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ACH is not a real-time, final network. An ACH debit can be returned after it settles: the account holder’s bank sends the money back, sometimes days or weeks later, for reasons like insufficient funds or a claim that the debit wasn’t authorized. Because a linked bank on-ramp delivers crypto against an ACH pull, a return can mean funds you already moved need to be reconciled. This page explains how returns work and how Spritz surfaces them.

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When returns arrive

Returns land within windows set by the ACH rules, which vary by reason:
  • Administrative returns (wrong or closed account, invalid number) usually arrive within about two banking days.
  • Unauthorized returns (the account holder disputes the debit) can arrive up to 60 calendar days after settlement.
Spritz groups returns into three buckets, unauthorized, administrative, and other, so you can treat them differently.

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How Spritz surfaces a return

When a debit is returned:
  • The deposit’s status and debitStatus become returned, and the deposit carries a returnCode and returnReason.
  • The achDebitReturn.created webhook fires, followed by achDebitReturn.updated as details change.
You can also list returns directly:
Each return record ties the return back to its deposit and quantifies your exposure: cryptoStateAtReturn is the key exposure signal: a return before the crypto is released costs you nothing, while a return after fully_confirmed delivery is a realized loss.

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Common return codes

ACH return codes follow the NACHA standard (R01, R02, and so on). The ones you’ll see most: This is a subset. The full set of codes is defined by NACHA, and returnReason carries the human-readable text for whatever code applies.

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Keeping return rates low

The ACH network holds originators to return-rate thresholds (for example, a low cap on unauthorized returns), and exceeding them can put ACH access at risk. To protect that, Spritz runs risk checks before every debit and may block a deposit, returning a 409 at create time before any funds move, rather than risk a costly return. Only debit accounts your user has clearly authorized, and reconcile returns promptly.

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Reconciling

1

Listen for the webhook

Subscribe to achDebitReturn.created and achDebitReturn.updated so you learn about returns as they happen.
2

Assess exposure

Use cryptoStateAtReturn and lossAmountUsd to decide whether the return is a real loss or was caught before delivery.
3

Act

Recover from the user where appropriate, and factor repeated returns into whether you continue to offer ACH debit to that user.