1. What is ACH?
ACH lets a family pay straight from their US checking account through Stripe, instead of using a card. The money moves over a few business days. The family pays the exact invoice amount with no added fee.
Your funeral home absorbs a small processing fee: 1% of the transaction, capped at $10. For any order over $1,000, the fee is $10 flat. For context, a $5,000 payment by credit card at 3% costs $150; the same amount by ACH costs $10.
2. How to enable bank account payments
Who can enable this: an Admin on your funeral home account.
Log in.
Go to Settings → Payment Settings.
Check the box labeled "Enable bank account (ACH) payments at checkout."
After you check the box, Stripe activates the ACH capability for your account. This happens quickly in the background, and you don’t need to do anything else. If a family is already active in your online store when you enable this setting, they may not see the Bank Account option right away. However, refreshing the page or revisiting checkout will make it appear automatically.
3. How families pay by bank account
On the invoice link or in the online store, families see a Bank Account tab alongside the card option.
Families log into their bank through Stripe's secure Financial Connections flow. No routing or account numbers are typed manually. If a family's bank is not supported by the instant login, they pay by card instead.
4. Payment statuses
Bank payments do not settle instantly. The case is not marked paid until the money clears. Here is what each status means:
Status | What it means |
Processing | The bank debit is on its way (1 to 4 business days). The case is NOT paid yet. An estimated settlement date is shown. |
Succeeded | The money has settled. The case is now marked paid. |
Failed | The bank rejected the debit before it settled (insufficient funds, closed account, etc.). |
Returned | A payment that had already settled was later reversed by the bank. |
5. What happens if a payment fails or is returned
Before settlement (Failed): Both you and the family receive a notification. The family is told the bank returned the payment and the invoice is unpaid again. You are notified to follow up with the family.
After settlement (Returned): The status changes to Returned. A matching refund is recorded automatically so the case balance re-opens. Both you and the family receive return letters.
6. Refunds
You can refund a bank payment (ACH) right from the case, just like a card payment. The money goes back to the family's bank in about 3 business days.
Before you begin
Check that the payment says Succeeded. If it still says Processing, wait a few days and check again.
Double-check the amount. Bank refunds can't be canceled once you submit them.
Refund a bank payment
Open the case and click the Payments tab.
Find the bank payment marked Succeeded.
Click the dropdown next to that payment and choose Issue online refund.
Enter the amount to refund and a short reason.
Click Submit.
That's it. The case balance updates right away.
Tip: You can refund part of a payment now and the rest later. Just repeat the same steps.
What happens next
You can follow the refund on the payment's timeline:
Refund initiated: the refund is on its way.
Refund issued: the money has reached the family's bank, usually within 3 business days.
Refund failed: the family's bank couldn't accept it. The balance goes back on the case. Contact the family and refund them another way, such as by check. They won't get an automatic email about it.
FAQ
A bank payment is showing as Processing. Is the case paid?
Not yet! Processing means the debit is on its way but the money has not settled. The case is marked paid only when the status changes to Succeeded. This typically takes 1 to 4 business days. You will see an estimated settlement date on the payment record.
What if my family's bank is not on the list?
If Stripe's instant bank login does not support the family's bank, the Bank Account tab will prompt them to choose a different payment method. They can pay by card instead. Manual routing and account number entry is not available.
Does the family pay any fee for using bank account?
No! Your funeral home absorbs the ACH processing fee. Families always pay the exact invoice amount with nothing added.
Can staff use bank account in the Record Payment flow?
No, the bank account option is not available in the staff-facing Record Payment flow. Bank payments require the family to log into their own bank directly, which is only possible through the family-facing checkout.
For questions about how card processing fees work or how fees appear at checkout, see our article on understanding your processing fee.