SEC — ACH Standard Entry Class codes
The Standard Entry Class (SEC) code is the three letters in an ACH batch header that say what kind of entry this is: PPD for a consumer payroll or preauthorized debit, CCD for a business payment, CTX when that business payment carries EDI remittance data, WEB for a debit authorized online, TEL over the phone. There are 23 of them, and the choice is not cosmetic — it decides what authorization you must hold and how long the receiver has to return the entry.
SEC (ACH Standard Entry Class codes)
The Standard Entry Class (SEC) code is the three letters in an ACH batch header that say what kind of entry this is: PPD for a consumer payroll or preauthorized debit, CCD for a business payment, CTX when that business payment carries EDI remittance data, WEB for a debit authorized online, TEL over the phone. There are 23 of them, and the choice is not cosmetic — it decides what authorization you must hold and how long the receiver has to return the entry.
Overview
The Standard Entry Class (SEC) code is the three letters in an ACH batch header that say what kind of entry this is: PPD for a consumer payroll or preauthorized debit, CCD for a business payment, CTX when that business payment carries EDI remittance data, WEB for a debit authorized online, TEL over the phone. There are 23 of them, and the choice is not cosmetic — it decides what authorization you must hold and how long the receiver has to return the entry.
When it is used
Read this list when you build or check an ACH file: the SEC code sits at positions 51-53 of the batch header (record 5). It determines the return window — two banking days for an administrative return, but sixty calendar days for a consumer claiming an unauthorized debit under PPD, WEB or TEL, against the opening of the second banking day for a business under CCD or CTX. Six of the codes are non-monetary: they carry no money at all.
There are exactly 23 SEC codes. Two things you will read elsewhere are wrong: that Nacha allows only 13 (a mistaken sentence in a widely-copied article, contradicted by that same article's own table), and that CBR and PBR still exist (they were replaced by IAT). Two official titles are also routinely published wrong: TRC is "Check Truncation Entry", not "Truncated Entry", and ACK is "ACH Payment Acknowledgment". The Nacha Rules book is sold and was not purchased: the list was checked against the appendixes Nacha publishes free, the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury Green Book.
Download JSONConsumer entries (7)
| Code | Meaning | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| PPD | Prearranged Payment and Deposit EntryThe backbone of consumer ACH: payroll direct deposit (credit) and preauthorized recurring debits such as a utility bill. Debits need a written or similarly authenticated authorization. | Both |
| WEB | Internet-Initiated/Mobile EntryConsumer debit authorized through a website or mobile app, plus person-to-person credits. Since March 2022 the Originator must validate the account before the first debit of a series and run commercially reasonable fraud detection. | Both |
| TEL | Telephone-Initiated EntryConsumer debit authorized orally over the phone. Debits only — credits are not allowed. The Originator must record the authorization or send the consumer a written confirmation. | Debit |
| CIE | Customer Initiated EntryA credit the consumer pushes to a business, typically from a bank bill-pay service. The consumer, not the biller, starts it. | Credit |
| MTE | Machine Transfer EntryEntry originating from an ATM. Largely historical: ATM activity now settles over card networks. | Both |
| POS | Point-of-Sale EntryCard-initiated entry at an electronic terminal, non-shared environment. Largely historical. | Both |
| SHR | Shared Network TransactionThe shared-network counterpart of POS. Largely historical. | Both |
Business (corporate) entries (2)
| Code | Meaning | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| CCD | Corporate Credit or Debit EntryThe B2B workhorse: vendor payments and cash concentration between a company's own accounts. An unauthorized return (R29) is due by the opening of the second banking day — not the 60 days a consumer gets. | Both |
| CTX | Corporate Trade ExchangeB2B payment carrying structured EDI remittance data (ANSI ASC X12), so the receiver can reconcile the invoices it pays. Supports up to 9,999 addenda records — this is what CCD cannot do. | Both |
Cheque conversion and collection (7)
| Code | Meaning | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| ARC | Accounts Receivable EntryA cheque received by mail or in a drop box, converted into a one-off ACH debit. Debits only. | Debit |
| BOC | Back Office Conversion EntryA cheque taken in person at the till, then converted to an ACH debit in the back office. Debits only. | Debit |
| POP | Point-of-Purchase EntryA cheque converted at the counter in front of the customer and handed straight back. One-off debits only. | Debit |
| RCK | Re-presented Check EntryA bounced cheque (insufficient or uncollected funds) re-presented electronically instead of on paper. | Debit |
| XCK | Destroyed Check EntryCollection of a cheque that was lost, destroyed or cannot be imaged. Exceptional use. | Debit |
| TRC | Check Truncation EntryA single cheque collected under a truncation programme. Largely superseded by Check 21 image exchange. Note the official title is "Check Truncation Entry" — most published lists get this one wrong. | Debit |
| TRX | Check Truncation Entries ExchangeThe multiple-cheque counterpart of TRC, carrying the truncated items in addenda records. | Debit |
International (1)
| Code | Meaning | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| IAT | International ACH TransactionAny entry where part of the payment chain sits outside US jurisdiction. Its mandatory addenda carry the parties' details so the RDFI can meet OFAC screening obligations. IAT replaced the former CBR and PBR codes, which no longer exist. | Both |
Non-monetary entries (zero dollar — not payments) (6)
| Code | Meaning | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| COR | Notification of Change or Refused Notification of ChangeThe zero-dollar entry that carries a NOC change code (C01…) — the RDFI asking for corrected data, or the ODFI refusing that request. It is not a rejection: the original payment was posted. | — |
| ACK | ACH Payment AcknowledgmentZero-dollar acknowledgment sent by the RDFI confirming it received a CCD credit. Optional, and requires prior agreement between the parties. | — |
| ATX | Financial EDI AcknowledgmentThe CTX counterpart of ACK: a zero-dollar acknowledgment that a CTX credit was received. | — |
| ADV | Automated Accounting AdviceA zero-dollar accounting advice produced by the ACH Operator itself — not by a bank — to give participating institutions machine-readable settlement information. It uses its own record layout. | — |
| DNE | Death Notification EntryA federal agency notifying an RDFI that a benefit recipient has died. Only the federal government may originate it. | — |
| ENR | Automated Enrollment EntryA financial institution enrolling a customer in a federal agency's direct deposit or direct payment programme, on that customer's behalf. | — |