What Payment Companies in the US must know about the new Nacha Operating Rules from 2026

For American companies processing ACH payments, the 2026 Nacha rules will bring sweeping changes aimed at fraud prevention and stronger security across the ACH network. Businesses must prepare now because compliance will not only protect them from penalties but also give them a competitive edge.

What Are the Existing Nacha Rules

The current Nacha rules are centred on ensuring the ACH network security is improved to prevent fraud and unauthorized transactions. These rules basically cover data protection, customer identity, customer account validation, fraud detection, and the implementation of clear security policies for all ACH network participants. 

This means that all businesses involved in ACH transactions need to have a solid, risk-based fraud detection and monitoring system for different transactions e.g. ACH-supported businesses must have a system that monitors anything that involves creation of a new account number, changes to an existing account number, WEB debits and every micro-entries.

Nacha’s existing framework focuses on safeguarding the ACH network from fraud and unauthorized transactions. These rules cover:

• Data protection and customer identity verification
• Account validation for new and existing accounts
• Fraud detection systems for ACH transactions
• Clear security policies for all network participants
  

Practically, this means ACH-enabled businesses must monitor transactions such as new account creations, changes to account numbers, WEB debits, and Micro-entries

What are the New Rules? What’s changing in 2026

The new Nacha rules build on existing protections, responding to increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes such as business email compromise and vendor impersonation, where fraudsters trick companies into authorizing payments.

The rollout will happen in two phases:

• Phase 1 – March 20, 2026: Large ACH players (originators, TPSPs, TPSs) with 6M+ annual ACH transactions must implement risk-based processes to identify and prevent fraudulent outgoing entries.
• Phase 2 – June 22, 2026: These same requirements will extend to all non-consumer originators, TPSPs, and TPSs, regardless of ACH volume.
  

In addition, Nacha is introducing two standardized company entry descriptions:

• PAYROLL: Mandatory for all wage, salary, and compensation credits
• PURCHASE: Mandatory for all e-commerce purchases
  

This standardization makes it easier for banks and monitoring systems to detect suspicious activity e.g. unverified payroll payments or unusual bursts of e-commerce transactions.

What do these new rules mean for US Businesses and Payment Companies?

If your business sends or receives ACH payments, here’s how you should prepare:

1. Strengthen Fraud Monitoring
   Move beyond passive detection to adopting proactive, risk-based monitoring to catch:
   • Unusual payment sizes
   • Irregular transfers to dormant accounts
   • Multiple similar credits in short bursts
   • Sudden account detail changes
     
2. Update Entry Descriptions
   Ensure your payroll and e-commerce transactions comply with the new PAYROLL and PURCHASE tags.
   
3. Conduct a Risk Assessment
   Every third-party sender (TPS) must assess vulnerabilities and enhance their fraud prevention programs.

The Bigger Picture

The 2026 Nacha rules represent a shift toward a more secure, transparent ACH ecosystem. For businesses, this isn’t just about ticking compliance boxes; it’s about building trust and resilience in payments.

As you scale or enter the U.S. market, partnering with Sendsprint ensures you’re not only compliant but also positioned to thrive in this new era of payments.

Book a demo with Sendsprint today to stay ahead of the curve