What you need to know:
Effective July 1, 2026, in compliance with new requirements enforced by the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA), the University will be implementing updated guidelines for ACH payments. These guidelines are meant to minimize exposure to ACH risk and protect the confidentiality of payee information.
The updated policy applies to all ACH payments issued by the University; however, we want to highlight the specific requirements for ACH payments submitted by departments as Miscellaneous Payments (MPs) in Workday.
What was happening before?
Previously, departments could select the “ACH” payment type on an MP and enter the payee’s bank information without any additional verification.
What's changed?
For all travel and non-travel MPs submitted after July 1 with the “ACH” payment type, departments will need to verify the following directly with the payee before submitting the payment request:
Bank routing (ABA) number
Bank account number
Account type (checking or savings)
Payee name as it appears on the bank account
Acceptable verifications to include as an attachment in the Miscellaneous Payee profile in Workday:
Verbal verification with payee using a previously established or independently sourced phone number
Include an attachment noting the date, time, phone number, and name of the person contacted
Official bank documentation
A voided check
A signed bank-issued letter confirming account details
What this means for you?
Departments will be responsible for performing the verification methods entered above. After verification is performed, documentation must be attached to the payee’s profile in Workday.
Learn more:
You can find more information on the updated NACHA guidelines on the NACHA website.
The full updated University of Washington ACH Policy is in the process of being finalized and will be posted to Banking and Accounting’s website shortly. Once the policy is posted, we will send out a notification.
Questions?
For questions about the updated ACH policy, please contact Banking and Accounting at bankrec@uw.edu.
For questions about what needs to be attached to MPs in Workday, please contact Procurement Customer Service at pcshelp@uw.edu.