B2B invoicing
Get invoices paid by ACH or card, right from the invoice
B2B payment processing for invoicing software puts card and ACH bank payments on the invoices your customers send, so their business clients can pay without leaving the invoice. BrainMerchant processes card and ACH payments for software platforms.
Northwind SupplyInvoice #2087
Amount due$4,800.00
- Pay by bankACH from a business checking account
- Pay by cardCredit card
Pay $4,800.00
Card and ACH payments processed by BrainMerchant
How businesses pay
Why business payers keep moving to ACH
Published research from the Cleveland Fed, AFP and Nacha tracks a gradual shift from paper checks to electronic payments between businesses, with ACH now the most used method by number.
ACH now leads B2B payments
ACH is now the most used method for business-to-business payments, counted by number.
- 2015ACH was 25% of B2B payments by number
- 2024ACH was 41% of B2B payments by number
- Checks, 2024Down to 13% of B2B payments by number
Checks are still common
Nearly 90% of businesses still used checks in 2025. A pay-by-bank option on the invoice gives those payers an electronic alternative.
Checks draw the most fraud attempts
In the 2026 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey, 58% of organizations reported check fraud attempts in 2025, more than for any other payment type.
B2B ACH keeps growing
Business-to-business payments on the ACH Network grew almost 10% in 2025, according to the annual figures Nacha published in January 2026.
A record year for ACH
The ACH Network as a whole set records in 2025, Nacha reported: 35.2 billion payments worth $93 trillion.
92%
Wires carry the value
Wires were only 2% of B2B payments by number but 92% by value.
What each method costs a business
AFP’s 2022 medians show how far apart the methods are in cost, and provider pricing varies.
- ACH$0.25–$0.50 per payment, each side
- CheckAbout $1 to send
- Wire$7 per payment, each side
- Credit card2.0–2.5% for the receiving business
ACH rules for businesses
B2B ACH essentials
CCD and CTX payments, the ACH formats for business accounts, follow their own rules. These four points shape ACH payments for invoicing software.
- CCD for business accounts. CCD (Corporate Credit or Debit) is a Standard Entry Class (SEC) code for ACH payments to business accounts, such as vendor payments. A CCD entry carries at most one addenda record.
- CTX for detailed remittance. CTX (Corporate Trade Exchange) carries full remittance data between trading partners, in formats such as ANSI ASC X12. Under the rules, CTX can carry up to 9,999 addenda records; ask us which SEC codes and remittance data your flows need.
- Authorization is a business agreement. Recurring consumer debits need a signed or similarly authenticated authorization, and the consumer gets a copy. A business debit instead rests on an agreement between the two businesses that binds the payer to the Nacha Rules.
- R29 returns within two banking days. When a business says a debit was not authorized, its bank returns it with code R29, Corporate Customer Advises Not Authorized, within two banking days. The 60-day window is for consumer accounts.
Card vs ACH
Card or ACH for invoice payments
In accounts receivable payment processing, some payers reach for a card and others for their bank account. Here is how the two compare for payments between businesses.
| Question | Card | ACH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost benchmark (AFP 2022, business payments) | 2.0–2.5% of the payment for the business receiving a credit card | $0.25–$0.50 per payment for each side |
| Answer at payment | The card issuer approves or declines | No approval step; the entry is sent in a batch and can be returned later |
| Large invoices | The percentage cost grows with the invoice | No Same Day-style cap on standard ACH; Same Day capped at $1 million; provider limits apply |
| Remittance detail | Your software matches each card payment to its invoice | CTX can carry up to 9,999 addenda records of remittance data |
| Dispute exposure | Chargebacks; Visa cardholders can generally dispute for up to 120 days, and up to 540 days in some cases | R29 unauthorized returns, within two banking days for business accounts |
| Best fit | Smaller invoices and payers who prefer to pay by card | Larger and repeat invoices paid from business bank accounts |
Before you design your flows, read up on Same Day ACH limits and windows and how chargebacks and ACH returns differ.
Card fees
Before your customers pass card fees to payers
Some businesses want payers who choose a card to cover its cost. Card network rules and state laws limit how they can do that.
Card network rules
- Visa allows surcharges on credit cards only, capped at the lesser of the merchant discount rate or 3%. The merchant must give its acquirer 30 days’ notice and disclose the surcharge at the point of entry, at the point of sale and on every receipt.
- Debit and prepaid cards cannot be surcharged under Visa rules, even when a debit card is run as credit.
- Mastercard’s cap is currently 4%, limited to the cost of acceptance. That figure comes from secondary sources, so confirm it with your acquirer.
- The pending Visa/Mastercard settlement could change surcharge rules if it is approved. The final approval hearing is set for November 16, 2026.
- Cash discounts are a separate program. Visa allows one only when prices show the card price alone or both prices side by side; a fee added at checkout may be treated as a surcharge.
- Convenience fees have their own Visa rules. The fee must be a flat amount, applies only to a genuine alternative payment channel, is not allowed for a merchant that only takes card-absent payments and cannot be charged on recurring or installment payments.
State laws
- Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and Puerto Rico prohibit surcharges for private merchants.
- Colorado, New York, New Jersey and other states have their own rules. Colorado allows no surcharge on debit or gift cards, New York requires the total card price to be posted, and New Jersey limits a surcharge to actual cost.
This is a general summary, not legal advice. Your customers should confirm the rules with counsel and their provider before they add a card fee.
Questions
Questions about B2B payment processing for invoicing software
Short answers on invoice payments between businesses.
Can businesses pay large invoices by ACH?
Under Nacha rules, yes. Standard ACH has no Same Day-style per-payment cap, while Same Day ACH entries are capped at $1 million ($10 million from September 17, 2027). Providers set their own limits, so tell us your typical and largest invoice sizes.
Can a business dispute an ACH debit like a consumer?
Not on the same clock. Under Nacha rules, a consumer’s bank can return an unauthorized debit for up to 60 calendar days. A business account uses return code R29, Corporate Customer Advises Not Authorized, which has a two-banking-day window. R29 returns still count toward the unauthorized return rate, so a clear agreement with each paying business matters.
What is CTX?
CTX, or Corporate Trade Exchange, is the corporate ACH entry type that carries full remittance data with the payment, in standard formats such as ANSI ASC X12 or UN/EDIFACT. A CTX payment can carry up to 9,999 addenda records under the rules, so tell us which SEC codes and remittance data your flows need.
Can business clients pay invoices by card too?
Card payments follow the card network rules, and the percentage cost grows with the invoice. BrainMerchant processes card and ACH payments for software platforms, so your software can offer both. Our page on credit card processing for platforms explains how card payments fit into your software.
Talk to BrainMerchant
Add bank and card payment to every invoice your customers send
With both options on the invoice, a payer can review the bill and pay it in one place, with no check to write or mail. Tell us how your customers invoice today, and we’ll walk you through adding card and ACH processing with BrainMerchant.