entity that helps initiate the original transaction. Only after an ODFI gets the authorization, can it credit or debit accounts.
The R70 ACH return code means that the ODFI has received a Return Entry that was identified by the RDFI as “returned” at the request of the ODFI. In this case, however, either the ODFI didn’t agree to accept the entry or it has yet to request the return of the entry. Additionally, this return code is only used to dishonor return entries for return codes R06 and R31.
Formal definition
The formal definition for return code R70 — Permissible Return Entry Not Accepted is as follows:[1]Actum Processing. “Understanding ACH Return Codes”. Accessed March 2, 2023. .
The ODFI has received a return entry identified by the RDFI as being returned with the permission of, or at the request of, the ODFI, but the ODFI has not agreed to accept the entry or has not requested the return of the entry. This code may be used only to dishonor return entries containing return reason codes R06 and R31.
Solutions to Fix R70 Return Code
Return code R70 is not an error that you can resolve on your own. First, get in touch with the RDFI and request to speak to an agent. Inform them of the return and use the information in this guide to explain what happened. Next, the RDFI should be able to dishonor the transaction in question to reverse the return code. Finally, you’re free to process ACH transactions successfully once again!
