ACH transaction delay and release

Purpose

Banks of record and authorized client programs can manually delay any originating ACH withdrawal from a Helix customer account to a verified external account at the bank’s discretion. In addition, once a transaction has been delayed, the bank or authorized program can choose to either void or reinitiate the ACH withdrawal. This feature is usable via Helix Admin Console or the Helix API with integrated programs.

A payment can only be delayed while in initiated status and before the Nacha cutoff time (3:00 PM CT). For a same day payment, the cutoff is 11:00 AM CT.

Activation

Any Helix Admin Console user with bank level permissions can access this feature. However, it is not available to all programs by default, so any program wanting access to this feature requires approval from its bank of record. If access has been approved by the bank of record, the bank must notify the client success manager (CSM) and submit a request to the Helix EAE team via Salesforce for activation.

Delaying a transaction via Helix Admin Console

This feature allows users to manually initiate delays for pending outbound ACH transactions using Helix Admin Console.

To manually delay a transaction:

  1. Log in to Helix Admin Console.

  2. Use the search function to locate the customer.

  3. From the left navigation menu, under Core Services, select Accounts.

  4. Select the customer account.

  5. From the left navigation menu, under Accounts, select Transactions.

  6. Select the transaction to delay.

  7. From the Transaction Details pane on the right, select Delay.

Reinitiating a pending transaction via Helix Admin Console

From the same Transactions screen listed above, users can also reinitiate a delayed outbound ACH transaction. Select the transaction to reinitiate from the list, and from the Transactional Details pane on the right, select Re-Initiate.

Automatic void and reinitiation

ACH transactions will automatically void or reinitiate after a set number of days, determined by the client. To set auto-void and auto-reinitate times, contact Helix support.

Delayed ACH queue

Helix Admin Console also contains a queue of delayed ACH transactions, which displays all delayed transactions and allows users to view and manage them from one view.

This queue is available by selecting Manual Review from the left navigation menu, and then Delayed ACH Queue. From this view, users have the option to either void or reinitiate delayed transactions.

To reinitiate a transaction:

  1. Locate the transaction in the Delayed ACH Queue.

  2. Under the Actions column, select the circular arrows icon.

  3. A confirmation window displays. Select Re-Initiate to confirm.

To void a transaction:

  1. Locate the transaction in the Delayed ACH Queue.

  2. Under the Actions column, select the crossed circle icon.

  3. A confirmation window displays. Select Void to confirm.

Delaying a transaction via the Helix API

In addition to the functionality available in Helix Admin Console, bank-authorized programs can trigger ACH delays and reinitiation through the Helix API in situations where programs do not have access to Helix Admin Console.

For more information, see the Status property under the Transaction section of the Helix API documentation.

Reporting

Users in Helix Admin Console can generate a report containing information for any transaction that was delayed in the Helix API or manually via Helix Admin Console.

To generate a report for a delayed transaction:

  1. Log in to Helix Admin Console.

  2. From the left navigation menu, under Reporting, select Reports.

  3. From the Reports screen, select Delayed Transactions.

  4. The Delayed Transactions Report screen displays.

  5. Select the programs to include in the report by checking the appropriate boxes in the FI Programs dropdown menu.

  6. Set the date range of the report by selecting the Begin Date and End Date.

  7. Select View Report.

  8. The Delayed Transaction Report generates, containing the following fields:

Field Description
Program Name of the program
Customer Id Customer identification number
Customer Name Name of the customer
Account Id Identification number for the customer's account
Original Available Date Date when funds were originally set to be available to the external account
Created Date Date when the transaction was originally created in Helix
Nacha Created Date Date when the transaction was reinitiated, used in the Nacha export file
Delayed Date Date when the delay was initiated
Released Date Settled date if the transaction is in Settled status
Voided Date If the transaction was voided, the date when the void was placed
Transaction Id Unique identification number for the transaction
Transaction Amount Transaction amount in dollars
Status Status of the transaction: Delayed, Voided, Reinitiated, Settled or Pending
Comment Any comments associated with the transaction
Delayed By How the transaction was delayed, either by the Helix API or a specific user in Helix Admin Console
Released By How the transaction was released, either by the Helix API or a specific user in Helix Admin Console
New Settled Date For a reinitiated transaction, date when funds will settle (not applicable if status is Voided)
External Account Id Account number for the external account involved in the transaction