A Guide to 

Federal Government

ACH Payments

On-Line
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments
Table of content Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments II

Introduction

Welcome to the Green Book — a comprehensive guide for financial institutions that receive 

ACH payments from the federal government.

Today, most federal payments are made via the Automated Clearing House (ACH). With 

very few exceptions, federal government ACH transactions continue to be subject to the 

same rules as private industry ACH payments. As a result, the Green Book continues to get

smaller in size and is designed to deal primarily with exceptions or issues unique to federal 

government operations.

Federal agency contact information is included, and since so much information is available 

via the Internet, website addresses are included where appropriate. The Green Book 

continues to be available on the Internet and chapters can be printed as Portable Display 

Format (PDF) documents. We no longer print and mail hard copies. So, we encourage you 

to visit the website for updates and news relevant to federal government ACH transactions.

Title 31 CFR part 210 provides the basis for most of the information contained in the Green 

Book. However, there are other regulations that impact federal government ACH payments. 

The following table summarizes the relevant regulations:

Regulation Governs

31 CFR part 210 Federal Government Participation in the Automated Clearing House

31 CFR part 208 Management of Federal Agency Disbursements

31 CFR part 370 Electronic Transactions and Funds Transfers Relating to United 

States Securities

We still occasionally get asked, “Why green?” It is simple. The first publication issued in 

1975 dealing with the Direct Deposit of federal government payments, when the

ACH network was in its infancy, had a green cover. More than 45 years later, the world of 

federal government payments has changed, but the Green Book is still green! We hope you 

incorporate the Green Book into your daily operations and visit us frequently.

Department of the Treasury 

Bureau of the Fiscal Service 

January 2021
Table of Contents Green Book

III A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Table of Contents

Chapters Revised on

1. Enrollment January 2023

2. ACH Payment Processing January 2023

3. Non-Receipt Claims January 2023

4. Returns January 2023

5. Reclamations January 2023

6. Notification of Change January 2023

7. Contacts January 2023

8. Glossary January 2023

9. Forms January 2023

Online Book Location:

https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsreports/ref/greenBook/greenbook_home.htm
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-1

Enrollment for 

Federal Payments

Overview

In this chapter...

A: Automated Enrollment (ENR)............................................................................................................... 1-4

Go Direct Online Enrollment Option for Financial Institutions................................................................ 1-4

Social Security Administration (SSA) Payment Cycling .............................................................................. 1-4

B: Simplified Enrollment............................................................................................................................. 1-5

Telephone Enrollment.............................................................................................................................................. 1-5

Paper Form Enrollment........................................................................................................................................... 1-5

Enrollment Methods for Specific Payments..................................................................................................... 1-5

1

Financial institutions can play a key role in assisting recipients of federal payments to enroll in 

Direct Deposit with their paying agency. This chapter is a guide to the various enrollment methods 

available for both consumer and corporate recipients.

There are several enrollment options:

1. Enroll customers in lobby, batch and submit ENR enrollments through ACH from the financial

institution.

2. Financial institution can enroll on the Go Direct® website to enter enrollments for customers.

3. Financial institution can call the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center (EPSC) at

1-800-333-1795 for immediate enrollment of customers.

4. Enrollment using Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service) Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form FS

Form 1200 for Social Security benefits or disability payments, Supplemental Security Income

payments, Railroad Retirement Board annuities, and Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Civil Service annuities and Direct Deposit Sign Up Form FS Form 1199A for other federal

payments, or the ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form SF 3881 for corporate

vendor payments.

Errors in the Direct Deposit enrollment process are the primary cause of misdirected payments. 

Financial institutions will be held liable for providing incorrect enrollment information and should, 

therefore, carefully review all Direct Deposit enrollment procedures.
1-2 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

1. Enrollment Green Book

Allotments, Federal Salary, and Federal Employment Related Payments........................................... 1-7

When Should Direct Deposit Begin Once It Has Been Initiated? ............................................................. 1-8

IRS Tax Refunds .......................................................................................................................................................... 1-8

Railroad Retirement Board..................................................................................................................................... 1-9

Social Security Administration.............................................................................................................................. 1-9

Office of Personnel Management ......................................................................................................................... 1-9

TreasuryDirect(Bureau of the Fiscal Service)..............................................................................................1-10

Simplified Enrollment for Series H/HH Savings Bond Interest Payments (Bureau of the Fiscal

Service).........................................................................................................................................................................1-10

Department of Veterans Affairs Direct Deposit............................................................................................1-10

C: Paper Enrollment Methods................................................................................................................. 1-11

Fiscal Service Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (FS Form 1200).................................................................1-11

Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (FS Form 1200)..............................................................................................1-11

How to Complete the FS Form 1200.................................................................................................................1-11

Federal Benefit Recipient Information ............................................................................................................1-12

Bank or Credit Union Information.....................................................................................................................1-12

Type of Payment.......................................................................................................................................................1-12

SSA – Single Payee Example.................................................................................................................................1-14

SSA– Representative Payee Example................................................................................................................1-15

D: Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (FS Form 1199A) .......................................................................... 1-16

How to Complete the FS Form 1199A..............................................................................................................1-16

Section 1- To be completed by the payee........................................................................................................1-16

Name of the Person(s) Entitled to Payment (Box B)..................................................................................... 1-16

Claim or Payroll ID Number (Box C).................................................................................................................... 1-16

Claim/Payroll ID Table............................................................................................................................................... 1-17

Depositor Account Number (Box E)...................................................................................................................... 1-17

Type of Payment (Box F)............................................................................................................................................ 1-18

Payee/Joint Payee Certification (Box F)............................................................................................................. 1-18

Joint Account Holders’ Certification (Optional)............................................................................................... 1-18

When Using Witnesses................................................................................................................................................ 1-18

Power-of-Attorney ........................................................................................................................................................ 1-18

Section 2 - To Be Completed by the Payee or the Financial Institution..............................................1-18

Section 3 - To Be Completed by the Financial Institution ........................................................................1-19

What Actions Should Take Place Before Filing the FS Form 1199A?...................................................1-19

Important Information for New Direct Deposit Recipients .....................................................................1-19

How Are Forms Distributed? ...............................................................................................................................1-20

What to do if Direct Deposit does not begin..................................................................................................1-20

FS Form 1199A Example.......................................................................................................................................1-21

E: Federal Financial EDI (FEDI) Payments/Vendor Payments.................................................... 1-22

Overview......................................................................................................................................................................1-22

Delivery of Remittance (Addenda)Information ..........................................................................................1-22
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-3

Green Book 1. Enrollment

Enrollment.................................................................................................................................................................. 1-22

Enrollment Checklist............................................................................................................................................... 1-23

How to Complete the SF 3881............................................................................................................................. 1-23

Agency Information...................................................................................................................................................... 1-23

Payee/Company Information .................................................................................................................................. 1-23

Financial Institution Information.......................................................................................................................... 1-23

Form Distribution ......................................................................................................................................................... 1-24

Pointers for Completing the SF 3881 Form ................................................................................................... 1-24

F: Enrollment Guidance ............................................................................................................................. 1-24

ENR (Automated Enrollment) Entry Detail Record.................................................................................... 1-27

ENR Addenda Record.............................................................................................................................................. 1-27

Representative Payee ............................................................................................................................................. 1-28

Return Reason Codes .............................................................................................................................................. 1-28

ENR Tips and Information Checklist................................................................................................................. 1-29

General Questions/Information:............................................................................................................................. 1-29

Benefit Recipient Information................................................................................................................................. 1-29

Information Needed for Direct Deposit Enrollment...................................................................................... 1-30

Helpful Numbers and Websites............................................................................................................................... 1-30

Federal Agency Addresses and Phone Numbers.......................................................................................... 1-31

G: Termination of Enrollment ................................................................................................................. 1-36

Termination by the Recipient.............................................................................................................................. 1-36

Courtesy Notice......................................................................................................................................................... 1-36

Termination by the Financial Institution........................................................................................................ 1-37

Recipient Notice to the Federal Agency........................................................................................................... 1-37
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-4

A: Automated Enrollment (ENR)

ENR is a convenient method for financial institutions to use the ACH network to transmit Direct 

Deposit enrollment information to federal agencies for benefit payments. An ENR entry is a nonmonetary entry sent through the ACH by any Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) to a 

federal government benefit agency participating in the ENR program.

ENR is the enrollment method preferred by participating federal benefit agencies. The ENR reduces 

errors in the enrollment process and may expedite delivery of Direct Deposit payments as 

compared to paper enrollment methods.

An ENR should be used when the recipient is requesting to initiate direct deposit for their federal 

benefits. This may include, but is not limited to a first-time sign-up for Direct Deposit, a change to 

an existing Direct Deposit enrollment (e.g. new bank account number) with the current financial 

institution, or a change from one financial institution to another new financial institution.

Enrollments received and accepted by the paying agency at least 10 business days prior to the 

benefit recipient’s next scheduled payment date will generally allow the recipient’s next month’s 

payment by Direct Deposit.

To change financial institution data for an existing Direct Deposit enrollment within a financial 

institution where an authorization exists, a Standard Entry Code (COR) entry, commonly known as 

a Notification of Change (NOC), may be used. (Refer to Chapter 6 for more information on NOCs.)

Go Direct Online Enrollment Option for Financial Institutions

In addition to the Automated ENR option, financial Institutions can also choose to take advantage of 

enrollment via the Go Direct website. The Go Direct campaign was a national marketing and public 

education campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service 

and the Federal Reserve System that increased the use of Direct Deposit for federal benefit check 

recipients. Although the Go Direct campaign has officially concluded, financial institutions can 

continue to utilize the enrollment website. Please review the Go Direct Reference Guide for

Financial Institutions and Corporations for more details.

Enrollments submitted through the Go Direct enrollment site will be validated and submitted to the 

respective paying agencies by the Electronic Payment Solutions Center (EPSC). The U.S. Treasury 

EPSC is operated in a secure Federal Reserve site. Financial Institution customers whose 

enrollments cannot be verified or processed will be contacted by the U.S. Treasury Electronic 

Payment Solutions Center via letter delivered by USPS.

All reject or return item processing for these items is handled by the Operations and Research 

Division of the EPSC. Financial institutions electing to submit enrollments electronically through Go 

Direct are relieved of the obligation of processing ENR return items.

Social Security Administration (SSA) Payment Cycling

The payment date for newly enrolled Social Security beneficiaries is either the second, third, or 

fourth Wednesday of the month. These additional payment days alleviate the workload peaks for 

SSA, Fiscal Service, and financial and business communities.
Green Book 1. Enrollment

1-5 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

However, in instances where the beneficiary receives both Social Security benefit or disability 

payments and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, the payments are issued on the 

standard 1st and 3rd schedule.

B: Simplified Enrollment

There are a variety of ways for federal payment recipients to enroll for Direct Deposit without 

visiting a financial institution.

Telephone Enrollment

Federal benefit recipients can be enrolled by calling the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution 

Center at 1-800-333-1795, by visiting the Go Direct website, or by completing Fiscal Service Direct 

Deposit Sign-Up Form FS Form 1200. The U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center hours 

of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), Monday through Friday, excluding federal 

holidays.

Financial institution representatives can also assist their recipients who wish to enroll by phone. 

However, when doing so, the benefit recipient - or their representative - must be present when the 

phone call is made. U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solutions Center personnel will ask to speak 

to the recipient or their representative and obtain approval for the 3rd party banking 

representative to provide their enrollment information. Financial institutions that elect to capture 

enrollment information on paper or through other means and process after hours or in a backoffice environment may not use U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solutions Center telephone 

enrollment on behalf of their customer.

Paper Form Enrollment

Recipients who elect to complete Fiscal Service paper Form FS 1200 should complete it on their 

own or with the assistance of a financial Institution representative for the Routing Transit Numbers 

(RTN) and account number and mail to:

U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center

P.O. Box 650527

Dallas, Texas 75265-0527

The table below shows the Simplified Enrollment procedures for specific payment types.

Enrollment Methods for Specific Payments

Payment Type Recipient

Allotments 

Federal Salary

Federal EmploymentRelated Payments (i.e., 

Travel Reimbursement, 

Uniform Allowance, etc.)

Completes an approved form at their federal agency personnel 

office (e.g., FS Form 2231, FastStart Direct Deposit). Some federal 

employees are able to make changes to Direct Deposit information 

via telephone using Employee Express. 

Recipients should contact their servicing personnel office for more 

information.
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-6

Payment Type Recipient

IRS Tax Refunds Completes the financial institution information section of the IRS 

Form 1040 during tax preparation.

For paper filing completes a U.S. Individual Income Tax 

Declaration (IRS Form 8453). For electronic filing via IRS e-file 

completes an 8453-OL.

Recipients should contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or visit 

www.irs.gov for more details.

Office of Personnel 

Management(OPM)

Form

Note: OPM does not allow 

ENR enrollments for 

representative payees.

Financial institutions can enroll their customers or recipients can 

enroll individually by calling the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment 

Solution Center at 1-800- 333-1795 (English) / 1-800-333-1792 

(Spanish), by visiting www.GoDirect.gov, or by completing FS 

Form 1200. The U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center 

hours of operation are 8:00 am - 8:00 pm ET, Monday through 

Friday, excluding federal holidays.

Additionally, Financial Institutions and/or recipients can call OPM 

at 1-888-767-6738 or 202-606-0500 in the Washington, DC area 

or visit www.opm.gov/retire for details.

Railroad Retirement Board 

(RRB)

Financial institutions can enroll their customers and/or recipients 

can enroll individually by calling 1-800- 333-1795 (English)/ 1- 

800-333-1792 (Spanish), or by visiting www.GoDirect.gov,

completing FS Form 1200. The U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment

Solution Center hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET,

Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.

Additionally, financial institutions and/or recipients can contact 

RRB’s toll-free telephone number at 1-877-772-5772. 

Social Security (SSA) and 

Supplemental Security 

Income (SSI)

Financial institutions can enroll their customers and/or recipients 

can enroll individually by calling the U.S. Treasury Electronic 

Payment Solution Center at 1-800- 333-1795 (English)/ 1-800- 

333-1792 (Spanish), by visiting www.GoDirect.gov, or by

completing FS Form 1200. The U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment

Solution Center hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET,

Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.

Additionally, financial institutions and/or recipients can enroll by 

contacting the SSA at 1-800-SSA-1213 (1-800-772-1213).
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1-7 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Payment Type Recipient

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

TreasuryDirect

Recipient is automatically enrolled in the TreasuryDirect account 

for purchasing Treasury bills, notes, and bonds. Investors use 

Form PD F 5182, New Account Request, to establish a 

TreasuryDirect account and to provide Direct Deposit information. 

Investors use Form PD F 5178, Transaction Request, to change 

Direct Deposit information.

Recipients should contact a designated TreasuryDirect Servicing 

Office or visit www.treasurydirect.gov for forms and other 

information.

Vendor/Misc. The ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form (SF 

3881) is an optional three-part form that federal agencies may use 

to enroll their vendors in the Financial Electronic Data 

Interchange (FEDI) program.

Recipients should contact the federal agency they are providing 

goods or services to for more information.

Veterans Compensation and 

Pension

Note: VA does not allow ENR 

enrollments for 

representative payees.

Financial institutions can enroll their customers and/or recipients 

can enroll individually by calling 1-800- 333-1795 (English)/ 1- 

800-333-1792 (Spanish), or by visiting www.GoDirect.gov, or by

completing FS Form 1200. The U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment

Solution Center hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET,

Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.

Recipients can also contact the VA National Direct Deposit EFT 

line at 1-800-827-1000 or visit www.benefits.va.gov/benefits for 

further details.

Veterans Education

Note: VA does not allow ENR 

enrollments for 

representative payees.

Enrolls at the same time recipient applies for benefits at the VA or 

at any time after recipient begins receiving benefits. Recipients 

already receiving benefits should contact the VA Education Direct 

Deposit EFT line at 1-888-442-4551. 

Veterans Life Insurance

Note: VA does not allow ENR 

enrollments for 

representative payees.

Enrolls at the same time recipient applies for benefits at the VA or 

at any time after recipient begins receiving benefits.

Recipients should contact the VA Insurance office at 1-800-669- 

8477 or visit www.insurance.va.gov for further details.

Allotments, Federal Salary, and Federal Employment Related Payments

Current federal employees can complete an approved form at their agency personnel office, or 

servicing pay office. This form may be a FS Form 1199A (Direct Deposit Sign Up), a FS Form 2231 

(FastStart Direct Deposit Sign Up), or a similar form used by the employee’s agency. The Direct 

Deposit payments may be for federal salaries, allotments, or for employment related payments for 

travel reimbursement or uniform allowance.
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-8

When Should Direct Deposit Begin Once It Has Been Initiated?

Use the table below to determine when Direct Deposit should begin once the enrollment form is 

forwarded to the federal agency.

IF the payment type is... THEN Direct Deposit should begin within...

Federal salary 

Military civilian pay

Military active duty Allotments

2-3 pay periods

Military retirement/annuity 60-90 days

Details of Each Payment Type

IRS Tax Refunds

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers the Direct Deposit of IRS Form 1040 tax refunds for both 

paper and electronically filed returns.

For IRS Form 1040 paper returns, taxpayers receiving refunds and electing Direct Deposit simply 

complete the financial institution information section of the form and mail the form to the IRS.

For electronically filed returns using an authorized IRS e-file provider, the taxpayer will complete a 

U.S. Individual Income Tax Declaration for Electronic Filing (IRS Form 8453) for refunds by Direct 

Deposit. This form authorizes the tax preparer to transmit the return and allows the choice of 

having the refund deposited into a checking or savings account.

Taxpayers preparing returns on a personal computer using commercial tax preparation software or 

the IRS Free Online Filing and transmitting the information via the internet to the IRS complete 

Form 8453-OL, U.S. Individual Income Tax Declaration for On-Line Filing. This form allows the 

taxpayer to choose Direct Deposit for the refund. The financial institution will not receive copies of 

these forms.

The financial institution should be aware of the following:

1. Enrollment in Direct Deposit for an income tax refund is not a permanent election by the

taxpayer. Taxpayers must elect Direct Deposit each filing year.

2. Payments must be returned when they cannot be properly posted by the financial institution.

NOCs cannot be used to correct any information. In the instance where a Direct Deposit IRS tax

refund is unpostable and returned, taxpayers will receive a check in place of a Direct Deposit

payment.

3. The financial institution’s responsibility is to post the Direct Deposit payment to the account

indicated on the ACH record. If the funds are posted to a valid account that turns out to be

incorrect, the financial institution is not liable to the government for the return of the funds. If the

taxpayer or the taxpayer’s agent gave the incorrect account information, neither Fiscal Service

nor the IRS will assist the taxpayer with recovering the funds. The taxpayer is free to pursue civil

action. If, however, the IRS made the error, it will make the taxpayer whole.

For further information, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040; contact the local IRS District Office, or 

visit www.irs.gov.
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1-9 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

For IRS tax refund status, the recipient should go to www.irs.gov and select “Get Your Refund 

Status.”

Railroad Retirement Board

Financial institutions can enroll their customers and/or recipients can enroll individually by:

1. Calling the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center at 1-800-333-1795 (English)/1-

800-333-1792 (Spanish), or by visiting the Go Direct website, or by completing FS Form 1200.

The call center hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday,

excluding federal holidays, or

2. Calling the Railroad Retirement Board at 1-877-772-5772, or

3. Sending a written request to enroll in Direct Deposit to the local Railroad Retirement Board

field office. The letter should include the recipient’s name and the following:

A: Account Number,

B: Account type (checking or savings), and 

C: RTN of the financial institution.

Social Security Administration

Financial institutions can enroll their customers and/or recipients can enroll individually by calling 

the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center at 1-800- 333-1795 (English)/ 1-800-333- 

1792 (Spanish), or by visiting the Go Direct website, or by completing FS Form 1200. The U.S. 

Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET, 

Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.

The financial institution may make the call on behalf of the recipient and may provide the 

enrollment information; however, SSA will request to speak to the recipient to verify their identity.

Recipients who already are receiving Social Security and SSI benefits by check may also enroll in 

Direct Deposit by calling 1-800-SSA-1213 (1-800-772-1213).

SSA’s toll-free telephone service is available from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. 

Due to the high volume of calls, the best times to telephone are in the early morning and during the 

latter parts of the week and month.

Office of Personnel Management

Financial institutions can enroll their customers or recipients can enroll individually by calling the

U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center at 1-800- 333-1795 (English)/ 1-800-333-1792 

(Spanish), by visiting the Go Direct website, or by completing FS Form 1200. The U.S. Treasury 

Electronic Payment Solution Center hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday

through Friday, excluding federal holidays.

Additionally, new retirees, annuitants, and survivor annuitants may enroll in Direct Deposit by 

calling the toll-free customer service number at 1-888-767-6378. Those in the Washington, DC 

area are encouraged to call 202-606-0500. Recipients may also visit www.opm.gov/retire for 

instructions on how to change their payment address on-line.

Note: The Office of Personnel Management does not allow ENR enrollmentsfor representative payees.
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-10

TreasuryDirect (Bureau of the Fiscal Service)

TreasuryDirect is a book-entry securities system in which investors’ accounts of book-entry 

Treasury marketable securities are maintained. TreasuryDirect is designed for investors who 

purchase Treasury securities and intend to hold them until maturity. Investors can establish a 

TreasuryDirect account and hold all their bills, notes, and bonds in one TreasuryDirect account 

showing the same ownership for all their securities, or they can establish multiple accounts 

reflecting different ownership. Investors will receive a TreasuryDirect Statement of Account when 

they open a new account, when changes are made to the account, upon request, or if they have not 

received one during the calendar year.

TreasuryDirect principal and interest payments are made electronically by Direct Deposit to a 

checking or savings account at a financial institution designated by the investor. When establishing 

a TreasuryDirect account, investors will complete Form PDF 5182, New Account Request, and will 

include Direct Deposit information. Investors are not required to fill out an FS Form 1199A. 

Investors can also establish an account when they complete Form PDF 5381, Treasury Bill, Note & 

Bond Tender to purchase a security. Investors use Form PDF 5178, Transaction Request, to change 

Direct Deposit information for the TreasuryDirect account. Financial institutions may be asked by 

customers to furnish the account number, routing transit number, account type, and/or the 

financial institution’s name. The investor should contact a designated TreasuryDirect Servicing 

Office or visit the TreasuryDirect website for forms and other information.

Simplified Enrollment for Series H/HH Savings Bond Interest Payments 

(Bureau of the Fiscal Service)

Series H/HH savings bonds are current income securities that pay interest semiannually. Interest 

on bonds issued since October 1989 to the present must be paid by Direct Deposit. Unless a 

recipient claims that it will cause a hardship, interest on bonds issued prior to October 1989 must 

also be paid by Direct Deposit.

To enroll in Direct Deposit or to change their enrollment, recipients may:

1. Download PDF 5396 from the TreasuryDirect website, complete and mail the form as instructed,

or

Send a letter to the Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. The 

letter should include the following:

A. Recipient’s name,

B. Social Security number,

C. Account number,

D. Account type (checking or savings), and

E. RTN number of the financial institution.

Department of Veterans Affairs Direct Deposit

Veterans Compensation and Pension, and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment recipients 

already receiving benefits may enroll in Direct Deposit by calling 1-800-827-1000. Compensation
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1-11 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

and Pension Beneficiaries may also enroll in Direct Deposit through VA’s eBenefits self-service 

portal (www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits).

VA Education recipients already receiving benefits may enroll in Direct Deposit by calling 1-888- 

442-4551.

New VA benefits recipients should provide Direct Deposit information at the time of application.

Recipients of VA benefits may also enroll by submitting VA Form 24-0296 (Direct Deposit 

Enrollment) and mailing it to the Station of Jurisdiction over the claim. To locate the Station of 

Jurisdiction over the claim, visit http://www.benefits.va.gov/benefits/offices.asp.

Veterans Life Insurance recipients may enroll in Direct Deposit by calling 1-800-669-8477. A 

Direct Deposit enrollment form and further details are also available by visiting 

www.insurance.va.gov or by writing to:

VAROIC – DD

P.O. Box 7208

Philadelphia, PA 19101-7208

New recipients should provide Direct Deposit information at the time of application.

Note: The Department of Veterans Affairs does not allow ENR enrollmentsfor representative payees.

C: Paper Enrollment Methods

Fiscal Service Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (FS Form 1200)

The table below identifies those agencies and payment types where the FS Form 1200 is the proper 

form to use, in situations when a paper enrollment is needed:

Agency I Payment Type Recipient

Social Security Administration and

• Social Security

• Supplemental Security Income Recipients should complete Fiscal Service FS Form 

1200. Send completed form to:

U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center

P.O. Box 650527

Dallas, TX 75265-0527

Office of Personnel Management and

• Annuity

• Retirement Annuity or Survivor Annuity

Railroad Retirement Board and

• Railroad Retirement Annuity Benefit

• Railroad Retirement

Unemployment/Sickness

Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (FS Form 1200)

The Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (FS Form 1200) is available in Chapter 9, Forms.

How to Complete the FS Form 1200

Payee must complete boxes A, B, C, D, E, and F.

Clearly print all information. Provide name(s) and address exactly as they appear on the federal 

benefit recipient’s benefit check.
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-12

Federal Benefit RecipientInformation

Name of person entitled to government benefits (beneficiary).

If there is more than one person named on the check, such as a parent and a minor child, this will be 

the name of the minor child.

Representative Payee? Check appropriate box Yes or No.

If yes, enter Name of Representative Payee.

A representative payee is a person or institution that is legally entitled to receive payments on behalf 

of a beneficiary who has been deemed incapable of handing their own financial affairs. When a 

representative payee is present, both names will appear on the benefit check. Minor children receiving 

federal benefits should always have a representative payee. An example of a representative check 

payee is Mary Smith for Jane R. Doe.

Provide name(s) and address exactly as they appear on the most recent benefit check.

Social Security Number (SSN) of persons entitled to government benefits (beneficiary). If the 

benefits are for a minor child, this will be the child’s SSN. This is never the representative payee’s 

SSN.

Daytime Telephone Number of the person to contact if there are questions regarding the 

enrollment information provided on the form.

Bank or Credit Union Information

Depositor’s account title must include the name of the person authorized to receive the payment, 

(e.g. representative payee if applicable), and an account type (either Checking or Savings).

The 9-digit routing number is a 9-digit number used to denote which financial institution will 

receive the deposit.

Account Numbers may be up to 17 characters long. It may contain both numeric 0-9 and alphabetic 

characters A to Z.

Type of Payment (check only one box)

The appropriate box should be checked. Refer to the examples that follow to determine how to 

identify the appropriate payment type

Note: You must use a separate form for each payment type or individual that is being enrolled.

For payment types not listed on the FS Form 1200 please refer to the next section, Direct Deposit 

Sign-up Form (FS Form 1199A) for instruction on submitting enrollments for other payment types.

Either a claim number or check number is required.

Claim number is an identifying number assigned by the paying agency to the benefit recipient. In many 

cases, this is the SSN the benefits are drawn upon followed by a series of letters or letters and numbers. 

For some agencies this may be a unique number that does not use the SSN. Claim numbers can 

typically be found on award letters issued by the paying agency, correspondence sent by the agency, or 

year-end tax statements.

Check number is the 12-digit check number of the recipient’s most recent benefit payment.
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1-13 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

The check number is located in the upper right-hand corner of the check. It is formatted as 4-digits a 

space and then 8-digits. (example: 2053 87654321)

Dollar amount of most recent benefit payment is required.

When Using Witnesses

When witnesses are used, they should sign to the right of the mark “X” and print the word 

“Witness” above their signature.

Power-of-Attorney

A person appointed as a power-of-attorney cannot sign the FS Form 1200 for the payee. The FS 

Form 1200 can only be signed by the designated recipient or a representative payee. Questions 

regarding this item should be directed to the appropriate federal agency.

Agency I Payment Type Recipient

FederalHousing Administration 

Debentures (Fiscal Service)

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issues these 

debentures in settlement of defaulted mortgages. For more 

information, recipients should contact Housing and Urban 

Development at (202) 708- 3423, or write to:

HUD

451 7th Street, SW 

Washington, DC 20410

Attn: multi-family or single-family claims

SeriesH/HHSavings Bond 

Interest Payments (Fiscal 

Service)

Completes PD F 5396. Recipients should visit the 

TreasuryDirect website to download the form or contact:

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Treasury Retail Securities Services

P.O. Box 9150

Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150

Note: Only send completed FS Form 1199A forms to the federal agency responsible for issuing the 

payment. The U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center is unable to process the FS Form 

1199A form and will be forced to reject them.
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-14

SSA – Single Payee Example

Example 1: 

Social Security 

Administration 

Single Payee
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1-15 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

SSA– Representative Payee Example

Example 2: 

Social Security 

Administration 

Representative 

Payee
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-16

D: Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (FS Form 1199A)

A Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (FS Form 1199A) is available in Chapter 9, Forms. 

How to Complete the FS Form 1199A 

Section 1- To be completed by the payee

The financial institution should verify that all information on this portion of the form is correct. 

The financial institution needs to be aware of the following special items:

Name of the Person(s) Entitled to Payment(Box B)

This will be the name of the payee. Refer to the appropriate federal agency examples to determine 

what information to enter for recurring benefit payments.

Claim or Payroll ID Number (Box C)

Claim numbers may be found on documents provided by the recipient’s paying agency(s) such as: 

award letters, yearly tax statements, or general correspondence.

Claim Number Prefix

A claim number prefix is one or more letters preceding the claim number. These characters indicate 

the type of claim for which benefits are being paid. For an explanation of the meaning of a prefix, 

contact the federal agency authorizing the payment.

Claim Number

A claim number identifies the recipient’s records at the federal agency that authorizes the payment.

Claim Number Suffix

A claim number suffix is one or more characters (letters or numbers) following a claim number. 

These characters indicate the payment type or the payee’s relationship to the individual who the 

benefits are being drawn. For a full explanation of a suffix, contact the federal agency authorizing 

the payment.

Example:

VA Compensation, Pension and Education. .123-45-6789 00
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1-17 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Claim/PayrollID Table

The table below highlights what to enter on the FS Form 1199A for the Claim or Payroll ID Number 

(BOX C) for the various payment types.

Payment Type Prefix Claim Number Suffix

Allotments (Savings and 

Discretionary)

Leave Blank SSN or Payroll ID Number Leave Blank

Black Lung 

(Department of Labor)

Leave Blank SSN 2 characters 

following the SSN

Central Intelligence Agency

/Annuity

Leave Blank SSN Leave Blank

Federal Employee 

Workers’ Compensation

(Department of Labor)

Leave Blank Case number assigned by 

the federal agency

Leave Blank

Federal Salary/Military 

Civilian Pay

Leave Blank SSN or Payroll ID Number Leave Blank

Longshore and Harbor 

Workers’ Compensation 

(Department of Labor)

Leave Blank File number assigned by 

the federal agency

Leave Blank

Military ActiveDuty and 

Allotments

Leave Blank SSN Leave Blank

Military Retirement and 

Annuity

Leave Blank SSN Leave Blank

Miner’s Benefit 

(Department of Labor)

Leave Blank SSN Leave Blank

Savings Bond Agency’s Fee 

(Fiscal Service)

Leave Blank Issuing or paying agency 

code assigned to the 

financial institution

1- or 2-digit number

following the SSN

SeriesH/HHSavings Bond 

Interest Payments (Fiscal 

Service)

Leave Blank SSN Leave Blank

Veterans Compensation, 

Pension or Education

Leave Blank 8-digit or 9-digit SSN Always a 2-digit 

number

Veterans Life Insurance 1 to 2 letters 4- to 8-digit number None or a 2-digit 

number

Depositor Account Number (Box E)

• If account numbers are not used, then insert name or other identification in the box.

• Use only letters A-Z and digits 0-9 

• Up to 17 characters
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-18

Type of Payment(Box F)

The appropriate box should be checked

If payment type is not included in the list, then check “Other” and enter the payment type in the 

blank.

For military payments, enter the name of the military branch in the blank next to the payment type 

checked.

Payee/Joint Payee Certification (Box F)

IF... THEN...

there is only one payee, who could be a 

representative payee*

only the payee signature is required

joint payees complete the form both must sign the form

the payee’s signature is made be a mark “X” it must be witnessed by two persons who sign and 

date the form.

* See Glossary, Chapter 8 

Joint Account Holders’ Certification (Optional)

Federal agencies do not require signatures in this block; however, some financial institutions do.

If the signature is made by a mark “X”, it must be witnessed by two persons who sign and date the 

form.

When Using Witnesses

When witnesses are used, they should sign to the right of the mark “X” and print the word 

“Witness” above their signature.

Power-of-Attorney

A person appointed as a power-of-attorney by the court cannot sign the FS Form 1199A for the 

payee. The FS Form 1199A can only be signed by the designated recipient or a representative 

payee. Questions regarding this item should be directed to the appropriate federal agency.

Section 2 - To Be Completed by the Payee or the Financial Institution

The financial institution should verify that the name and address of the federal agency that 

authorized the payment is used.

For a listing of addresses, refer to Chapter 7, Contacts. 

Note: Do not send enrollment forms to Fiscal Service. Fiscal Service does not process enrollment forms 

except for its own employees.
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1-19 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Section 3 - To Be Completed by the Financial Institution

ENTER the...

• financial institution’s name and address

• financial institution’s routing number

• depositor’s account title

(this title must include the name of the person authorized to receive the payment)

• financial institution representative’s name, signature, telephone number, and current date.

What Actions Should Take Place Before Filing the FS Form 1199A?

This checklist can be used to verify that all information entered on the enrollment form is complete 

and accurate.

❑ Name of person(s) entitled to payment*

❑ Claim or payroll ID table*

❑ Type of depositor account

❑ Account number

❑ Type of payment

❑ Proper signatures

❑ Federal agency name and address*

❑ Name and address of financial institution

❑ RTN and check digit

❑ Depositor accounttitle*

Make sure it includes the name of the person authorized to receive the payment

Note: Make sure the federal agency that authorizes the payment is entered, not the Fiscal Service.

Note: Items marked with an asterisk (*) are where most errors occur.

ImportantInformation for New Direct Deposit Recipients

1. The financial institution should inform the recipient that they will continue to receive checks or

deposits at their current payment address of record until the Direct Deposit enrollment is

processed.

2. The financial institution should inform the recipient on how to verify receipt of a Direct Deposit

payment.

3. The financial institution should inform the recipient to notify the federal agency of any address

changes after Direct Deposit begins, since important information about the payment will be sent

to the individual’s home address.

4. The financial institution should inform the recipient that it is important to notify both the federal

agency and the financial institution if the recipient or beneficiary dies or becomes legally

incapacitated. (Legal Incapacity is defined as a legal declaration that an individual is unable to

manage his/her affairs properly)
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-20

5. The financial institution should inform the recipient that if they change financial institutions, the

old account should not be closed until Direct Deposit begins into the new account. Make sure the

recipient understands that changing financial institutions requires filling out a new Direct

Deposit enrollment.

How Are Forms Distributed?

Government Agency Copy

Delivered by the employee to the federal agency that authorizesthe payment.

Financial Institution Copy

Held by the financial institution

There is no official retention period for the FS Form 1199A. It is recommended that financial institutions 

retain this form at least until receipt of the first payment.

Payee(s) Copy

Held by the recipient.

What to do if Direct Deposit does not begin

Follow these steps if Direct Deposit does not begin within the specified time period.

1 Ask recipient if the enrollment authorization has been revoked. 

If yes, no further action is required.

If no, and Direct Deposit is still desired, go to Step 2.

2 Make a copy of the completed enrollment form from the financial institution’s file copy.

Note: Verify that all the information on the form is correct.

3 Send a copy of the form and a letter stating that the recipient still wants to receive Direct 

Deposit to the federal agency that authorizes the payment.

4 Remind recipient(s) that checks will continue to be sent to their home address of record until 

Direct Deposit begins.
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1-21 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

FS Form 1199A Example

Example 1: 

Social Security 

Administration 

Single Payee
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-22

E: Federal Financial EDI (FEDI) Payments/Vendor Payments

Overview

Federal payments made using Financial Electronic Data Interchange (FEDI), the electronic transfer 

of funds and payment-related information. The federal government uses FEDI for payments it 

makes to businesses, which provide goods and services to federal agencies, and other payment 

recipients.

Provisions of the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 require that the majority of federal 

payments be made by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). These payments include corporate 

payments to companies providing goods or services to the federal government. This requirement 

impacts every federal government vendor regardless of the size of the company or the goods or 

services provided.

The federal government currently uses the two Nacha corporate payment formats for vendor 

payments. These formats are:

• CCD+ for single invoice payments. Contains one optional 80-character addenda record for

transmitting the invoice information.

• CTX for single or multiple payments. Allows for 9,999 optional addends records, each carrying

80-characters, for the consolidation of multiple invoices in one payment.

Delivery of Remittance (Addenda) Information

The Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines address the delivery of remittance information contained 

in the addenda record. At the recipient’s request, financial institutions must provide the remittance 

information by the opening of business on the second banking day following the settlement date of 

the entry. This impacts all financial institutions processing ACH payments. The remittance 

information may be provided via a paper report, fax, e-mail, electronic transmission, or any other 

means negotiated between the recipient and the financial institution.

To perform this key role, it is imperative that the financial institution work closely with its 

corporate customers who may have business relationships with the federal government. The 

following issues should be discussed with your corporate customers:

• How to deliver the remittance information to the customer,

• When to deliver the remittance information to the customer,

• What specific information to provide to the customer, and

• What fees, if any, are associated with this service.

Enrollment

The ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form (SF 3881) is an optional three-part 

form that federal agencies may use to enroll their vendors in the FEDI program. Federal agencies 

will stock the form and provide the form to vendors to initiate the enrollment process. Federal 

agencies will discuss with the vendor the ACH payment format (CCD+ or CTX) to be used to 

transmit the payment. They will also work with the vendor to determine the remittance 

information (e.g., the invoice number, discount terms) to be included in the addenda record.
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1-23 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

The ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form (SF 3881)is available in Chapter 9,

Forms. 

Enrollment Checklist

Use this checklist to assist the financial institution in enrolling a vendor in the FEDI program.

❑ Verify that the ACH format selected in the Agency Information section on the SF 3881 can be

accepted and processed by the financial institution Agree on HOW and WHEN remittance

information (e.g., invoice number) provided by the federal agency in the addenda record

will be passed to the vendor once it is received by the financial institution.

Note: The agreement is reached by analyzing recipient requirements and comparing those

requirements against the level of support the institution can provide.

❑ Provide an example of how the addenda information will appear; or,

Explain what type(s) of information to look for when the addenda information is received.

Note: The vendor must be able to understand the information to properly identify the

payment.

❑ Complete the financial institution Information section of the SF 3881.

How to Complete the SF 3881

Agency Information

The Agency Information section of the form is completed by the federal agency.

Payee/Company Information

The Payee/Company Information of the form is completed by the vendor or the financial 

institution.

Financial Institution Information

The Financial Institution Information section of the form can be completed by the financial 

institution as follows:

• the name and address of the financial institution,

• the name and telephone number of the ACH contact,

• the RTN used to receive ACH payments,

• the depositor account title,

• the depositor account number, lockbox number (if applicable),

• an “X” in the appropriate type of account box, and

• the signature, title, and telephone number of the financial institution representative.
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-24

Form Distribution

The vendor will return the original SF 3881 to the federal agency. The financial institution and 

the vendor each keep one copy of the form.

Pointers for Completing the SF 3881 Form

Additional Pointers:

• The federal agency initiates the SF 3881 form to enroll its vendors to receive payment by

electronic funds transfer (EFT),

• A vendor must complete a separate enrollment form (SF 3881) for each agency with which it

does business,

• In the Agency Information Section, the term “AGENCY IDENTIFIER” means the acronym by

which the agency is known. For example, the “AGENCY IDENTIFIER” for the Bureau of the Fiscal

Service is Fiscal Service,

• In the Payee/Company Information Section, it should be noted that the “TAXPAYER ID NO.” may

be used by the government to collect and report on any delinquent amounts arising out of the

offeror’s relationship with the government (31 U.S.C. 7701(c)(3)),

• The financial institution and the vendor should each keep a copy of the completed form, and

• The vendor should return the completed SF 3881 to the agency that initiated the form.

F: Enrollment Guidance

This section of the Green Book is a helpful tool for financial institutions who are trying to understand 

the differences between the Nacha Operating Rules and the rules specifically for federal government 

payments. Use this guidance in conjunction with the ACH Standard Entry Class Code ENR to enroll 

recipients of federal benefit payments for Direct Deposit. It can be used to for the following payments: 

Social Security; SSI; Veterans compensation and pension, education MGIB, education/selected reserve, 

life insurance and vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits; Civil Service retirement and 

survivor annuity; Railroad Retirement annuity and unemployment/sickness.

The ACH Standard Entry Class Code ENR is an enrollment process that allows financial institutions 

to use the ACH to enroll beneficiaries for the receipt of future Direct Deposit payments. 

Enrollments received and accepted by the paying agency at least 10 business days prior to the 

customer’s next scheduled payment date will generally allow the recipient’s next month’s payment 

by Direct Deposit.

The ENR Standard Entry Class is a non-monetary transaction. It must contain at least one 

addendum record and may contain as many as 9,999 addenda records. There are two conditions

that must exist for multiple addenda to be included with one ENR.

1. All Direct Deposit enrollments must be for the same federal agency benefit program. For

example, enrollments for Veterans benefits cannot be combined with Social Security benefits.

2. Third-party processors that transmit ENR entries on behalf of financial institutions must make a

discrete batch transmission for each financial institution. Addenda records pertaining to one

financial institution should not be included under the same ENR entry as addenda records

pertaining to another financial institution’s Direct Deposit enrollments.
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1-25 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

An ENR should be used when the recipient is requesting to initiate Direct Deposit for their federal 

benefits. This may include but is not limited to a first-time sign-up for Direct Deposit, a change to 

an existing Direct Deposit enrollment, or a change to a new financial institution. It is not to be used 

in place of the Notification of Change (NOC) process to change the routing or account numbers for 

existing records. Financial institutions should remind customers of the importance of reporting 

address changes to the benefit program agency.
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-26

Approved OMB No. 0960-0564

Required Enrollment Information

The following information is required for the enrollment of a recipient in Direct Deposit using the Standard Entry Class 

Code ENR. This information will be transmitted in the entry detail and the addenda record of an ENR transaction. This

page may be duplicated and used for data collection. DO NOT mail this sheet to the agency. All information collected must

refer to the individual who receives the federal benefit payment.

Information obtained from the customer (payment recipient) for inclusion in the entry detail record.

Type of payment: 

(Social Security; SSI; Veterans compensation and pension, education MGIB, education/selected

reserve, life insurance and vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits; Civil Service

retirement and survivor annuity; Railroad Retirement annuity and unemployment/sickness)

Information obtained from the customer regarding the payment recipient for inclusion in the Addenda record.

Benefit Recipient’s Social Security Number (SSN) SSN ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

(Do not include hyphens in the addenda record.)

The recipient’s own SSN may or may not be the SSN on which the benefits are drawn. However, the individual recipient’s SSN will always 

be included on the addenda record. In cases such as minor children the SSN will always be the Child’s SSN and not that of the adult

account holder named on the financial institution’s records.

Benefit Recipient’s Name

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Last name (up to 15 positions) First Name (up to 7 positions)

Last name: This is the recipient’s last name excluding any suffixes such as Jr., Sr. II, III, etc. If the last name is hyphenated, the fully

hyphenated name up to 17 characters is submitted.

If the last name is comprised of two or more ‘parts’, generally, the first part is sent as the last name (i.e. Mary Jane S Public Doe). The last

name would be submitted as “PUBLIC” and the Doe would be excluded.

First name: This is the recipient’s first name excluding any prefixes such as Dr., Mrs., Miss, etc.

Middle initials are not submitted in this field. Middle initials are dropped. However, fully spelled out middle names are included as part of

the first name (i.e. Mary J Doe would be submitted as Mary, whereas, Mary Jane Doe would be submitted as Mary Jane.

The ‘parsed’ name will always be submitted exactly as the parsed section appears on the recipient’s benefit check. Therefore, incorrectly 

spelled or spaced items will be submitted as they appear on the check and not as they should be legally spelled. Example: Janie Ann Doe

is trying to enroll; however, her check is printed Jane E A Doe. The enrollment would be submitted as “Jane” and “Doe”.

Representative Payee indication NO (0)(Zero) Yes (1)

(See section on Representative Payee, page 1-33.)

Information obtained at the financial institution.

Depository Financial Institution routing number RTN Check Digit 

Depositor Account Number __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

(Up to 17 positions)

Transaction Type: Checking (Type Code 22) Savings (Type Code 32)

For questions about submitting

ENRs for a specific benefit payment,

please call the corresponding federal

program agency:

Federal Agency Telephone No.

Social Security Administration (for Social Security benefit

or disability and SSI payments) (215) 597-1134

Office of Personnel Management (Civil Service annuity) (202) 606-0540

Railroad Retirement Board (RRB annuity) (312) 751-4704

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA benefits) (918) 687-2532
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1-27 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

ENR (Automated Enrollment) Entry Detail Record

Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Data

Element

Name

Record Type

Code

Transaction

Code

ReceivingDFI

Identification Check Digit DFI AccountNumber Amount IdentificationNumber

No. of

Addenda

Records

Receiving

Company

Name/ID

Reserved Discretionary

Data

Field

Incursion

Requirement

M M M M R M O M R N/A O M M

Contents ‘6’ (numeric)*

(TTTTAAAA) (numeric) (blanks)** (all zeros) (blanks) (numeric) (alphanumeric) (blanks)** (blanks)** (numeric) (numeric)

Length 1 2 8 1 17 10 15 4 16 2 2 1 15

Position 01-01 02-03 04-11 12-12 13-29 30-39 40-54 55-58 59-74 76-76 77-78 79-79 80-94

*For U.S. Government use either 23 or 33 in Field 2 ** leave blank for Alphanumeric fields 5, 7,10,11

Program Payment Field 3

Receiving DFI Routing and 

Transit Number (RTN)

Field 4 Check

Digit (9th

digit of 

DFI RTN)

Field 9

Receiving Company Name/ID

The following program payments are

eligible for the enrollment service

Use the following DFI Identification

number for the corresponding program

payment

Use the following number for the

corresponding program payment

Use the following codes for the

corresponding program for which the

recipientis enrolling forDirectDeposit

Social Security 65506004 2 SOCIALbSECURITYb

Supplemental Social Security 65506004 2 SUPPbSECURITYbbb

Veterans Compensation and Pension 11173699 1 VAbCOMP/PENSION

Veterans Education MGIB 11173699 1 VAbEDUCATNbMGIB

VeteransEducation/Selected Reserve 11173699 1 VAbECUDbMGIB/SR

Veterans Life Insurance 11173699 1 VAbLIFEbINSUR

Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation

and Employment Benefits

11173699 1 VAbVOCbREHABbEMP

Civil Service Retirement/Annuity 11173699 1 CIVILbSERVbCSAbb

Civil Service Survivor/Annuity 11173699 1 CIVILbSERVbCSFbb

Railroad Retirement Annuity 11173699(*) 1 (*) RAILROADbRETbBDb

Railroad Unemployment/Sickness 11173699(*) 1 (*) RAILROADbUISIbbb

Dependents EducationAssistance

Program

11173699 1 VAbDEPbEDUbASST

Reserve Education Assistance

Program

11173699 1 VAbEDUCTNbREAP

Post 911 GI Bill 11173699 1 VAbEDUbPOSTb9/11

ENR Addenda Record

NOTE: In the codes, the letter “b”

indicates a blank space

Field 1 2 3 4 5

Data Element

Name

Record Type

Code

Addenda Type

Code Payment Related Information Addenda SequenceNumber

EntryDetail

SequenceNumber

Field Inclusion

Requirement M M R M M

Contents ‘7’ ‘05’ ‘22*12200004*3*123987654321*777777777*DOE*JOHN*0\’ (numeric) (numeric)

Length 1 2 80 4 7

Position 01-01 02-03 04-83 84-87 88-94

Field 3 - Payment Related Information

The followinguses sample informationto illustrate the required informationto be included in the Addenda record to effectthe ENRfor DirectDeposit. The standard for submission

of ENR records is for all alphabetic characters anywhere in the file to be submitted in UPPER CASE. Failure to do so may result in the submission to be returned by the paying

agency. Refer to the next page for Return Reasons Codes.

22 = Checking

Account

32 = Savings

Account

* 12200004 3 123987654321 777777777 DOE JOHN 0=No Rep. Payee

1= Rep. Payee

\

Contents Delimiter ‘05’ Check

Digit

Receiver’s Acct. No. at

the FinancialInstitution

(up to 17 positions)

Receiver’s Own

Social Security

No.

Receiver’s

Surname

(up to 15)

Receiver’s

First Name

(up to 7)

Representative

Payee Indicator

Terminator
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A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-28

Representative Payee

A representative payee is a person or institution that is legally entitled to receive payments on 

behalf of a beneficiary who has been deemed incapable of handling his/her financial affairs. When a 

representative payee is present, both names will appear on the benefit check. Minor children 

receiving federal benefits should always have a representative payee. Some examples of 

representative check payee styles are:

Mary Smith for Jane R. Doe

Harry D. Doe, Guardian for John Q. Public

Admin Sunnyvale Nursing Home for Mary T. Resident

Questions regarding the styling of representative payee names by a particular agency should be 

directed to that specific agency.

In processing an enrollment, it is important for the processing financial institution and enrolling 

benefit agency to know that the enrollment originated from the proper authority. In cases where 

there is a representative payee, a “1” will be entered as the last data element in Field 3 of the 

addenda. In instances where there is no representative payee, a “0” (zero) will be entered into this 

position.

The federal government requires that the title of accounts receiving direct deposit payments bear 

the name of the payment recipient. Accounts established for representative payee payments reflect 

fiduciary interest of the representative payee on behalf of the beneficiary. (Example of an account 

title: John Doe for Mary Smith.) This same regulation applies to institutional representative payees. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management do not allow 

ENR enrollments for representative payees.

Note: SSA’s Guide for Representative Payees is a helpful guide which covers account titling 

requirements for their representative payees.

Return Reason Codes

A federal agency may return an ENR entry to the financial institution as unprocessable, one of the 

following codes will be indicated on the return:

R40 Non-Participantin ENR Program

The federal program agency is not a participant in the ENR automated enrollment program.

R41 Invalid Transaction Code

An incorrect or inappropriate transaction code is used in Field 3 of the Addenda record.

R42 RoutingNumber/Check Digit Error

The RTN and/or the Check Digit included in Field 3 of the Addenda record is incorrect.

R43 Invalid DFI Account Number

The receiver’s account number at the DFI is either missing, exceeds 17 positions, or contains invalid 

characters.

R44 Invalid Individual ID Number

The receiver’s SSN provided in Field 3 of the Addenda record does not match a corresponding SSN 

in the benefit agency’s records.

R45 Invalid Individual Name

The name of the receiver provided in Field 3 of the Addenda record either does not match a 
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1-29 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

corresponding name in the benefit agency’s records or fails to include at least one alphanumeric 

character.

R46 Invalid Representative Payee Indicator

The representative payee indicator code included in Field 3 of the Addenda record has been 

omitted or it is not consistent with the benefit agency’s records.

R47 Duplicate Enrollment

The federal agency has received duplicate ENR entries from the same DFI.

For more complete information concerning return reason codes and their interpretation, refer to 

the current Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines.

Note: At least one paying agency requires that any alphabetic data in an ENR record must be 

submitted in all UPPER CASE. Therefore, the de facto standard for submission of ENR records is for all 

alphabetic characters located anywhere in the file to be submitted in UPPER CASE. Failure to do so 

may result in the submission to be returned as an R44/R45 item even though all the information is 

correct.

ENR Tips and Information Checklist

GeneralQuestions/Information:

1. Are you currently receiving Direct Deposit?

• If yes, then an ENR should be used when the recipient is requesting to initiate direct deposit

for their federal benefits. This may include but is not limited to a first-time sign-up for Direct

Deposit, a change to an existing Direct Deposit enrollment, or a change to a new financial

institution.

• If no, do you have, or have you opened a checking or savings account?

2. Is the federal benefit check in the customer’s name only? If no, determine whether there is a

representative payee relationship or not.

3. The benefit recipient or representative payee must be present in order to sign up for direct

deposit. If by phone, the recipient or representative payee must be available to give permission.

Benefit RecipientInformation

4. Benefit recipient - the person who receives the federal benefit payment.

5. Representative payee - the benefit comes in their name on behalf of someone else.

6. “In C/O” - the benefit comes to the benefit recipient “in care of” someone else. This does not

mean the person the check is “in care of” is the representative payee. The benefit recipient must

be present to enroll.

7. If the customer has Power of Attorney for the benefit recipient, he/she must go to the local office

of the paying agency to sign up for direct deposit. If the benefit recipient is not present, the

customer will need to take all legal documents with them to a regional office of the paying

agency. The paying agency does not accept enrollments based solely on a Power of Attorney.
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-30

8. If the customer is the guardian of the benefit recipient and his/her name is on the benefit check

as guardian for the benefit recipient, then the financial institution would treat them as a

representative payee. If his/her name is not on the benefit check, he/she must go to the local

paying agency office with all legal documents.

Information Needed for Direct Deposit Enrollment

The following information is needed to enroll Social Security benefits or disability payments, 

Supplemental Security Income payments, Railroad Retirement Board annuities, Veteran’s 

Compensation and Pension, and OPM Civil Service annuities for direct deposit through the U.S. 

Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center:

1. The SSN of the benefit recipient,

2. The routing and account number of the checking or savings account, and

3. The benefit recipient’s claim number or check number of the most recent federal benefit

check received and the payment amount.

The federal benefit check numbers are located in the top right-hand corner of the federal benefit 

check. The check numbers are 12 digits long (beginning with four digits, then a space, and eight 

more digits). All 12 numbers must be entered with no spaces and no dashes.

The claim number must be entered with no spaces or dashes. All numbers and letters must be 

entered side by side.

Helpful Numbers and Websites

1. For Social Security benefit or disability, SSI, VA, RRB annuity, and OPM civil service annuity

enrollments please enroll through either:

Go Direct web enrollment: www.GoDirect.gov

Or call the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center at 1-800-333-1795 

(English)/1-800-333-1792 (Spanish), 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday – Friday, excluding 

federal holidays.

2. Department of Defense (DOD) or Black Lung payments cannot be set up through ENR. Contact

Information:

• Veterans Affairs benefits 1-800-827-1000

• DOD www.dfas.mil

• Black Lung www.dol.gov/owcp/dcmwc
Green Book 1. Enrollment

1-31 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Federal Agency Addresses and Phone Numbers

Federal agency addresses and phone numbers are listed below, including the locations where 

completed FS Form 1199A should be delivered. If a telephone number is not listed and further 

assistance is needed, please contact the Fiscal Service.

Note: As with any listing of this type, contact information will frequently change. Should you find outof-date information, please let us know by email at: payments@fiscal.treasury.gov.

Air Force Active Duty/Reserves

Recipient should deliver the completed FS Form 1199A to their payroll office. 

Questions: (303) 676-7213

Air National Guard

Recipient should deliver the completed FS Form 1199A to their payroll office.

Retirement/Annuity

DFAS-CL

U.S. Military Retirement and Annuitant Pay 

1240 E. Ninth Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44199-2055

Retirement / Annuity: 1 (800) 321-1080

Allotments:(216) 522-5553

Army Active Duty/Reserves/National Guard

Recipient must mail or deliver the completed FS Form 1199A to their payroll office. 

Questions: (317) 510-2800

Retirement/Annuity

DFAS-CL

U.S. Military Retirement and Annuitant Pay 

1240 E. Ninth Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44199-205

Retirement / Annuity: 1 (800) 321-1080

Fiscal Service Federal Housing Administration Debenture Payments

Special Investments Branch

Warehouse and Operations Center, Dock 1 

257 Bosley Industrial Park Drive 

Parkersburg, WV 26101

Questions:(304) 480-5299

Savings Bond Agent’s Fee Payments

Bureau of the Fiscal Service 

 Treasury Retail Securities Services

 P.O. Box 9150 

 Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150 

(844) 284-2676

Series H/HH Savings Bond Interest Payments

Current Income Bond Branch 

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Warehouse and Operations Center, Dock 1 

257 Bosley Industrial Park Drive 

Parkersburg, WV 26101

Questions:(304) 480-6112
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-32
Green Book 1. Enrollment

1-33 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Fiscal Service

(continued)

State and Local Government Payments

State and Local Government Payments 

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Warehouse and Operations Center, Dock 1 

257 Bosley Industrial Park Drive 

Parkersburg, WV 26101

Questions:(304) 480-5299

Central

Intelligence 

Agency

Send completed forms to...

CentralIntelligence Agency 

Washington, DC 20505

Attn: Compensation Division Office of Finance

Coast Guard Active Duty/Reserves

Mail or have the recipient deliver the completed FS Form 1199A form to their payroll office.

Retirement

Coast Guard (RPD)

Commanding Officers USGC-PPC 

Pay and Personnel Office

444 SE Quincy Street 

Topeka, KS 66683

Department 

of Labor

Black Lung

Send all completed FS Form 1199As 

to ...

Questions?

Contact your district office below.

U.S.Department of Labor 

ESA/OWCP/DCMWC

select district office address below

Johnstown, PA 319 Washington Street, 2nd Floor (800) 347-3754

Johnstown, PA 15901 (814) 533-4323

Greensburg, PA 1225 S. Main Street, Suite 405

Greensburg, PA 15601

(800) 347-3753

(724) 836-7230

Wilkes-Barre, PA 100N. Wilkes-Barre Blvd. 

Room 300 A

(800) 347-3755

(570) 826-6457

Wilkes-Barre, PA 187002

Charleston, WV Charleston Federal Center, Suite 110 

500 Quarrier Street

(800) 347-3749

(304) 347-7100

Charleston, WV 25301

Parkersburg, WV 425 Juliana Street, Suite 3116 (800) 347-3751

Parkersburg, WV 26101 (304) 420-6385

Pikeville, KY 164 Main Street, Suite 508

Pikeville, KY 41501

(800) 366-4599

(606) 432-0116

Mount Sterling, KY 402 Campbell Way

Mount Sterling, KY 40353

(800) 366-4628

(859) 498-9700

Columbus, OH 1160 Dublin Road, Suite 300

Columbus, OH 43215

(800) 347-3771

(614) 469-5227

Denver, CO 1999 Broadway, Suite 690 (800) 366-4612

P.O. Box 46550

Denver, CO 80201-6550

(720) 264-3100
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-34

Department 

of Labor

(continued)

Unknown District U.S.Department of Labor 

Black Lung Program

P.O. Box 37227

Washington, DC 20013

(800) 638-7072

Department 

of Labor

Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation

Send all completed FS Form U.S. Department of Labor 

1199As to ... Division of Energy Employees

Occupational Illness Compensation

Questions? P.O. Box 8306

Contact(866) 888-3322 London, KY 40742-8306

Department 

of Labor

Federal Employee Workers’ Compensation

Send all completed FS Form 

1199As to ...

Questions?

Contact(202) 693-0040

U.S. Department of Labor

Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation

P.O. Box 8311

London, KY 40742-8311

Department 

of Labor

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation

Send all completed FS Form 

1199As to ...

Questions?

Contact(202) 693-0925

U.S.Department of Labor 

ESA/OWCP/DLHWC

Frances Perkins Building 

Room C4315

200 Constitution Avenue,NW 

Washington, DC 20210

Department 

of Veterans 

Affairs

Mail the completed FS Form 1199A form to the office that maintains the veteran’s records:

ALABAMA Alabama VA RegionalOffice

345 Perry Hill Road

Montgomery, AL 36104

Questions: 1 (800) 827-1000

COLORADO Denver VA RegionalOffice

155 Van Gordon Street

Lakewood, CO 80228

ALASKA Anchorage VA Regional Office

2925 DeBarr Road

Anchorage, AK 99508-2989

CONNECTICUT Hartford VA RegionalOffice

450 Main Street

Hartford, CT 06103

ARIZONA Arizona VA Regional Office

3225 N. Central Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85012

DELAWARE Wilmington VA Regional Office

1601 Kirkwood Highway

Wilmington, DE 19805

ARKANSAS North Little Rock VA Regional 

Office

345 Perry Hill Road

Montgomery, AL 36104

DISTRICTOF

COLUMBIA

Washington DC VA Regional 

Office

1120 Vermont Avenue,NW

Washington, DC 20421

CALIFORNIA Los Angeles VARegional Office Federal

Building

1100 Wilshire Boulevard Los 

Angeles, CA 90024

FLORIDA St. Petersburg VA Regional Office

9500 Bay Pines Boulevard

Bay Pines, FL 33708

SanDiego VARegional Office

8810 Rio San Diego Drive San 

Diego, CA 92018

GEORGIA Atlanta VA Regional Office

1700 Clairmont Road

Decatur, GA 30033

Oakland VA Regional Office

Oakland Federal Building 1301

Clay Street, Room 1300N Oakland, 

CA 94612

HAWAII Honolulu VA Regional Office

459 Patterson Road, E-Wing

Honolulu, HI 96819-1522
Green Book 1. Enrollment

1-35 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Department 

of Veterans 

Affairs

(continued)

IDAHO Boise VA Regional Office

805 W. Franklin Street

Boise, ID 83702

MONTANA FortHarrison Medical&

Regional Center

William Street off Highway 

Fort Harrison, MT 59636

ILLINOIS Chicago VA Regional Office

536 S. Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60605-1523

NEBRASKA Lincoln VA Regional Office

5631 S. 48th Street

Lincoln, NE 68516

INDIANA Indianapolis VA Regional Off.

75 NB. Pennsylvania Street

Indianapolis, IN 46204

Questions: (317) 226-7860

NEVADA Reno VA Regional Office

1201 Terminal Way

Reno, NV 89520

IOWA Des Moines VA Regional Office

210 Walnut Street

Des Moines, IA 50309

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

Manchester VA Regional Office

Norris Cotton Federal Building 

275 Chestnut Street

Manchester,NH03101

KANSAS Wichita VA Regional Office

5500 E. Kellogg

Wichita, KS 67211

NEW JERSEY New Jersey VA Regional Office

20 Washington Place

Newark, NJ 07102

KENTUCKY Louisville VA RegionalOffice

545 S. Third Street

Louisville, KY 40202

NEW MEXICO Albuquerque VA Regional Office

Davis Chavez Federal Building

500 Gold Avenue, SW

Albuquerque, NM 87102

LOUISIANA New Orleans VA Regional Office

701 Loyola Avenue

New Orleans, LA 70113

NEW YORK Buffalo VA Regional Office

Federal Building

111 W. Hurron Street 

Buffalo, NY 14202

MAINE Togus Center

One VA Center

Togus, ME 04330

New York VA RegionalOffice

245 W. Houston Street

New York, NY 10014

MARYLAND Baltimore VA Regional Office

31 Hopkins Plaza

Baltimore, MD 21201

NORTH

CAROLINA

Winston-Salem VA Regional 

Office

Federal Building

251N. Main Street 

Winston-Salem, NC 27155

MASSACHUSETTS Boston VA Regional Office

J.F. Kennedy Federal Building

Government Center

Boston, MA 02114

NORTH DAKOTA Fargo VA Medical/Regional 

Office Center

2101 Elm Street

Fargo, ND 58102

Questions: (701) 232-3421

MICHIGAN Detroit VA Regional Office

Patrick V. McNamara Federal 

Building

477 Michigan Avenue

Detroit, MI 48226

OHIO Cleveland VA RegionalOffice

Anthony J. Celebrezze

Federal Building

1240 E. Ninth Street

Cleveland, OH 44119

MINNESOTA St. Paul VA Regional Office

One Federal Drive, Fort Snelling

St. Paul, MN 55111-4050

OKLAHOMA Muskogee VA Regional Office

Federal Building

125 S. Main Street

Muskogee,OK 74401

MISSISSIPPI Jackson VA Regional Office

1600 E. Woodrow Wilson Ave.

Jackson, MS 39216

OREGON Portland VA Regional Office

Federal Building

1220 SW 3rd Avenue

Portland, OR 97204

Questions: (503) 326-2511

MISSOURI St. Louis VA Regional Office

Federal Building

400 S. 18th Street

St. Louis, MO 63103

PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia VA Center

5000 Wissahickon Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19101
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-36

Department 

of Veterans 

Affairs

(continued)

Federal 

Salary

The employee should mail or deliver the completed FS Form 1199A form to their payroll 

office.

Marine Corps Active Duty/Reserves

Director

DFAS – Kansas City Center (AF-FA) 

Kansas City, MO 64197-0001 

Questions: (303) 676-7213

Retirement/Annuity

DFAS – CL

U.S. Military Retirement and Annuitant Pay 

1240 E. Ninth Street

Cleveland, OH 44199-2055

Questions: 1 (800) 321-1080

Navy Active Duty/Reserves

Mail or have the recipient deliver the 

completed FS Form 1199A form to their 

payroll office.

Questions: 1 (800) 255-0974

Retirement/Annuity

DFAS – CL

U.S. Military Retirement and Annuitant Pay 

1240 E. Ninth Street

Cleveland, OH 44199-2055

Questions: 1 (800) 321-1080

PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh VA RegionalOffice

1000 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

WEST VIRGINIA Huntington VA RegionalOffice

640 Fourth Avenue

Huntington, WV 25701

RHODE ISLAND Providence VA Regional Office

380 Westminster Mall

Westminster, RI 02903

WISCONSIN Milwaukee VA Regional Office

5000 W. National Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53295

SOUTH

CAROLINA

Columbia VA RegionalOffice

1801 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

WYOMING Cheyenne VA Medical/Regional

Center

2360 E. Pershing Boulevard 

Cheyenne, WY 82001

SOUTH

DAKOTA

Sioux Falls VA Center

P.O. Box 5046

2501 W. 22nd Street

Sioux Falls, SD 57117

GUAM Guam Vet Center

222 Chanlan Santo Papast

Reflection Center, Suite 102

Agana, GU 96910

Questions: (705) 475-7161

TENNESSEE Nashville VA Regional Office

110 9th Avenue, South

Nashville, TN 37203

PHILIPPINES Manila Regional Office

1131 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita 

0930 Manila, PL 96440

Questions:(011)(632) 528- 

2500

TEXAS Houston VA Regional Office

6900 Almeda Road

Houston, TX 77030

PUERTO RICO San Juan VA Center

150 Carlos Chardon Avenue

Hato Rey, PR 00918

Waco VA Regional Office

One Veterans Plaza

701 Clay Avenue

Waco, TX 76799

VIRGINIA see District of Columbia

UTAH Salt Lake City VA Regional Office

550 Foothill Drive

Salt Lake City, UT 84158

VIRGIN ISLANDS St. Croix Vet Center

Box 12, R.R. 02,

Village Mail, #113Affairs

Saint Croix, VI 00850

Questions: 1 (809) 778-5553

VERMONT White River Junction VA Medical 

& Regional Office Center

215 N. Main Street

White River Junction, VT 05009

Saint Thomas Vet Center

Buccaneer Mall

Saint Thomas, VI 00801

Questions: 1 (809) 774-6674

WASHINGTON Seattle VA Regional Office

Federal Building

915 Second Avenue

Seattle, WA 98174
Green Book 1. Enrollment

1-37 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Office of 

Personnel 

Management

(Civil Service 

Annuity)

Send completed forms to . . .

Questions:(202) 606-0500

Office of Personnel Management 

Change-of-address Section-ROC 

Retirement and Insurance Group

P.O. Box 440

Boyers, PA 16017-0440

Railroad 

Retirement 

Board

Send completed forms to ...

the local Railroad Retirement Board 

as listed in the telephone directory; 

or,

Questions:

(312) 751-4500 or (312) 751-4707

If you cannot obtain the address of the local office, 

mail to:

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

P.O. Box 10792

844N. Rush Street 

Chicago, IL 60611

Attn: Direct Deposit Coordinator ORSP

Social 

Security 

Administration

Send completed forms to . . .

• the local Social Security District Office, or

• the address Social Security has specified to your financial institution.

G: Termination of Enrollment

The ACH Enrollment authorization may be revoked by the recipient or, under certain 

circumstances, by the financial institution. If a recipient revokes his/her ACH enrollment, they must 

provide a new ACH enrollment in order ACH payments. 

Termination by the Recipient

The recipient may revoke the enrollment authorization at any time by notifying the federal agency, 

or by authorizing a new enrollment with another financial institution.

Social Security or Supplemental Security Income recipients should call 1-800-SSA-1213 or write 

their local Social Security District Office to revoke the enrollment authorization.

Railroad Retirement Board annuitants may either write or call the local Railroad Retirement Board 

Field Office to revoke the enrollment authorization.

Series H/HH savings bond owners who are required to receive interest payments by Direct Deposit 

may revoke the enrollment authorization. However, this will result in suspension of payments.

Payments will resume when the recipient authorizes a new enrollment.

OPM Annuitants may either write the Office of Personnel Management, call 1-888-767-6738 to 

revoke the enrollment authorization, or visit www.opm.gov/retire to terminate and make changes 

on-line.

The enrollment authorization will be terminated due to the recipient’s or beneficiary’s death or 

legal incapacity.

CourtesyNotice

The recipient or beneficiary is not required to inform the financial institution if he/she revokes or 

transfers their enrollment authorization. As a courtesy, the recipient should be encouraged to 

inform the financial institution of any changes.
1. Enrollment Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 1-38

Termination by the Financial Institution

Financial institutions may close an account to which benefit payments are currently being sent 

thereby revoking the enrollment authorization by providing a 30-day written notice to the recipient 

prior to closing the account. In cases involving fraud, accounts may be closed immediately. The 

financial institution cannot revoke the enrollment authorization by notifying the federal agency and 

not the recipient.

The 30-day written notice should remind the recipient to make other arrangements for the 

handling of their payments. The financial institution must credit to the recipient’s account any 

payments received during the 30-day notice period. The financial institution must also immediately 

return to the federal government all payments received after the 30-day notice period. A financial 

institution that closes an account without properly terminating the enrollment must make the 

funds available to the recipient until proper notice is provided.

Recipient Notice to the Federal Agency

The recipient or beneficiary must immediately advise the federal agency if the enrollment 

authorization is revoked by the financial institution.
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 2-1

ACH Payment 

Processing

Overview

In this chapter...

A: Financial Organization Master File (FOMF)..................................................................................... 2-3

Purpose .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2-3

Financial Institution Responsibility .................................................................................................................... 2-3

Changes to Financial Institution Name and Mailing Address......................................................................2-3

Changes to Routing Transit Numbers.....................................................................................................................2-3

Updating ACH Customer Directory (ACD): ...........................................................................................................2-3

New Depository Institutions........................................................................................................................................ 2-4

B: Federal Government ACH Processing ................................................................................................ 2-4

General Flow ................................................................................................................................................................ 2-4

Prenotification............................................................................................................................................................. 2-4

Payment Formats ....................................................................................................................................................... 2-4

Account Requirements............................................................................................................................................. 2-4

Misdirected Payments.............................................................................................................................................. 2-5

Notice of Misdirected Payment............................................................................................................................. 2-6

Availability of Funds ................................................................................................................................................. 2-6

C: Federal ACH Payment Schedule ........................................................................................................... 2-7

D: Identifying Treasury Disbursed Payments...................................................................................... 2-7

Consumer Payments ................................................................................................................................................. 2-7

Consumer Payment Formats.......................................................................................................................................2-7

Standard Entry Class Code...........................................................................................................................................2-7

Social Security Administration Use of Prearranged Payment and Deposit(PPD+)...........................2-7

Payment Types..................................................................................................................................................................2-8

Identifying the Paying Agency/Payment Type ............................................................................................... 2-8

Identifying the Payee ................................................................................................................................................ 2-8

2

This chapter provides information about how federal government ACH payments are processed. It 

also contains valuable information on payment dates and information to assist in identifying 

Treasury disbursed payments.
2-2 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

2. ACH Payment Processing Green Book

Company entry description for IRS Advance Child Tax Credit Payments............................................ 2-9

E: Identifying Non-Treasury Disbursed Payments........................................................................... 2-09

Identifying the Paying Agency/Payment Type ............................................................................................. 2-09

Identifying the Payee .............................................................................................................................................. 2-09

F: Garnishment of Federal Benefits..............................................................................................2-10
Green Book 2. ACH Payment Processing

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 2-3

A: Financial Organization Master File (FOMF)

The Financial Organization Master File (FOMF) is a Department of the Treasury master list of 

financial institutions receiving federal government ACH payments. It contains RTNs, a single 

financial institution name and mailing address for each RTN.

The FOMF is derived from the Federal Reserve Bank’s (FRB) ACH Customer Directory (ACD), which 

contains the RTNs and related information of all valid ACH participants. The FOMF is updated on a 

monthly basis using information from the most current ACD file.

Purpose

The Fiscal Service relies on the FOMF data to validate RTNs used to originate payments and to send 

financial institutions the following:

• reclamation notices,

• trace inquiries, and

• marketing materials.

Financial Institution Responsibility

Changes to Financial Institution Name and Mailing Address

Financial institutions are responsible for keeping their name and mailing address for each RTN up 

to date with the FRB. Any changes to RTN data should be provided to the FRB as soon as possible so 

that the ACD and FOMF contain current data. If the financial institution fails to notify the FRB, it 

may be held liable for information (e.g., reclamation notices) mailed to obsolete addresses.

Changes to Routing Transit Numbers

If a financial institution changes RTNs (e.g., due to merger), it must notify the FRB ACH department 

as soon as possible to have the old RTN rescinded in ACD and have all future ACH transactions 

reflect the financial institution’s active ACH routing number. Updates to the ACD will update the 

FOMF. Additionally, financial institutions should send a Notification of Change (NOC) to each 

originating federal agency from which it receives payments impacted by the routing number 

changes.

The following steps should be taken in updating the ACD routing number data:

• Confirm that no activity is being received on the obsolete RTN prior to deletion.

• Allow at least three months after the update to the ACD before deleting an obsolete RTN.

• Delete an obsolete RTN only after all activity has been transferred to the surviving RTN.

Updating ACH Customer Directory (ACD):

If an institution wants to update the information that appears on the file, they should submit a new 

“Part 1 - Agreement to Terms and General Participant Information” of the FedACH Participation

Agreement to the FRB.

If you have any questions in reference to updating data, you should contact the FedACH and Check

Services Customer Support team.
2. ACH Payment Processing Green Book

2-4 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

New Depository Institutions

Because the FOMF is updated monthly, a new depository institution may not receive government 

ACH transactions for up to 30 days after being entered into the FRB ACD.

B: Federal Government ACH Processing

General Flow

Federal government ACH payments are initiated by the authorizing federal agency to a government 

disbursing office. These include the Department of Defense disbursing offices, and Fiscal Service.

The FRB is the federal government’s ACH Operator.

Prenotification

The federal government prenotification process is handled in accordance with Nacha Operating 

Rules & Guidelines. Social Security Administration originates prenotifications for Social Security 

benefits for Direct Deposit enrollments and changes.

Payment Formats

Federal government ACH payments are originated in the Prearranged Payment and Deposit (PPD) 

with or without addenda, Corporate Credit or Debit (CCD) with or without addenda, Corporate 

Trade Exchange (CTX) formats, or International ACH Transaction (IAT). Refer to the Nacha 

Operating Rules & Guidelines for details on payment record formats.

Account Requirements

All federal government benefit payment enrollments must be established for a deposit account at 

the financial institution that is in the name of the recipient or beneficiary with the following 

exceptions:

• Where an authorized payment agent (representative payee) has been selected, a representative

payee is an individual or organization appointed by SSA to receive Social Security and/or SSI

benefits for someone who cannot manage or direct someone else to manage his or her money.

The main responsibilities of a payee are to use the benefits to pay for the current and

foreseeable needs of the beneficiary and properly save any benefits not needed to meet current

needs. A payee must also keep records of expenses.

• Where the payment is to be deposited into an investment account established through a

securities broker or dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or an

investment account established through an investment company registered under the

Investment Company Act of 1940 or its transfer agent, the payment may be deposited into an

account designated by the broker or dealer, investment company, or transfer agent.

• Where a federal payment is disbursed to a resident of a nursing facility, as defined in 42 U.S.C.

1396r, the payment may be deposited into a resident trust or patient fund account established

by the nursing facility so long as it meets the requirements under federal law relating to the
Green Book 2. ACH Payment Processing

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 2-5

protection of such funds. For more information on these requirements, please visit the ACH

regulations website.

• Where a federal payment is disbursed to a member of a religious order who has taken a vow of

poverty, the payment may be deposited to an account established by the religious order. The

phrase ‘member of a religious order who has taken a vow of poverty’ is defined as it would be by

the Internal Revenue Service for federal tax purposes.

• Where a federal payment is to be deposited to an account accessed by the recipient through a

prepaid card that meets the following requirements:

(A) The account is held at an insured financial institution,

(B) The account is set up to meet the requirements for pass-through deposit or share insurance

such that the funds accessible through the card are insured for the benefit of the recipient

by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the National Credit Union Share Insurance

Fund in accordance with applicable law (12 CFR part 330 or 12 CFR part 745),

(C) The account is not attached to a line of credit or loan agreement under which repayment

from the account is triggered upon delivery of the federal payments, and

(D) The issuer of the card complies with all the requirements and provides the holder of the

card with all the consumer protections, that apply to a payroll card account under the

rules implementing the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, as amended.

No person or entity may issue a prepaid card that receives federal payments in violation of these 

requirements, and no financial institution may maintain an account for or on behalf of an issuer 

of a prepaid card that receives federal payments if the issuer violates these requirements. If 

Fiscal Service becomes aware that a prepaid card product that accepts federal government 

payments does not meet these requirements, it will research the card product and report any 

violations of these requirements to the institution’s primarily regulator.

• Where Treasury has granted a waiver.

Misdirected Payments

. The RDFI decides to manually post the misdirected payment to the correct account and originates 

an NOC entry with the correct account and/or RTN information. Please note that the financial 

institution does this at its own risk and may be liable to the issuing agency if the financial 

institution post the misdirect payment to an incorrect account and there is a resulting loss by the 

agency. Please see Chapter 6, Notification of Change, for more information. If the financial 

institution cannot credit the misdirected payment to the correct account, the financial institution 

may return the payment to the agency with an appropriate reason code. Please see Chapter 4, 

Returns, for more information.

It is important to note that a financial institution is not required to manually verify that the name on 

the ACH entry matches the name on the account at the time the payment is posted. An RDFI is only 

liable for posting the payment to the account in the ACH credit entry.
2. ACH Payment Processing Green Book

2-6 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Notice of Misdirected Payment

In accordance with 31 CFR part 210, an RDFI that becomes aware that an agency has misdirected 

an ACH credit entry to the wrong account must promptly notify the agency. A financial institution 

may become aware of a misdirected payment through the following ways:

• The account holder notifies the financial institution of the misdirected payment,

• A non-receipt claim being investigated by Fiscal Service,

• A financial institution that manually posts their ACH credits notices that a payment is being

credited to the wrong account. (It is important to note that an institution is not required to

match names when posting a federal government ACH entry; however, if it routinely posts

entries manually and notices that an entry is being directed to the wrong account, it is required

to notify the agency.), and

• A call from the federal agency that disbursed the payment.

If a financial institution becomes aware of a misdirected payment, it can notify the agency in the 

following ways and meet the requirements of 31 CFR part 210:

• The RDFI decides to manually post the misdirected payment to the correct account and

originates an NOC entry with the correct account and/or RTN information. Please note that the

financial institution does this at its own risk and may be liable to the issuing agency if the

financial institution is incorrect and there is a resulting loss by the agency,

• Return the original ACH credit entry to the agency with the appropriate return reason code,

• Contact the agency by phone or by letter. Please see Chapter 7, Contacts, and

• Any other means deemed acceptable by the agency that disbursed the ACH credit payment.

Availability of Funds

In accordance with Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines, any non-Same Day ACH credit payment 

must be made available for withdrawal by the Receiver no later than 9:00 a.m., Receiving 

Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) local time, on the settlement date (provided the entries are 

made available to the RDFI by its ACH operator no later than 5:00 p.m. on the banking day prior to 

the settlement date).

On January 03, 2022, the Fiscal Service accepted the Nacha rule changes that allow for Same Day 

ACH transactions, and effective March 22, 2022, Fiscal Service amended 31 CFR Part 210, to 

address changes made by Nacha through the 2021 Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines book, 

including supplements thereto.

Same Day ACH rules have established three windows for all financial institutions to submit Same 

Day ACH payments: 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:45 p.m. ET. Fiscal Service only uses the second and 

third windows for same day ACH transactions. Funds from Same Day ACH credits processed in the 

second processing window will be made available by 5:00 p.m. RDFI’s local time, while funds from 

Same Day ACH credits processed in the third window are settled at 6:00 p.m. ET. The amount of a 

third window Same Day ACH credit must be available to the receiver’s account no later than the end 

of the RDFI’s processing day (RDFI’s local time). Such funds are not required to be 

available for

withdrawal on the settlement date. There is a $1,000,000 per payment limit for Same Day ACH that 

applies to all Fiscal Service payment customers.
Green Book 2. ACH Payment Processing

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 2-7

Non-Treasury Disbursed Organizations, who do not submit their payments through the Fiscal 

Service, are currently prohibited from authorizing any Same Day ACH credits for payments. Only 

agencies that disburse through the Fiscal Service will be permitted to request Same Day ACH 

payments. Fiscal Service began to process Same Day ACH credits (for payments) in April 2018. The 

Fiscal Service began to accept Same Day ACH credits and debits for tax collections beginning in 

September 2017.

C: Federal ACH Payment Schedule

Fiscal Service publishes the federal ACH Payment Schedule annually on the Fiscal Service website. 

This listing provides the actual payment date for recurring federal payments. The payment date 

equals the ACH settlement date. RDFIs are liable for provisional payments made in advance of 

settlement date and may use their own discretion posting provisional payments to accounts

D: Identifying Treasury Disbursed Payments

Consumer Payments

Consumer Payment Formats

Consumer payments are designated for deposit into an individual’s account. They are identified by 

the Standard Entry Class (SEC) code to be used for consumer entries which is found in the 

Company/Batch Header Record (Field 6) of the payment file data. (Note: If the correct format is not 

used, the payment should be returned.) 

Standard Entry Class Code

The Prearranged Payment and Deposit (PPD) is the SEC code used for identifying federal agency 

consumer payments. The payment entries may be accompanied by a PPD addenda record (PPD+) 

which further identifies the reason for the payment. 

Social Security Administration Use of Prearranged Payment and Deposit(PPD+)

For Direct Deposit of Representative Fee Payments and Direct Deposit of Representative 

Payees/Organizational Representative Payees

The Social Security Administration (SSA) issues fee payments either by check or direct deposit to 

individuals who have represented Social Security claimants and/or act as a representative payee. 

SSA has begun to use the PPD+ format for ACH payments to representatives that include adequate 

payment-related information that can be passed onto them to identify and credit the payment to

the correct person/account. The information is included in 9 + rtn of the Addenda Record (Payment 

Related Information) and is based on ANSI X12 (American National Standards Institute coding for 

Electronic Data Interchange) syntax.

Fiscal Service encourages RDFIs to pass through to their account holders, as quickly as possible, 

pertinent information from both the Entry Detail Record and the Addenda Record when a payment 

is received. The representative needs this addenda information to reconcile their client account 

records. The method of providing this information to the account holder is at the discretion of the

financial institution and its customer.
2. ACH Payment Processing Green Book

2-8 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Payment Types

Types of payments that utilize the PPD standard entry class category include the following:

• benefit,

• annuity,

• travel,

• salary,

• allotment,

• IRS tax refund,

• IRS (Advance Child Tax Credit), and

• public debt payments.

Identifying the Paying Agency/Payment Type

Field 7 “Company Entry Description” (Company/Batch Header Record)

The first 2 positions are the Garnishment Exempt Indicator. The ~ symbol indicates a blank space. See section F for 

additional details on the Garnishment Exempt Indicator. 

Paying Agency/Payment Type Field Contents

Fiscal Service/TreasuryDirect

Marketable Securities / Savings Bonds

Government Series Security Payments

‘~~MISC PAY’

‘~~SLG_PMT ‘

Department of Treasury

Internal Revenue Service – Tax Refund

Internal Revenue Service (Economic Impact Payment

Internal Revenue Service (Advance Child Tax Credit)

‘~~TAX REF ‘

‘~~TAXEIP#_’ (# = 1, 2, or 3)

‘~~CHILDCTC’

Central Intelligence Agency

CIA Annuity CIARDSANNU

Department of Veterans Affairs

Compensation and Pension

Insurance

Education

‘XXVA_BENEF’

‘XXVA INSUR’

‘XXVA _ _ _ _ _ _’ (Various values like ‘EDUC’, ‘CH35’, ‘1607’, etc.)

Federal Pay

Federal Salary

Federal Travel Payments 

Federal Annuity

Federal Vendor/Misc 

‘~~FED SAL ‘

‘~~FED TVL 

‘~~FED ANNU’

‘~~MISC PAY’

Office of Personnel Management

Civil Service Retirement(Annuity) ‘XXCIV SERV’

Railroad Retirement Board

Railroad Retirement/Annuity

Unemployment/Sickness

‘XXRR RET ‘ 

‘XXRR UISI ‘

Social Security Administration

Social Security

Supplemental Security Income

‘XXSOC SEC ‘ 

’XXSUPP SEC’

Department of Defense

Marine Corps Salary 

Current Use

‘~~MCTF PAY’ 

 Department of Defense

Air Force Military Pay

Army Military Pay

Future Use: New descriptions to be implemented with the future 

transition of payments from Dept of Defense to Treasury.

 ‘~~AIRF PAY’

 ‘~~ARMY PAY’

 ‘~~NAVY PAY’
Green Book 2. ACH Payment Processing

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 2-9

Navy Military Pay

DoD Retired Pay

DoD Civilian Pay

DoD Vendor / Misc Pay

 DoD Travel

 ‘~~RET PAY ‘

 ‘~~CIV PAY ‘

 ‘~~DOD MISC’

 ‘~~DOD TVL ‘

E: Identifying Non-Treasury Disbursed Payments

Identifying the PayingAgency/Payment Type

Field 7 “Company Entry Description” (Company/Batch Header Record)

Paying Agency/Payment Type Field Contents

Air Force

Active Duty

Active Duty Allotments 

Annuity

Retirement

Retirement Pay Allotments

AF_PAY_J_ _ 

AF_MP_ALLT

AF_RET_PAY

AF_RET_PAY

AF_RP_ALLT

Army

Active Duty

Annuity

Reserve

Retirement

ARMYACTIVE

ARMY_BEN_ _ 

ARMY_RC_ _ _ 

ARMY_RET_ _ 

Navy

Active Duty

Active Duty Allotments 

Annuity

Retirement

Retirement Pay Allotments 

Reserve Drill Pay

NAVY_ACT_ _ 

NAVY_ALT_ _ 

NAVY_ANN_ _ 

NAVY_RET_ _ 

NAVY_RPA_ _ 

NAVY_RDP_ _ 

Identifying the Payee

Field 7 Contents (Entry Detail Record)

IF the payment type is ... THEN the IndividualID

Number field contents

identify the payee by...

IF the payment type is ... THEN Field 7 contents

identify the payee by...

Air Force

Active Duty

Active Duty Allotment

Annuity

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Reserve

Retirement

Retirement Pay Allotment

Individual's SSN 

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Army

Active Duty

Annuity

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Reserve

Retirement

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Marine Corps

Active Duty

Active Duty Allotment

Annuity

Letters "KR"

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Reserve

Retirement

Retirement Pay Allotment

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Navy

Active Duty

Active Duty Allotment

Annuity

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Reserve

Retirement

Retirement Pay Allotment

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN

Individual's SSN
2. ACH Payment Processing Green Book

2-10 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

F: Garnishment of Federal Benefits

Garnishment is the execution, levy, attachment, or other legal process involving a written 

instruction issued by a court, a state or state agency, a municipality or municipal corporation or a 

state child support enforcement agency. This includes a lien arising by operation of law for overdue 

child support or an order to freeze the assets in an account, to impact a garnishment against a 

debtor.

Financial institutions are subject to the requirements of title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 

part 212 (31 CFR part 212) which requires financial institutions to take certain actions upon 

receipt of garnishment orders.

Fiscal Service has published the document “Guidelines for Garnishments of Accounts Containing

Federal Benefit Payments” that financial institutions can reference when a garnishment order is 

received for an account into which federal benefit payments have been directly deposited.

Financial institutions that receive a garnishment order are required to determine the sum of 

protected federal benefits deposited to the account during a two month period, and ensure that the 

account holder has access to an amount equal to that sum or to the current balance of the account, 

whichever is lower.

Title 31 CFR part 212 applies to the following federal programs:

• Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits administered by the Social Security

Administration;

• Veterans benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs;

• Federal Railroad retirement unemployment and sickness benefits administered by the

Railroad Retirement Board; and

• Civil Service Retirement System and Federal Employee Retirement System benefits

administered by the Office of Personnel Management.

To assist financial institutions, Fiscal Service is encoding an “XX” in Positions 54-55 of the 

“Company Entry Description” field of the Batch Header Record for ACH/PPD and ACH/CCD 

payments that are designated as federal benefit payments that are exempt from garnishment. This 

encoding allows financial institutions to determine whether a federal direct deposit payment is an 

exempt federal benefit payment. Financial institutions may rely on the presence of an “XX” 

encoded in Positions 54-55 of the “Company Entry Description” Field to identify a federal 

benefit payment exempt from garnishment.

EXAMPLES:

Company Entry Description (Positions 54-63)

Benefit Payment Type Prior to the Garnishment Rule With the Garnishment Rule

Social Security SOC SEC XXSOC SEC

Supplemental Security Income SUPP SEC XXSUPP SEC

Railroad Retirement RR RET XXRR RET

Because it is possible that a commercial payment could also have an “XX” encoded in Positions 54- 

55, financial institutions must verify that the payment is a federal payment. This can be confirmed
Green Book 2. ACH Payment Processing

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 2-11

either by searching for a “2” in the “Originator Status Code” Field in the Batch Header Record 

(Position 79) OR by reviewing the description of the payment in the ACH Batch Header Record 

Company Entry Description to ensure that the payment is one of the exempt federal benefit types 

shown in the Fiscal Service publication “Guidelines for Garnishments of Accounts Containing

Federal Benefit Payments”.
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 3-1

3 Non-Receipt Claims

Overview

In this chapter...

A: General Information on ACH Non-Receipt Claims ......................................................................... 3-2

RDFI of a Direct Deposit Federal Payment....................................................................................................... 3-2

B: Initiating a Formal Claim of ACH Non-Receipt................................................................................ 3-3

C: Non-Receipt Process ................................................................................................................................ 3-3

Legal References Supporting Treasury Non-Receipt Investigation........................................................ 3-4

ACH Non-Receipt Claims Process......................................................................................................................... 3-4

Payment Trace Requests: Manual Non-Receipt Claims Process.............................................................. 3-5

This chapter describes the role(s) of the financial institution in resolving a claim of non-receipt for a 

federal payment.
3-2 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

3. Non-Receipt Claims Green Book

A: General Information on ACH Non-Receipt Claims

It is imperative that Receiving Depository Financial Institutions (RDFI) review procedures for 

posting payments and funds availability to ensure compliance with 31 CFR part 210 and Nacha 

Operating Rules (See Chapter 2, Availability of Funds, for specific information about federal ACH 

funds availability). Any RDFI can be held liable for ACH payments not processed timely or correctly. 

If the federal government sustains a loss as a result of the financial institution’s improper handling 

of an entry, the financial institution is liable to the federal government for the loss, up to the amount 

of the entry.

It is extremely important that all RDFI personnel, especially branch, teller, and customer service 

representatives are properly trained to locate payments, specifically those which are “memo 

posted” or post prior to the settlement date. Close to 75 percent of “missing” federal payments are 

at the RDFI when the recipient calls to inquire. Thorough research will limit misinformation and 

subsequent unnecessary non-receipt claims and simultaneously increase confidence in Direct 

Deposit as a payment method.

If the RDFI determines that it did not receive a payment, the benefit recipient may contact the 

issuing agency to open a claim of non-receipt. The issuing agency in turn notifies the Fiscal Service. 

Fiscal Service will initiate contact with the RDFI in an attempt to locate or resolve a claim of nonreceipt.

Note: Some federal payments may be reduced, in whole or in part, to pay a delinquent debt owed by 

the payee to a federal or state agency. For more information about the Treasury Offset Program, visit 

https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/top/.

RDFI of a Direct Deposit Federal Payment

Role in response to customer inquiry on the status

The RDFI should make every reasonable attempt to locate a payment prior to redirecting a 

recipient to the authorizing federal agency. RDFI employees should have an understanding of the 

various posting techniques utilized to assist customers who are concerned with the status of their 

direct deposit. RDFIs should be aware of the following situations that often result in unnecessary 

non-receipt claims:

1. Determine ifthe payment was posted late,

• RDFI should be able to explain why there was a delay.

2. Determine if the payment was memo posted,

• RDFI customer service personnel may sometimes be unaware of, or do not check for

“memo posted” items. “Memo-posting” is a temporary credit applied to a payee’s

account during the day. Memo-posted transactions are finalized in the RDFIs end of day

processing.

3. Determine ifthe payment was posted early,

• Due to volume and processing considerations the RDFI may receive ACH payment files a

few days prior to their settlement dates. “Early posting” occurs when an RDFI posts a

payment to a recipient’s account prior to the settlement date.

4. Determine if a third-party processor is used and confirm funds availability through

the processor,
Green Book 3. Non-Receipt Claims

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 3-3

• RDFI should confirm if the funds were made available to the recipient.

5. Determine ifthe payment was an exception item,

• The RDFI should be aware that a payment may have been posted incorrectly, manually

posted, or returned due to incorrect account information.

6. In some instances, the RDFI may never receive a payment for the recipient.

Determine if the recipient has:

• Changed financial institutions,

• Revoked the Direct Deposit authorization,

• Verified entitlement with the authorizing federal agency, and

• A delinquent debt owed to a federal or state agency, which may have been submitted to

Fiscal Service for collection.

Note: The RDFI should process a NOC entry if they are responsible for the change information. The 

RDFI may request the benefit recipient to update their information with the issuing agency if the 

customer has a closed account, new account, etc.

Title 31 CFR 210.8(b)(2) specifically addresses the liability placed on RDFIs for the correct 

preparation of ENRs and NOCs.

B: Initiating a Formal Claim of ACH Non-Receipt

If all efforts to locate the payment(s) have failed, the RDFI should instruct the recipient to file a nonreceipt claim directly with the authorizing federal agency. The table below lists federal agencies by 

types of payments.

Type of Payment Action

Federal Salary and allotments (including 

military and civilian pay)

Military Active Duty allotments

Advise recipient to contact their payroll office.

Note: Coast Guard Active Duty and Allotments (785) 339-3506.

Military Retirement/Annuity/Allotments Advise recipient to contact the appropriate military branch. 

Refer to Contacts, Chapter 7.

Travel Payments

TreasuryDirect

Advise recipient to contact their finance/ travel office

Refer to Contacts, Chapter 7 

Vendor, Miscellaneous, and All Other 

Payment Types

Advise recipient to contact the federal agency that authorized 

the payment. Refer to Contacts, Chapter 7.

C: Non-Receipt Process

Upon notification from the recipient that a payment has not been received, the authorizing federal 

agency will notify the Fiscal Service. Fiscal Service will research the claim by either the ACH NonReceipt claim process, or by using the traditional FS Form 150.1, Trace Request Form, to determine 

the status of the claim.
3. Non-Receipt Claims Green Book

3-4 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Legal References Supporting Treasury Non-Receipt Investigation

1. 12 USC 3413(k)(2): Disclosure Necessary for Proper Administration of Programs of

Certain Government Authorities

12 USC 3413 (k)(2) of the Right to Financial Privacy Act provides: “Nothing in this title shall apply

to the disclosure by the financial institution of information contained in the financial records of any 

customer to any government authority that certifies, disburses, or collects payments, where the 

disclosure of such information is necessary and such information is used solely for the purpose of

... the investigation or recovery of an improper federal payment...”

2. Title 31 CFR part 210.3(c): Federal Government Participation in the Automated Clearing

House (ACH)

Specifically, Title 31 CFR part 210.3(c) provides: “Any person or entity that originates or receives a 

government entry agrees to be bound by this part and to comply with all instructions and 

procedures issued by the Service under this part including the Treasury Financial Manual and the 

Green Book.” This regulatory provision also points out that the Green Book is available on the Fiscal 

Service website.

3. Green Book, Chapter 4 Returns

The Green Book chapter on Returns states that: Unpostable payments must be returned so that 

they are received by the government disbursing office ODFI no later than the opening of business 

on the second banking day following the settlement date of the original entry. Under no 

circumstances should a financial institution hold payments indefinitely in a suspense account, or by 

any other means, nor should payments otherwise be held if any of the conditions apply on when to 

return a payment. Holding payments may constitute a breach of the financial institution’s warranty 

for the handling of federal government ACH payments under regulations codified in 31 CFR part 

210.

ACH Non-Receipt Claims Process

Fiscal Service has partnered with several federal agencies to research Direct Deposit ACH nonreceipt claims. Fiscal Service representatives will contact the RDFI directly by telephone, email, or 

facsimile to resolve claims of non-receipt. Fiscal Service has access to all the payment information 

and will seek assistance in identifying the following checklist of items:

1. Verification of payment status (posted, funds held, returned, etc.),

Question: Did the item in question post to the account number provided on the date of

payment?

2. Verification that the intended payee received the payment,

Question: Does the payee’s name appear on the account?

3. Situations where the recipient’s name is not on the account (If it is determined that an item

has posted to an improper account Fiscal Service will make a request for the return of those

funds subject to availability),

Question: Can you provide the date the funds were returned, and the reason code used? Do you

require an R06 (Returned per ODFI Request) letter from Treasury to return these funds?

4. Situations where the recipient did not receive the payment on settlement date, and

Question: Were the funds posted early or late, can the RDFI provide a reasonable explanation as

to why?
Green Book 3. Non-Receipt Claims

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 3-5

5. Payments posted manually, due to account closure or invalid account information.

RDFIs should originate a Notification of Change (NOC) entry if corrections are needed for future

payments. See Chapter 6, Notification of Change, and the Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines for

detailed instructions.

Note: Fiscal Service may also request the name, mailing address and telephone number of the 

improper recipient under the authority of 12 USC 3413(k) (Right to Financial Privacy Act of 1978).

When the reason for non-receipt has been determined, Fiscal Service will mail the recipient a letter 

informing him/her of the resolution.

Keep in mind that RDFIs can be held liable for ACH payments not processed timely or correctly. If 

the federal government sustains a loss because of a financial institution’s improper handling of an 

entry, the financial institution is liable to the federal government for the loss, up to the amount of 

the entry.

Payment Trace Requests: ManualNon-Receipt Claims Process

A sample FS Form 150.1, Payment Trace Request Form, is available in Chapter 9, Forms.

The FS Form 150.1 is used to trace all payments other than benefit payments. Upon receipt of a FS 

Form 150.1, the RDFI should follow these steps:

1. Verify the status of the payment in question, by making all attempts to locate the payment at

the RDFI,

2. Credit the payment immediately if the payment was not previously credited or returned,

3. Return the payment by ACH if it cannot be credited for any reason,

4. Complete the FINANCIAL INSTITUTION ACTION section within three (3) business days of

receipt of the form by the RDFI,

5. Return the DISBURSING OFFICE COPY to the government disbursing office identified on the

form, and

The RDFI must respond to Fiscal Service within three business days by completing and returning 

the FS Form 150.1 to Fiscal Service as indicated on the form. Fiscal Service will verify acceptance of 

the return.

• If no reply is received, Fiscal Service will contact the financial institution and will pursue the

case until it is resolved. If Fiscal Service still receives no reply, a letter will be sent to the

President of the RDFI.

• The authorizing federal agency may also contact the RDFI to resolve payment problems.

Keep in mind that the RDFIs can be held liable for ACH payments not processed timely or correctly. 

If the federal government sustains a loss as a result of a financial institution’s improper handling of 

an entry, the financial institution is liable to the federal government for the loss, up to the amount of 

the entry.
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 4-1

4 Returns

Overview

 This chapter describes the return process for federal payments.

In this chapter...

A: General Information on Returns ......................................................................................................... 4-2

Return Reason Codes (ACH Credits)................................................................................................................... 4-2

Death Notification Entry.......................................................................................................................................... 4-3

Effect of Returning a Payment............................................................................................................................... 4-4

Notice of Misdirected Payment............................................................................................................................. 4-4

Manual Posting of Payments.................................................................................................................................. 4-4

No Holding of Payments in Suspense Accounts ............................................................................................. 4-4

Recipients Without Current Accounts................................................................................................................ 4-4

B: Returning Payments Through the ACH.............................................................................................. 4-5

ACH Correct Preparation of Returns .................................................................................................................. 4-5

Claim Number Structure Table ............................................................................................................................. 4-5

C: Returning Partial Payments in Response to Notices of Reclamation...................................... 4-6

D: Dishonored Returns ................................................................................................................................ 4-7

Most Common Errors................................................................................................................................................ 4-7

E: Payments Returned in Error; Obtaining a Refund due from the Government..................... 4-8

What to do if a Payment was Returned in Error ............................................................................................ 4-8

Additional Information on TreasuryDirect Payments made in Error/Duplicate.............................. 4-9

SSA Program Service Centers ................................................................................................................................ 4-9

What to do if there are Duplicate Returns...................................................................................................... 4-10

Restoring Funds........................................................................................................................................................ 4-10
4-2 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

4. Returns Green Book

A: General Information on Returns

All ACH Payments must be returned in accordance with Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines. An 

ACH payment must be returned if:

• An enrollment has been terminated and a new enrollment for the same recipient has not been

completed,

• The financial institution receives a benefit payment after it has actual or constructive

knowledge of the death or legal incapacity of a recipient, including a representative payee,

• The financial institution is honoring a Death Notification Entry (DNE) or other notification of

death from a federal agency,

• The account has been closed by the recipient, or the financial institution has closed an account

to which benefit payments are being delivered after giving the recipient 30 days written notice

(except where fraud is suspected; then the account may be closed immediately),

• There is no current account for the recipient, and

• For any other reason the financial institution is unable to credit the payment to the account.

Return Reason Codes (ACH Credits)

The government can accept all Nacha-approved return reason codes. Following is a list of some of 

the more common return reason codes that RDFIs use to return government credits:

• R02 Account Closed

• R03 No Account/Unable to Locate Account

• R04 Invalid Account Number Structure

• R06 Returned per ODFI’s Request

• R14 Representative Payee Deceased or Unable to Continue in that Capacity

• R15 Beneficiary or Account Hold (Other Than a Representative Payee) Deceased

• R16 Account Frozen/Entry Returned Per OFAC Instruction

• R17 File Record Edit Criteria (Specify)/Entry with Invalid Account Number Initiated Under

Questionable Circumstances/Return of Improperly-Initiated Reversal

• R20 Non-Transaction Account

If you must return a federal payment for any reason not listed, use reason code “R20” on the return.

RDFIs that learn of the death of a recipient of benefit payments from a source other than the agency 

are encouraged to use reason code R15 (Beneficiary or Account Holder Deceased) or R14 

(Representative Payee Deceased) to notify government agencies of the death. By using these return 
Green Book 4. Returns

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 4-3

codes, the RDFI will satisfy both the requirement to return post-death payments that it receives 

after actual or constructive knowledge of the death, and the requirement to notify the agency of the 

death of the recipient.

RDFIs are able (but not required) to use Return Reason Code R17 – (File Record Edit Criteria / 

Entry with Invalid Account Number Initiated Under Questionable Circumstances / Return of 

Improperly-Initiated Reversal) to indicate that the RDFI believes an ACH Credit containing invalid 

account information was initiated under questionable circumstances. This use of R17 is optional at 

the discretion of the RDFI. Those RDFIs that elect to use R17 for this purpose are required to use the 

description “QUESTIONABLE” in the Addenda Information field of the return. This description in an

R17 return differentiates returns that appear to be suspicious to the RDFI from those due to routine 

account number issues.

Note: The existing Nacha-coordinated opt-in programs with federal and state tax agencies that allow 

RDFIs to return questionable tax refund ACH credits using R17 will continue unchanged. These 

programs will not be impacted by this additional optional use of the R17 Return Reason Code. Fiscal 

Service and the IRS participate with Nacha in this program for IRS tax refund credit entries returned 

as questionable. The Return Reason Code R17 will also continue to be used in its standard form for 

returns involving required field errors. For more information- https://www.nacha.org/content/irsrefund-return-opt-program

Death Notification Entry

The Death Notification Entry (DNE) allows federal agencies to notify financial institutions of a 

benefit recipient’s death. Only an agency of the federal government may originate a DNE. Currently, 

SSA, OPM, and RRB originate DNEs. Other federal benefit agencies may originate DNEs at a future 

date. The DNE is a zero-dollar entry with an addenda record. The addenda record contains the date 

of death, the deceased individual’s SSN, and the amount of the next scheduled benefit payment.

Upon receipt of a DNE, the financial institution is encouraged to “flag” the deceased recipient’s 

account to prevent accepting further post-death federal benefit payments. See below form common 

errors with flagging.

Example: Flagging Joint Accounts

A married couple own a joint account. One spouse dies. A DNE is sent from the federal benefit 

agency to the RDFI. The RDFI receives the DNE and the account is “flagged”. The surviving spouse 

becomes eligible for surviving spousal’s benefits, and a benefit payment is sent to the joint account. 

Since the account is “flagged,” the RDFI improperly returns the surviving spousal’s benefits with a 

reason code of R15 (beneficiary or account holder deceased). The agency receives the returned 

benefit and processes an improper death termination for the surviving spouse. The agency also 

sends an improper DNE for the surviving spouse to the RDFI.

Solution: To protect joint account holders, the account should be “flagged” with another piece of 

identifying information (i.e., deceased name, SSN). This allows the joint account holder to continue 

receiving their own payments. If this is not possible, a new account with a new Direct Deposit 

authorization should be established.

Example: Flagging Erroneous Report of Death

A recipient is receiving benefits. An erroneous report of death is received by the federal benefit 

agency for the recipient. A DNE is sent from the agency to the RDFI and the account is “flagged”. The 

recipient discovers the problem and presents proof to the agency and the RDFI of the error in the 

fact of death. The RDFI fails to remove the flagging from the account. The agency resends the

benefit payment to the recipient’s account, which is still “flagged”. The RDFI returns benefits with a 
4. Returns Green Book

4-4 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

reason code for death of R15 (beneficiary or account holder deceased) to the agency based on the 

erroneous flagging. The agency receives the returned benefit and re-processes the death 

termination. The agency sends an improper DNE once again to the RDFI.

Solution: Always remember to remove any “flagging” on an account when a report of death proves to 

be erroneous.

Note: If a financial institution needs to correct errors in their use of return reason codes when 

returning funds, they should contact the agency receiving the return. Please see Chapter 7, Contacts,

for major paying agency contact information.

Effect of Returning a Payment

Any returned payment automatically revokes the Direct Deposit authorization and may stop further 

payments from the federal agency to a recipient’s account. The recipient should contact the 

authorizing federal agency to resume payments.

Notice of Misdirected Payment

In accordance with 31 CFR part 210, if an RDFI becomes aware that an agency has originated an 

ACH credit entry to an account that is not owned by the payee whose name appears in the ACH 

payment information, the RDFI shall promptly notify the agency. An RDFI that originates a NOC 

entry with the correct account and/or RTN information or returns the original ACH credit entry to 

the agency with the appropriate return reason code, shall be deemed to have satisfied this 

requirement.

Manual Posting of Payments

Financial institutions may conduct a manual search of their unpostable ACH payments to determine 

if the payment can be posted.

RDFIs may be held liable for ACH payments not processed timely or correctly. If the federal 

government sustains a loss as a result of a financial institution’s improper handling of an entry, the 

financial institution is liable to the federal government for the loss, up to the amount of the entry.

No Holding of Payments in Suspense Accounts

Under no circumstances should a financial institution hold unpostable incoming payments 

indefinitely in a suspense account, or by any other means, nor should payments otherwise be held if 

any of the conditions apply on when to return a payment. Holding payments may constitute a 

breach of the financial institution’s warranty for the handling of federal government ACH payments 

under regulations codified in 31 CFR part 210.

Recipients Without Current Accounts

Under normal circumstances a financial institution should not open a new account in response to an 

unpostable payment. If the recipient closes the account and opens a new account, the recipient must 

establish a new Direct Deposit authorization. If a recipient’s account has been closed, the financial 

institution must return any subsequent payments made by the federal agency to the account. However, 

when an account is closed due to fraud and a new account is opened at the same financial institution to 

replace the account with fraudulent activity, then only an NOC is required."
Green Book 4. Returns

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 4-5

B: Returning Payments Through the ACH

ACH Correct Preparation of Returns

It is essential that RDFI employees preparing returns have access to data in the original item 

originated by the government disbursing office. If a processor is used, RDFIs should be sure that the 

return entry is properly formatted to include the data from the original entry.

“When a Return Entry is prepared, the original Company/Batch Header Record, the original Entry 

Detail Record, and the Company/Batch Control Record are copied for return to the Originator” 

(Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines). If accurate data is not provided in the return entry, the 

government disbursing office will dishonor the return.

The following four fields must be identical to the original payment data:

1. Trace number (provided in the entry detail record),

2. Effective entry date,

3. Amount of payment, and

4. Individual ID number (i.e., claim number. See the Claim Number Structure Table below).

Note: Financial institutions using data processors could receive reformatted data which may contain 

errors or omissions. The original payment information must be used in its exact format to avoid 

rejections.

Financial institutions should carefully track returned benefit payments to ensure that the returns 

are not dishonored. This could create an additional liability for the financial institution in a 

reclamation case.

Claim Number Structure Table

The following table represents correct claim number structures used in formatting returns.

AGENCY CLAIM NUMBER STRUCTURE EXAMPLE

Social Security Administration 999999999XX

999999999X

999999999

123456789C1

123456789A

123456789

Office of Personnel Management Xb9999999bXb 

Xb9999999b9b

F_1234567_W_ 

A_1234567_0_

Department of Veterans Affairs 999999999b99b99

99999999b99b99

162306890_10_01

12345678_00_06

Railroad Retirement Board 

Retirement/Annuity

Unemployment/Sickness

XXX999999999b9b

Xbb999999bbbb9b 

XXbZZZZZ9bbbb9b 

bbb999999999

WCA123456789_7_ 

A 123456 1_

WD_000006 8_

 123456789

Department of Labor 999999999XXbXXb 123456789LW_MB_

Key: X = alphanumeric, 9 = numeric, b = blank, Z = zero filled, _ = space
4. Returns Green Book

4-6 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

C: Returning Partial Payments in Response to Notices of 

Reclamation

Payments should be returned by ACH except in limited circumstances. If a partial payment is being 

returned in response to a Notice of Reclamation (FS Form 133), a financial institution can elect to 

either have their account debited for the partial payment, or, alternatively, returned by check. In no 

other case should ACH returns be made by check, except as described in the Note below. Please 

refer to Chapter 5, Reclamations, for more information including how to request an ACH debit 

authorization.

Note: If the original payment data is not available, a financial institution may be forced to return an 

ACH payment by check. The financial institution will receive credit. However, in these cases, credit will 

be delayed due to manual processing. Note that under Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines, records of 

all entries including return and adjustment entries must be retained for six years from the date the 

entry was transmitted.

If the financial institution is returning a payment that is beyond 6 years, the financial institution 

may do so by mailing the check and related correspondence to the following address:

U.S. Department of the Treasury 

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

National Payment Integrity and Resolution Center

P.O. Box 51318

Philadelphia, PA 19115

The table below shows how to return a partial payment by check in response to a Notice of 

Reclamation.

STEP ACTION

1 Send the government disbursing office a check payable as indicated on item C-3b on the Notice of 

Reclamation.

DO NOT SEND THE CHECK TO THE ORIGINATING FEDERAL AGENCY.

2 Attach a cover letter listing the following information for each payment subject to return:

• effective entry date,

• amount of payment,

• individual identification number (i.e., SSN/claim number), and

• reason for return.

If the above payment information is not available, provide the following information:

• recipient’s name,

• recipient’s SSN or other applicable federal government identification number,

• date of death, and

• name of originating federal agency.

The cover letter must always include:

• recipient’s name, and

• name of originating federal agency.

Provide the name, address, and telephone number of the financial institution contact.
Green Book 4. Returns

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 4-7

D: Dishonored Returns

ACH return entries will be dishonored by the government disbursing office if discrepancies exist 

between the data on the return item and the data on the original payment.

 Most Common Errors

For Treasury-disbursed payments, four fields are read on return items. If any one of these four 

fields are not identical to the original payment data, Treasury will dishonor the return.

The following four fields must be identical to the original payment data:

1. Original Entry Trace Number (provide in the addenda record),

2. Effective entry date (i.e., payment date),

3. Amount of payment, and

4. Individual ID number (i.e., claim number).

The discretionary data field on the return item should be left blank ONLY if it was blank in the 

original ACH entry. If the field contains data in the original entry, the exact same data must be 

included in the return entry.

Note that a VA claim number may be an 8-digit number with a blank in the leading space of the 

individual ID field. If the space is ignored, and the number is left-justified, the return will be 

dishonored. (See the claim number structure table on page 4-5.)

If a financial institution receives a dishonored return, the financial institution should correct the 

information in the return and originate a contested return in accordance with Nacha Operating

Rules & Guidelines.

Dishonored Return Codes:

• R61 - Misrouted Return

• R67 - Duplicate Return

• R68 - Untimely Return

• R69 - Field Errors (the error(s) will be identified in the Addenda Information field on the

dishonored file positions 59-79. The two-digit code, separated by an asterisk, will be written

for each error found.)

01 - Return Contains Incorrect DFI Account Number

02 - Return Contains Incorrect Original Entry Trace Number

03 - Return Contains Incorrect Dollar Amount

04 - Return Contains Incorrect Individual Identification Number/Identification Number

05 - Return Contains Incorrect Transaction Code

06 - Return Contains Incorrect Company Identification Number

07 - Return Contains an Invalid Effective Entry Date

• R70 - Permissible Return Entry Not Accepted
4. Returns Green Book

4-8 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

E: Payments Returned in Error; Obtaining a Refund due from 

the Government

If a financial institution needs to correct errors in their use of reason codes when returning funds, 

they should contact the agency receiving the return. Please see Chapter 7, Contacts, for major 

paying agency contact information. Any payment returned for “death” will cancel both the Direct 

Deposit authorization and the recipient’s entitlement to that payment.

If you are due a refund from the government under ACH, regardless of whether you have returned 

too much, returned the wrong item(s), or the government debited you too much (e.g., on an ACH 

reclamation), follow these instructions to claim your refund.

Please note that the RDFI is not required to advance credit to the recipient for a payment returned 

in error. However, if the RDFI did advance credit, it should state this in any communication with the 

federal agency.

What to do if a Payment was Returned in Error

ACTION STEPS

1. Contact the federal agency that authorized the payment. Do not contact the government

disbursing office.

Payment Type Contact

OPM Annuity

(formerly Civil Service Retirement)

“CIVIL SERV”

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

P.O. Box 45

Boyers, PA 16017

(724) 794-2005

Social Security

“SOC SEC”

SSA Program Service Center (Refer to SSA Program Service

Centers section in this chapter for appropriate addresses).

Supplemental Social Security Income

“SUPP SEC”

Social Security Administration

Certification and Accounting Branch, Analyst

Room 3-A-2 East High Rise Building

6401 Security Boulevard

Baltimore, MD 21235

(410) 966-5353

Fiscal Service

“TreasuryDirect” 

 Bureau of the Fiscal Service

 Treasury Retail Securities Services

 P.O. Box 9150 

 Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150 

(844) 284-2676

Note: Include with your letter a debit advice, Return Item- Credit Form, and any other documents that

confirm the duplicate or erroneous return.

VA Compensation or Pension

“VA BENEFIT”

None.

Note: Payments returned to the VA in error cannot be recalled. They will be reissued to the recipient’s 

home address.

Railroad Retirement Board Railroad Retirement Board Direct Deposit Coordinator

(312) 751-4704

For all other payment types The federal agency’s local office listed in the telephone

directory.
Green Book 4. Returns

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 4-9

2. Promptly notify the recipient of the error.

If you erroneously reported death on the ACH return, advise the recipient to contact the

originating federal agency immediately to reactivate payments.

Advise the recipient that the returned payment may be sent via check to their home. The

recipient should contact the federal agency to ensure their current home address is on record

and that payments are handled properly.

3. Be aware that your incorrect notification of death to a federal authorizing agency (OPM,

SSA, RRB) may result in a DNE being sent by the agency.

If a DNE is received, be sure to remove any electronic indicator or flag that would automatically

return future payments to the account.

4. Initiate a new enrollment to reactivate ACH payments. Please see Chapter 1, Enrollments,

for more information.

Note: A copy of the financial institution’s original enrollment form may be sent to the federal agency if all the 

information is still correct.

 Additional Information on TreasuryDirect Payments made in 

Error/Duplicate

If a payment is made in error, or if a duplicate payment is made, the financial institution will receive 

either a written or electronic notice from TreasuryDirect that will include the following:

• deposit account name,

• deposit account number,

• date of the improper payment, and

• amount of the improper payment.

 SSA Program Service Centers

The Social Security Administration provides a listing of their regional Program Service Centers, 

which includes each service centers telephone number at this link: 

www.ssa.gov/representation/pct_contact_info_54older.htm.
4. Returns Green Book

4-10 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

What to do if there are Duplicate Returns

The table below shows what to do if there are duplicate returns.

IF . . . THEN . . . AND . . .

two identical ACH returns are

made for the same payment

the government disbursing office will

automatically return the duplicate return 

no further action is required 

by the financial institution.

an ACH return was sent, and the

same payment was returned by

check

the financial institution should promptly write a 

letter of explanation to the federal agency that

authorized the payment and include copies of

the following:

• financial institution’s claim for a refund

• debit advice

• other documentation that confirms the

duplicate return/debit action

the financial institution awaits

further notification from the

authorizing federal agency.

Note: Only the federal agency

that authorized the payment

can make a refund.

the financial institution has been

debited (TFS, Notice of Debit)for

a payment that was already

returned

Restoring Funds

The authorizing federal agency will restore the funds after researching and verifying the request. 

The restoration will be made by the method agreed upon by the federal agency, the financial 

institution, and the recipient, with ACH being the preferred method.
Green Book 5. Reclamations

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-1

5 Reclamations

Overview

In this chapter...

Section 1: Background......................................................................................................................................5-3

Payments Subject to Reclamation........................................................................................................................5-3

Section 2: Liability of a Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI)...................................5-4

A: Full Liability .............................................................................................................................................................5-4

B: Limiting Liability ...................................................................................................................................................5-4

C: Calculating the Limited Liability Amount....................................................................................................5-5

Table 2-A: Calculating the Limited Liability Amount.....................................................................................5-5

Section 3: Reclamation Procedures..............................................................................................................5-6

A: Notification of Death............................................................................................................................................5-6

Title 31 CFR part 210 ....................................................................................................................................................5-7

What to do upon Notification of Death with Payments Already Posted and Subsequent Payments

................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5-8

No Holding of Payments...............................................................................................................................................5-8

Repayment by Survivors...............................................................................................................................................5-8

Handling Survivor Requests not to Return Post-death Benefit Payments.............................................5-9

B: Notice of Reclamation .........................................................................................................................................5-9

Table 3-A: Notice of Reclamation (FS Form 133).............................................................................................5-9

Sample of Notice of Reclamation (FS Form 133)..............................................................................................5-9

Table 3-B: How to Respond to the Notice of Reclamation.............................................................................5-10

ACH Debit Authorizations............................................................................................................................................5-11

Incomplete or Inadequate RDFI Replies............................................................................................................... 5-11

Section 1 defines reclamation and provides some background information on the subject.

Section 2 covers an RDFI’s liability in the reclamation process. Topics include full and limited 

liability, calculating the limited liability amount, and exceptions to the liability rule.

Section 3 gives RDFI’s guidance on processing reclamations using the Automated Reclamation 

Processing System (ARPS) utilizing Pay.gov and provides an updated contact list for individuals 

needing additional information assistance with reclamations.
5. Reclamations Green Book

5-2 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Time Limits for Federal Reclamations................................................................................................................ 5-12

Follow-up to the Notice of Reclamation (Fiscal Service-2942)................................................................. 5-13

Federal Agency Collection from Withdrawers................................................................................................ 5-13

Debit of the RDFI’s Account..................................................................................................................................... 5-13

Table 3-C: Debit of the RDFI’s Account............................................................................................................... 5-13

How to Identify Debits using the Reclamation Ticket Number ................................................................ 5-14

Table 3-D: Transaction Codes for ACH Reclamations.................................................................................. 5-14

C: Errors in Death...................................................................................................................................... 5-15

If the Person did not Die........................................................................................................................................... 5-15

Types of Evidence....................................................................................................................................................... 5-15

Table 3-E: Accepting the Proof...............................................................................................................................5-15

Table 3-F: Rejecting the Proof............................................................................................................................... 5-16

Restarting Payments .................................................................................................................................................. 5-16

If the Date of Death is Wrong.................................................................................................................................. 5-16

Learning of an Error After Completing a Reclamation.............................................................................. 5-17

Table 3-G: Worksheet for Adjusting the Outstanding Total if the Date of Death is Wrong....... 5-17

D: Subsequent Notice of Reclamation ..................................................................................................... 5-17

What to do .............................................................................................................................................................. 5-17

Previous debit....................................................................................................................................................... 5-17

E: Contacts ...................................................................................................................................................... 5-17
Green Book 5. Reclamations

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-3

Section 1: Background

Reclamation is a procedure used by the federal government (government) to recover benefit 

payments made through the ACH to the account of a recipient who died or became legally 

incapacitated or a beneficiary who died before the date of the payment(s).

The government’s right to reclaim funds is established in the United States Code, including at 31

U.S.C. § 3720 and implemented in Title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 210, subpart B, 

and section 210.10(a). The government’s reclamation process is found in 31 CFR 210.9 through

210.14. The reclamation provisions of 31 CFR part 210 completely preempt the reclamation 

provisions of the Nacha Operating Rules & Guidelines with respect to federal benefit payments.

Effective January 1, 2023

• All reclamation responses must be submitted through the Automated Reclamation Processing

System (ARPS) located in Treasury’s Pay.gov web portal (except for responses by DFAS and any

Treasury-approved exceptions). Note: We will no longer accept remittances related to

reclamation responses.

• Exceptions: All exceptions must be approved on a case-by-case basis by Bureau of the Fiscal

Service and requests may be sent to: pfc-reclamations@fiscal.treasury.gov

By accepting a recurring benefit payment from the government, an RDFI agrees to the provisions of 

31 CFR part 210, including the reclamation and debiting of the RDFI’s FRB master account for any 

reclamation for which it is liable. The RDFI also agrees to the liability provisions of the federal 

reclamation regulations found in 31 CFR part 210, subpart B, and affirms this agreement each time 

the RDFI accepts and credits an ACH payment on behalf of a depositor.

Note: In this chapter, “death” always means the death or legal incapacity of a recipient or the death of 

a beneficiary. And “government” always means the federal government.

Payments Subject to Reclamation

Only government benefit payments are subject to reclamation.

Payments Subject to Reclamations Payments not Subject to Reclamations

Social Security benefit or disability (SSA) 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 

Black Lung disability (Dept. of Labor)

Military and Coast Guard retirement, including 

allotments from military retired pay (DoD) 

Civil Service annuity (OPM)

Veterans Administration benefits (VA) 

Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) annuity 

US Coast Guard

Worker's compensation (FECA) 

DC Pensions

Compensation Act (Dept. of Labor)

Any other federal retirement or annuity

Federal salary, allotments, and travel payments

U.S. savings bond payments 

Vendor/miscellaneous payments 

IRS tax refunds

Discretionary allotments

Public debt payments (TreasuryDirect) 

Other types of federal ACH payments

Note:. For post-death payments not affected by 

reclamation, adjustments must be made between 

the authorizing federal agency and the 

recipient’s survivors or estate. 
5. Reclamations Green Book

5-4 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Section 2: Liability of a Receiving Depository Financial 

Institution (RDFI)

A: Full Liability

An RDFI is liable for ALL benefit payments received after the death or legal incapacity of a recipient 

or death of a beneficiary, unless the RDFI meets the qualifications for limiting its liability (see B. 

Limiting Liability below).

If the RDFI fails to meet the qualifications for limiting its liability, the RDFI will be held liable for all 

post-death benefit payments received after the death or legal incapacity of a recipient or death of a 

beneficiary. The RDFI will be debited for the full amount of the reclamation. This debit action will 

be final, with the exception of a valid protest.

Note: If no post-death benefit payment has been received at the time the RDFI learns of the death, the 

RDFI may also contact the paying agency (see Contacts, Chapter 7).

B: Limiting Liability

An RDFI may qualify to limit its liability if it:

• certifies it did not have actual or constructive knowledge* of the recipient’s death or incapacity

at the time of the deposit of any post-death benefit payments,

• returns all post-death benefit payments it receives after it learns of the recipient’s death (but

not post-death benefit payments it received before it learned of the death), and

• adequately responds to the Fiscal Service Form FS Form 133, “Notice of Reclamation,” within

60 calendar days from the date of the notice by using the Automated Reclamation Processing

System (ARPS).

Exception: Only reclamation responses by DFAS and any Treasury-approved exceptions

(evaluated on a case-by-case basis) are not required to respond using ARPS. Note that these

responses must meet all other requirements for limiting liability, including receipt by Fiscal

Service within 60 days.

*Note: In this chapter “constructive knowledge” of the death means that the RDFI would have learned

of the death if it had followed commercially reasonable business practices. “Actual or constructive

knowledge” is defined in Treasury’s regulations at 31 CFR § 210.2(b).

Exception to Liability Rule

An RDFI will not be held liable for post-death benefit payments sent to a recipient acting as a 

representative payee or fiduciary on behalf of a beneficiary in the event that the beneficiary dies. In 

this situation, the paying agency will not initiate a reclamation but will instead pursue recovery of 

any post-death benefit payments from the representative payee.

Requirementto Return Post-Death Benefit Payments

It is important to understand that once a payment has been credited to payee’s account, it becomes 

the property of the account holder. In the case of post-death payments, the payments become 

property of the joint account holder or decedent’s estate. The government cannot legally authorize 

or direct an RDFI to take funds already credited to an account and return them to the government.
Green Book 5. Reclamations

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-5

This is the reason that RDFIs are directed only to return post-death payments that they receive 

after they become aware of the payee’s death, using an R14 or R15 return reason code. Such returns

are legally permissible because the payments have not been credited to the recipient’s account and

therefore have not become property of the joint account holder or decedent’s estate.

It is up to each RDFI to consider its policy as an institution as to what steps it may wish to take, if 

any, upon learning of the death of a recipient in order to preserve funds in the account pending 

receipt of a Notice of Reclamation. Some RDFIs, upon becoming aware of an account holder’s death, 

perform an account analysis before receiving an NOR and voluntarily return post-death payments 

that were credited to the account before the RDFI learned of the death. RDFIs are cautioned that 

Fiscal Service does not authorize or direct RDFIs to debit or otherwise affect the account of a 

recipient, including to return post-death payments already credited to an account. However, Fiscal 

Service will accept pre-NOR returns of post-death payments provided that they are made 

electronically using an R14 or R15 code.

C: Calculating the Limited Liability Amount

If an RDFI qualifies for limited liability, the RDFI will only be debited for the ACH 45-day amount.

The ACH 45-day amount is the dollar amount of the post-death benefit payments received within 

45 calendar days following the death.

Note: The limited liability amount may not exceed the outstanding total on the Notice of Reclamation. 

The outstanding total is the total amount of all the post-death benefit payments.

Table 2-A: Calculating the Limited Liability Amount

Example 1: Four payments of $200 each were received after death. The first benefit payment 

was received within 45 days after the date of death (i.e., ACH 45-day amount = $200). The RDFI had no 

actual or constructive knowledge at the time the post-death benefit payments were received or 

withdrawn.1 No additional benefit payments were received after the RDFI had knowledge

of Reclamation2

Scenarios 1-5 Scen.1 Scen.2 Scen.3 Scen.4 Scen.5

Total Amount of post-death payments on the Notice of Reclamation $800 $800 $800 $800 $800

Amount of the Account Balance paid by RDFI in response to the Notice $300 $300 $750 $0 $800

Amount due from withdrawers $500 $500 $50 $800 $0

Amount collected by government from withdrawers $250 $500 $0 $0 $0

Outstanding total $250 $0 $50 $800 $0

Amount to be debited from the RDFI's federal reserve account = $200

(lesser of Outstanding Total or ACH 45-day amount)

$0 $50 $200 $0

1 RDFI had no actual or constructive knowledge of the death at the time of deposit or withdrawal of any post-death

benefit payments.

2 RDFI accurately responds to the Notice of Reclamation so that the appropriate amount is received by the

government disbursing office within 60 calendar days of the date on the Notice.
5. Reclamations Green Book

5-6 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Example 2: Four payments of $200 each were received after death. Three of the benefit 

payments were received before the RDFI had actual or constructive knowledge of the death. The 4th 

benefit payment was received by the RDFI after it had received a DNE and the RDFI promptly returned 

the payment using an R15 return reason code.1 The 1st and 2nd benefit payments were received within 

45 days following the date of death (4th benefit payment will not be listed on the Notice of 

Reclamation since it was promptly returned by the RDFI).

of Reclamation2

(lesser of Outstanding Total or ACH 45-day amount)

1 RDFI is obligated to return any post-death benefit payments that the RDFI receives after becoming aware of the

recipient’s death. RDFI is not obligated or authorized to return post-death benefit payments that the RDFI received before

becoming aware of the recipient’s death.

2 RDFI accurately responds to the Notice of Reclamation so that the appropriate amount is received by the government

disbursing office within 60 calendar days of the date on the Notice.

Section 3: Reclamation Procedures

A: Notification of Death

An RDFI must immediately return any post-death benefit payments received after the RDFI 

becomes aware of the death or legal incapacity of a recipient (but not post-death benefit payments 

that the RDFI received before becoming aware of the recipient’s death). If the RDFI learns of the 

death or legal incapacity of a recipient from a source other than the federal agency, the RDFI must 

notify the sending agency of the recipient’s death. An ACH return using return reason code R15 or 

R14 constitutes proper notification to the federal agency. When returning payments, the RDFI 

should ensure that the date of death in the addenda record be in YYMMDD format. The RDFI should 

also provide notification to the account owners, as a courtesy.

Scenarios 1-5 Scen.1 Scen.2 Scen.3 Scen.4 Scen.5

Total Amount of post-death payments on the Notice of Reclamation $600 $600 $600 $600 $600

Amount of the Account Balance paid by RDFI in response to the Notice $300 $300 $550 $0 $600

Amount due from withdrawers $300 $300 $50 $600 $0

Amount collected by government from withdrawers $50 $300 $0 $0 $0

Outstanding total $250 $0 $50 $600 $0

Amount to be debited from the RDFI's federal reserve account = $250 $0 $50 $400 $0
Green Book 5. Reclamations

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-7

Notification of death of a recipient by any source constitutes notification for all federal benefit

payments received by that recipient. The following are some examples of ways that the RDFI may 

learn of the death of their account holders:

• Receipt of a Death Notification Entry (DNE) - A DNE is a notification of a benefit recipients

death sent from an originating government agency (e.g., SSA, RRB, or OPM) to the RDFI,

• Receipt of a federal government Notice of Reclamation,(FS Form 133),

• Any contact or request to withdraw funds from an Estate, Executor, Administrator, Public

Administrator, Personal Representative, Conservator or other representative of such Estate.

Note: Any release to an executor or other party clearly acting on behalf of the deceased

person or their estate will be deemed by the government to have demonstrated the RDFI’s

knowledge of the death,

• A pertinent reference to or from a Probate Court, a funeral home, or Letters Testamentary.

• Credible oral or written report of death,

• Credible death information obtained by the RDFI’s inquiry into a dormant account, or

through other RDFI internal screening processes,

• Credible personal awareness of the death by the RDFI’s staff, or

• Credible death notice received in the mail from any source.

Note: If at the time the RDFI first receives information of death, all or part of the post-death benefit 

payments have already been withdrawn from the account, the government does not authorize or 

direct the RDFI to try to recover the funds from the withdrawer. If the RDFI does so, it acts under its 

own authority in terms of its contract with its depositor or under state law.

Title 31 CFR part 210

This regulation defines when a federal agency as well as an RDFI has actual or constructive 

knowledge of the death:

A federal agency or RDFI has actual knowledge of the death or legal incapacity of a recipient, or the 

death of a beneficiary, when it receives information, by whatever means, of the death or legal 

incapacity and has had a reasonable opportunity to act on such information or that the federal 

agency or RDFI would have learned of the death or legal incapacity if it had followed commercially 

reasonable business practices. See 31 CFR § 210.2(b).

The phrase “commercially reasonable business practices” is a flexible concept since, for 

example, what is a commercially reasonable practice for a large bank may not be 

commercially reasonable for a small rural bank, and vice versa.

In March 2020, Fiscal Service revised this definition to include parameters for when an agency is 

presumed to have constructive knowledge of a death or legal incapacity. Specifically, a federal 

agency is presumed to have constructive knowledge of a death or legal incapacity at the time it 

stops certifying recurring payments to a recipient if the agency (1) does not re-initiate payments to 

the recipient and (2) subsequently initiates a reclamation for one or more payments made to the 

recipient. See 31 CFR § Part 210.2(b) This presumption is rebuttable in cases where an agency can 

demonstrate that it stopped certifying recurring payments to a recipient for a reason other than 

death.
5. Reclamations Green Book

5-8 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

What to do upon Notification of Death with Payments Already Posted and Subsequent 

Payments

When an RDFI receives actual or constructive knowledge of the death of a recipient, it must return 

all subsequent post-death benefit payments, meaning all post-death payments received after the FI 

learns of the death, to the government disbursing office using return reason code R15 or R14. The 

RDFI must also notify the sending agency of the recipient’s death. An ACH return using return 

reason code R15 or R14 constitutes proper notification to the federal agency of the recipient’s 

death. An RDFI can, if they so choose, return by ACH any post-death benefit payments that were 

already posted to the recipient’s account before the RDFI received actual or constructive 

knowledge of death, by ACH, without waiting for a Notice of Reclamation, but the RDFI is not 

required or directed to do so.

R15 Beneficiary Deceased

The beneficiary is the person entitled to the benefits. In this case, there is no representative payee 

or guardian involved.

R14 Representative Payee (or Guardian) Deceased or Incapacitated

The representative payee (or guardian) is the person who receives benefit payments on behalf of 

the (under aged or incapacitated) beneficiary. E.g., payment is payable to “John Doe, for [another 

person]”.

Any information of the death of a representative payee that is received by the RDFI or any of its 

employees, from whatever source, establishes the full legal liability for ALL SUBSEQUENT postdeath federal benefit payments from all agencies, as well as any post-death benefits in the account, 

which the RDFI then allows to be withdrawn.

Note: Recipients may be receiving multiple benefit payments from the same or different federal 

agencies. An RDFI should ensure that they are returning all federal benefit payments subject to 

Reclamation. If a Financial Institution needs to correct errors in their use of reason codes when 

returning funds, they should contact the agency receiving the return. Please see Chapter 7, Contacts, 

for major paying agency contact information.

No Holding of Payments

Under no circumstances should an RDFI hold benefit payments indefinitely in a suspense account, 

or by any other means, nor should benefit payments otherwise be held if any of the conditions 

apply on when to return a benefit payment. Holding benefit payments may constitute a breach of 

the RDFI’s warranty for the handling of federal government ACH payments under 31 CFR part 210 

and could result in an RDFI’s inability to limit its liability.

Repayment by Survivors

If the survivors or other withdrawers state that the withdrawn post-death benefit payments have 

already been repaid to the federal agency, the RDFI should obtain a front and back copy of the 

check(s) and/or a receipt from the federal agency.

If all post-death benefit payments have been repaid by the survivor(s), the RDFI should not receive 

a Notice of Reclamation. However, if a Notice of Reclamation is received, the RDFI must complete 

the electronic FS-133 in ARPS within 60 calendar days. The RDFI is not liable for any post-death 

benefit payments that have already been repaid to the originating agency.
Green Book 5. Reclamations

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-9

Handling Survivor Requests not to Return Post-death Benefit Payments

The RDFI may be asked by the survivor(s) not to return post-death benefit payments because the 

survivor believes he or she is entitled to all or part of the payment(s). In such cases, the RDFI should 

still return the benefit payment and advise the survivor(s) to contact the appropriate federal

benefit agency (see Chapter 7, Contacts) to determine whether a final survivor payment is due.

B: Notice of Reclamation

The Notice of Reclamation (FS Form 133) initiates the recovery of post-death benefit payments that 

have not been returned to the government, for which the RDFI may be liable.

The Notice of Reclamation is mailed or emailed to the RDFI by the government disbursing office 

upon instructions from the authorizing federal agency. The RDFI’s address and routing number are 

derived from the FOMF maintained by Treasury. Each RDFI is responsible for updating the FRB ACD 

(see Chapter 2, FOMF). RDFIs should also provide updated email addresses as needed, to ensure 

the timely receipt of Notices of Reclamation sent electronically.

Note: If the full amount listed on the reclamation is returned to the Disbursing Office, the RDFI does 

NOT need to complete and return the FS Form 133.

Table 3-A: Notice of Reclamation (FS Form 133)

The Notice of Reclamation advises the RDFI of the following:

• the date of death or legal incapacity,

• the amount of post-death benefit payment(s) for which the RDFI may be liable, and

• the identity of each benefit payment in question, including:

1. name of the recipient,

2. individual ID or claim #,

3. reclamation ticket #,

4. date of the payment(s),

5. Federal agency that authorized the payment(s)

and the type of payment(s),

6. payment trace number(s),

7. type of account (checking/savings)to which the

payment(s) was made,

8. depositor account number, and

9. amount of the payment(s).

The FS Form 133 consists of six parts (RDFI will receive Parts 1 through 5):

• Part 1- Program Agency Copy,

• Part 2- Program Agency File Copy,

• Part 3- RDFI Copy,

• Part 4- Disbursing Office Copy,

• Part 5- Notice to Account Owners Copy, and

• Part 6- Disbursing Office Pending Copy (RDFI

does not receive Part 6).

Note: The reclamation ticket number is located in the top right box of the form to the right of the date 

(see sample FS Form 133). It is important the RDFI retains a copy of the reclamation form submitted 

via ARPS for a minimum of three years or until the associated case is closed. The RDFI should file the

notice using the reclamation ticket number. In the event that a debit is processed, the RDFI will need to 

locate the Notice of Reclamation using the ticket number provided on the FRB Statement of Account

(see How to Identify Debits using the Reclamation Ticket Number).

Sample of Notice of Reclamation (FS Form 133)

A sample of the Notice of Reclamation form (FS Form 133) is available in Chapter 9, Forms. The 

sample is the same for the Program Agency Copy, Program Agency File Copy, RDFI Copy and 

Disbursing Office Copy.
5. Reclamations Green Book

5-10 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Table 3-B: How to Respond to the Notice of Reclamation

Steps to take Under Limited Liability

1. If funds are available, but not sufficient to satisfy the full reclamation, a partial payment should be

remitted to the government disbursing office that issued the reclamation. When returning less

than the full amount, the RDFI must authorize a debit by using the Automated Reclamation

Processing System (ARPS) located in Treasury’s Pay.gov web portal.

2. Promptly mail the notice to the account owners * last known address(es) and notify the account

owner(s) of any action that the RDFI has taken or plans to take against the account.

3. When the RDFI is returning less than the outstanding total listed on the Notice of Reclamation,

the RDFI must complete and sign Certification No. 1*** and if the RDFI had no knowledge of the

death at the time the benefit payment(s) was received or withdrawn, also sign Certification No.

2  on the back of the Disbursing Office copy of the Notice of Reclamation. The RDFI must

provide name, address and phone number of persons who withdrew from the account or if it is a

sole owner account the RDFI MUST complete all applicable fields in ARPS when limiting their

liability or retuning less than the total amount.

4. If the outstanding total**  was previously repaid to the federal government. The RDFI's obligation

to the federal government (e.g., by the beneficiary's survivor) has been satisfied and the RDFI

must return the Notice of Reclamation, attaching proof of the repayment, so that it is received by

the government disbursing office within 60 calendar days of the date on the Notice. (See Types

of Evidence).

5. The signature in Certification No. 1*** and 2**** must be completed. The original signature

must include the signer's first name and last name. The signer's title and phone number must

be provided. If the Notice of Reclamation is incorrect due to error in fact or date of death, (see

Learning of an Error).

* Some withdrawers may wish to restore all or part of the withdrawn post-death benefit payments to the

account upon receipt of a Notice of Reclamation to Account Owners. Repayment to the account by the

withdrawer upon receipt of the Notice of Reclamation is not required or requested by the government.

** The Outstanding Total is the sum of all federal benefit payments received after death or legal incapacity, 

minus any amount returned to or recovered by the government.

*** Certification No. 1 on the back of the Disbursing Office copy of the Notice of Reclamation certifies that: the 

Notice to Account Owners was sent; account owners were notified of any action the RDFI has taken or plans 

to take against the account; and the RDFI took proper corrective action regarding any error in date of or 

fact of death.

**** Certification No. 2 on the back of the Disbursing Office copy of the Notice of Reclamation, certifies that the RDFI 

had no actual or constructive knowledge of the death at the time of deposit or withdrawal of any of the post-death

benefit payments; and, that the RDFI has returned the amount of the account balance to the government.
Green Book 5. Reclamations

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-11

ACH Debit

ACH Debit Authorization provided via Pay.gov permits Treasury to debit a financial institution’s 

Federal Reserve account. A payment made by ACH debit will appear on the financial institution’s 

Federal Reserve statement with an IAS transaction code of “57180 – Treasury ACH Reclamation FI

Auth”. There will also be a reclamation tracking number listed, which will aid a financial institution 

when researching debit transactions. ACH debits are received the same day and are posted within 

one (1) to two (2) business days of receipt.

Automated Reclamation Processing System (ARPS):

The Bureau of Fiscal Service has developed an electronic version of the current FS-133 process. This 

process allows financial institutions to submit a response to the Notice of Reclamation (NOR) 

electronically through the Department of the Treasury’s Pay.gov web portal. 

How to electronically respond to an ACH Reclamation:

Electronic responses should be made through Pay.gov, a web-based application operated by the 

Department of the Treasury that allows users to submit responses to a Notice of Reclamation. It also 

allows the Financial Institution to make payments to government agencies by electronic means by 

authorizing a debit. 

1. When the FMS 133, Notice of Reclamation is received, the financial institution will continue to

follow its current procedures as stated in the Green Book (Chapter 5, Section 3, Reclamation

Procedures)

2. Once the FI is prepared to respond to the Notice of Reclamation; this response will be submitted

through the Pay.Gov web portal. This electronic version of the form requires the same information

as the paper version.

3. Responding through Pay.gov allows the financial institution to limit liability as well submit full or

partial payment(s) via a debit authorization.

Incomplete or Inadequate RDFI Replies

If the RDFI’s response is inadequate, the government will send the RDFI a rejection via email,

indicating the reason for the disapproval. If no adequate response is received from the RDFI within 

the allotted timeframe, the government will initiate a debit action for the outstanding amount. 
5. Reclamations Green Book

5-12 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Time Limits for Federal Reclamations

1. INITIATION OF RECLAMATION (120-Day Protest): The authorizing federal agency must initiate the

reclamation within 120 calendar days after the date that the agency first has actual or constructive

knowledge of the death or legal incapacity of a benefit recipient or the death of a beneficiary.

An RDFI has the right to protest a Notice of Reclamation if it believes the agency did not meet the

deadline for initiating the reclamation.

A 120-day protest is filed by checking the appropriate box on the electronic form 133 in Automated

Reclamation Processing System (ARPS).

Upon receipt of the protest, the Fiscal Service will work with the authorizing federal agency to determine

whether or not the agency met the 120-day deadline. If the RDFI’s protest is valid, then the RDFI will be

notified via email within 45 days and the reclamation action will be withdrawn. If the protest is denied,

and the RDFI qualifies for limited liability, the Disbursing Office will notify the RDFI via email within 45 

days and the RDFI will only be debited for the ACH 45-day amount.

2. SCOPE OF RECLAMATION: An RDFI is not liable for any post-death benefit payments made more than

six years prior to the date of the notice of reclamation, except under the following circumstance: “If the

account balance at the time the RDFI receives the notice of reclamation exceeds the total amount of all

post-death or post-incapacity payments made by the agency during such six-year period, this limitation

shall not apply and the RDFI shall be liable for the total amount of all payments made, up to the amount

in the account at the time the RDFI receives the Notice of Reclamation and has had a reasonable

opportunity (not to exceed one business day) to act on the notice.” [31 CFR part 210.10(d)]

3. COINCIDING WITH DATE OF DEATH: An RDFI is not liable for any benefit payment dated where

as the effective date is the same as the date of death.

4. RDFI REACTION TIME: The RDFI, upon receipt of the government’s Notice of Reclamation, has UP TO

ONE BUSINESS DAY to react to that reclamation by determining the account balance, and by preventing

any further withdrawals of post-death government benefit payments from the account, if possible, under

the terms of the contract with the account holder.

RDFI RESPONSE DEADLINE: The RDFI has up to 60 calendar days from the issue date of the reclamation to 

provide a full and accurate response to the proper government disbursing office. Failure to respond timely 

may result in a debit to the RDFI’s FRB account or the account of its correspondent for the total amount of

the reclamation. This debit action will be final.

Follow-up to the Notice of Reclamation (Fiscal Service-2942)

A Follow-Up Notice is sent if the government disbursing office does not receive a response within 

30 days of the FS Form 133, Notice of Reclamation; or if the RDFI’s response to the Notice of 

Reclamation was incomplete or inaccurate.

A Follow-Up Notice is a reminder to the RDFI that a response to the Notice of Reclamation (FS Form 

133) must be received by the government disbursing office within 30 days of the date of the

Follow-Up Notice, or the RDFI will forfeit the right to limit its liability. The Follow-Up to the Notice

of Reclamation Form (FS Form 2942) is available in Chapter 9, Forms.

A copy of the original Notice of Reclamation is attached to the Follow-Up Notice

Responses to a Follow-Up Notice must be completed in ARPS (except for approved exceptions) in the 

same manner as an original Notice of Reclamation.

Any questions regarding this matter should be directed to the government disbursing office shown 

in the upper right corner of the Notice of Reclamation.

.
Green Book 5. Reclamations

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-13

Federal Agency Collection from Withdrawers

If all or part of the post-death benefit payments have been withdrawn from the account before the 

RDFI learns of the death, and the RDFI properly responds to the Notice of Reclamation and is 

qualified to limit its liability, then the Reclamation process will be temporarily suspended, and the 

authorizing federal agency will attempt to collect the outstanding total from the withdrawer(s).

If the authorizing federal agency is unsuccessful in collecting the outstanding total from the 

withdrawer(s), the RDFI or its correspondent’s FRB account will be debited (for the ACH 45-day 

amount) not to exceed the outstanding total.

Debit of the RDFI’s Account

If the RDFI fails to respond completely and accurately to a Notice of Reclamation by the due date, 

the government disbursing office will debit the RDFI’s FRB account or that of its correspondent 

account for the full amount of its outstanding liability. This action is final.

If the RDFI responds completely and accurately to a Notice of Reclamation by the due date, and the 

federal agency is unable to collect the balance on the FS Form 133, the RDFI will be debited for the 

limited liability ACH 45-day amount.

The table below shows when the authorizing federal agency can exercise its authority to have an 

RDFI’s FRB account debited.

Table 3-C: Debit of the RDFI’s Account

If the RDFI: Then the RDFI (or its correspondent's) FRB Account

Fails to respond accurately and completely to 

the Notice of Reclamation.

Fails to respond within the 60-day time limit of 

the Notice of Reclamation.

Responds accurately, completely, and timely, 

(i.e., limited its liability) but the authorizing 

federal agency can no longer collect the 

outstanding total from the withdrawers.

will be debited for the outstanding total.

will be debited for the ACH 45-day amount not to exceed the 

outstanding total.
5. Reclamations Green Book

5-14 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

How to Identify Debits using the Reclamation Ticket Number

When there is a liability for an ACH reclamation payment by an RDFI, the RDFI will receive a charge 

to their FRB account. The reclamation ticket number will appear on the FI’s Statement of Account. 

This ticket number is the same number as identified on the original FS Form 133, Notice of 

Reclamation.

The FS Form 133, Notice of Reclamation form provides the reclamation ticket number in the top 

right box of the form to the right of the date. This ticket number should be used to identify debits 

for reclamations. Coordination between the ACH reclamation area and the RDFI accounting

department is critical to the reconcilement of the RDFI’s Statement of Account.

Provided below is an example of how the debit for ACH reclamations will appear on an FRB 

Statement of Account:

Explanation of the Debit:

1) The number 9914 indicates an entry processed by FRB Philadelphia to an out of district bank,

2) The phone number of the payment center that initiated the debit will be provided - e.g., (510) 594-7183.

The phone number is also provided in the upper right-hand corner of the reclamation notice,

3) The number 57170 is the transaction code representing an automated debit on ACH reclamations from

the National Payment Center of Excellence (NPCE).is transaction code number will be unique for each

RFC (See Table 3-D),

4) The number 03884 represents a batch number,

5) The number 7502 represents a reference number,

6) The number 051000033 is the FRB Philadelphia routing number,

7) The number 21234456 is the Reclamation Ticket number. This will be unique for each reclamation and

is the same number as assigned on the original Notice of Reclamation form (FS Form 133), and

8) The dollar amount of the debit is indicated in the far-right hand column- e.g., 500.00.

Table 3-D: Transaction Codes for ACH Reclamations

The table below shows the unique transaction codes numbers for each Fiscal Service Portfolios.

Transaction 

Code\Description

Definition Daylight Overdraft

Posting Times

57170

Treas ACH REC Auto

Debits for reclamation payments authorized by the Treasury 

to post to a financial institution. These payments are

After close of 

Fedwire
Green Book 5. Reclamations

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-15

57190

Treas ACH REC Auto

initiated to FRB Philadelphia by the Kansas City Federal

Disbursement Services Includes adjustments to such 

entries.

Debits for reclamation payments authorized by the Treasury 

to post to a financial Institution. These reclamation debits 

are initiated to FRB Philadelphia by the Modernization, 

Innovation, and Payment Resolution. Includes adjustments 

to such entries.

After close of 

Fedwire

C: Errors in Death

If the Person did not Die

If the RDFI obtains satisfactory proof that the benefit recipient or beneficiary is alive, the RDFI is 

still required to respond to the Notice of Reclamation in the Automated Reclamation Processing 

System. Failure to respond to the Notice of Reclamation will result in a debit to the RDFI or its 

correspondent’s FRB account for the outstanding total. In this case, a debit can only be restored 

after a verification process by the authorizing federal agency.

Types of Evidence

The following are acceptable types of proof for verifying that the person did not die:

• Driver’s license, picture ID or other evidence similar to that required for cashing a check, if the

recipient or beneficiary appears at the RDFI,

• A signed, dated, and notarized statement attesting to the fact that the recipient or beneficiary is

alive if, he/she is unable to appear at the RDFI, and

• A written statement from the authorizing federal agency verifying that the recipient or

beneficiary is alive.

The RDFI is not obligated to accept the proof or to contact the authorizing federal agency if any 

disagreements or questions arise with the person presenting the proof. Prudence is required, as the 

action taken by the RDFI may impact its liability. Disagreements will be adjudicated by the

authorizing federal agency after it has been contacted by the person presenting the proof.

Note: If a Financial Institution needs to correct errors in their use of reason codes when returning 

funds, they should contact the agency receiving the return. Please see Chapter 7, Contacts, for major 

paying agency contact information.

Table 3-E: Accepting the Proof

The table below shows what actions the RDFI must take if it accepts the proof that the person did 

not die.

Step Action

1. Within ARPS, select payee alive.

2. Digitally sign Certification #1 and Certification #2.

3. A signed, dated notarized statement attesting the fact that the payee is alive

DNE removal request

4. Written letter from agency (which we will confirm) stating payee is alive.
5. Reclamations Green Book

5-16 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

5. Advise the recipient to contact the authorizing federal agency to restart payments.

Table 3-F: Rejecting the Proof

The table below shows the actions the RDFI must take if it rejects the proof that the person did not 

die.

Step Action

1. Continue to process the Notice of Reclamation, which includes sending the Notice of Reclamation to

account owner(s).

2. Refer the person presenting the proof to the federal agency.

3. Notify the account owner(s) to provide a written statement from the federal agency verifying that the

recipient or beneficiary is alive, or the reclamation process will continue.

Restarting Payments

Once a reclamation has been processed, all further benefit payments will be stopped. Presenting 

acceptable proof that the death report was in error (and stopping the reclamation process) does 

not restart the monthly benefit payments. The recipient or beneficiary must contact the authorizing 

federal agency to re-enroll in Direct Deposit.

If the Date of Death is Wrong

The RDFI is authorized to adjust the outstanding total, provided it obtains acceptable proof that the 

date of death (DOD) shown on the Notice of Reclamation is wrong. When correcting a date of death 

error, the RDFI should always check the appropriate box in ARPS, provide the correct DOD and 

submit a death certificate via email to PFC-reclamations@fiscal.treasury.gov

Learning of an Error After Completing a Reclamation

If the RDFI learns of an error in the date of death after returning a completed Notice of Reclamation 

and it has already satisfied its liability, it MUST contact the authorizing federal agency (based on the 

payment type listed on the Notice of Reclamation) to make the appropriate adjustment.

If the RDFI is due a refund, the RDFI must provide supporting documentation to the authorizing 

federal agency.

Note: Only the authorizing federal agency can make adjustments after the debit action has been 

processed.
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-17

Green Book 5. Reclamations

Table 3-G: Worksheet for Adjusting the Outstanding Total if the Date of Death is Wrong

The worksheet below may be used by the RDFI to calculate the adjusted total if there is an error in the 

date of death.

PMT 1 PMT 2 PMT 3 PMT 4

List the month/day/year of each payment shown on the 

Reclamation form.

For each payment (shown on the Reclamation) did the person die 

before the date of the payment? (Enter "yes" or "no")

For each "yes", enter the dollar amount of the payment.

(Do not enter the dollar amount if "no.")

Total all "yes" payments $ 

(This is the adjusted outstanding total to use on the Notice of Reclamation).

D: Subsequent Notice of Reclamation

The government may issue a subsequent Notice of Reclamation if the original Notice of Reclamation 

did not list all post-death benefit payments.

A subsequent Reclamation may be issued if any of the following apply; the date of death was earlier than 

shown on the original Notice of Reclamation, the account number changed, and/or the routing number 

changed.

What to do if the RDFI receives a subsequent reclamation.

An RDFI receiving a subsequent Notice of Reclamation should respond as the RDFI would respond to an original 

Notice of Reclamation.”

Previous debit

If the RDFI has already limited its liability and has been debited for the ACH 45-day amount on the 

original reclamation case, it will not be debited again on a subsequent Reclamation for the same case. 

However, in order to maintain its limited liability status, the RDFI must respond to all Notice of 

Reclamations received to prevent a debit to the RDFI or its correspondent’s FRB account.

 E: Contacts

For Pay.gov technical issues please contact: 800-624-1373 (Toll free, Option #2), 216-579-2112 

(Option #2), pay.gov.clev@clev.frb.org, Hours 8:00am to 7:00pm Monday – Friday. 

For questions related to a Notice of Reclamation or general Notice of Reclamation inquiries, please 

contact: (855) 868-0151

Any supporting documentation related to the Notice of Reclamation response (payee alive, incorrect 

date of death, etc.) must be emailed to PFC-Reclamations@fiscal.treasury.gov within 15 business days.
6-1 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 5-17

Notification of 

Change

In this chapter...

A: Introduction to Notification of Change.............................................................................................. 6-2

When to use NOCs ...................................................................................................................................................... 6-2

Benefit Payments............................................................................................................................................................. 6-2

Other Payment Types..................................................................................................................................................... 6-2

When to use NOCs, ENRs, or Other Ways to Change Recipient Information ...................................... 6-2

Processing Timeframes............................................................................................................................................ 6-3

What to do if an agency does not respond to a NOC within two payment cycles:............................ 6-3

Change Reason Codes ............................................................................................................................................... 6-3

Claim Number Structure.......................................................................................................................................... 6-4

Claim Number Structure Table ............................................................................................................................. 6-4

B: Other Change Methods............................................................................................................................ 6-4

Financial Institution Actions.................................................................................................................................. 6-5

C: Refused Notification of Change............................................................................................................. 6-7

Federal Agencies Using Refused NOCs ............................................................................................................... 6-7

Processing Timeframes............................................................................................................................................ 6-7

Refused NOC Codes.................................................................................................................................................... 6-7

6
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 6-2

Green Book 6. Notification of Change

A: Introduction to Notification of Change

Notification of Change (NOC), which is the name for Nacha’s Standard Entry Class (SEC) code COR, is

a method used by a financial institution to notify a federal agency to correct or change account 

information in an entry the federal agency processed through the ACH. Refer to current Nacha 

Operating Rules & Guidelines for formats and instructions.

Note: ENRs should not be used in place of NOCs to correct account information. Please see Chapter 1, 

Section F, Enrollment Guidance, for more information about when ENRs can be used.

When to use NOCs

NOCs are used for federal government (both civil and military) payments that are made on a 

recurring basis. Examples are:

Benefit Payments

• Benefit payments issued by Department of Veterans Affairs,

• Civil service retirement payments issued by Office of Personnel Management,

• Benefit payments issued by Railroad Retirement Board,

• Social Security benefit payments, and

• Supplemental Security Income payments.

Other Payment Types

• Federal salary,

• TreasuryDirect, and

• Vendor and miscellaneous.

When to use CORs, ENRs, or Other Ways to Change Recipient Information

To change Recipient would

Title/ownership of account

Interest of the recipient or beneficiary in the account Complete a new enrollment

From one financial institution to another

New bank account number at the existing financial 

institution

Submit ENR or COR

Name of recipient or change of mailing address Contact the federal agency that authorized the 

payment

Account information for one-time payments One-time payments require a new authorization
6. Notification of Change Green Book

6-3 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Processing Timeframes

Generally, CORs will be processed for the next ACH transaction. Due to operational limitations, it 

may take two payment cycles for some CORs to be processed.

What to do if an agency does not respond to a COR within two payment 

cycles:

• Verify that the COR was properly formatted. Make sure that the COR contained the correct

original RDFI routing number.

• If the COR was correctly formatted, contact Fiscal Service. See Contact information below. Fiscal

Service will work with the agency for resolution.

• Make sure that rejected CORs are acknowledged and resolved (See below).

If you have any questions, contact the Fiscal Service Payment Management Call Center, at

855-868-0151, Option 1.

Change Reason Codes

The federal government’s disbursing systems are only able to process the following six authorized 

COR/Change codes: C01, C02, C03, C05, C06, and C07. The federal agencies will not process any 

others.

The following table shows when to use the Change Reason Codes.

Change Reason Code When to Use

C01 - Incorrect Account Number Correct data entry errors in the account information. 

Issue a new number to an existing account.

Modify the account numbering system (e.g. to drop a branch code).

C02 - Incorrect RTN Accommodate a merger or system consolidation.

Change the RTN to the preferred RTN for the financial institution.

C03 - Incorrect RTN and Incorrect 

Account Number

Accommodate a merger or system consolidation.

C05 - Incorrect Transaction Code Change from checking to savings or savings to checking.

C06 - Incorrect Account Number 

and Incorrect Transaction 

Code

Correct a data entry error in the account information and change 

from checking to savings or savings to checking.

Issue a new account number and transaction code.

C07 - Incorrect RTN, Incorrect 

Account Number and 

Incorrect Transaction Code

Accommodate a merger or system consolidation.

Note: The only Transaction Codes recognized by the federal government for CORs are:

For checking (demand) For savings For General Ledger

22 (credit)

27 (debit)

32 (credit)

37 (debit)

42 (credit)
Green Book 6. Notification of Change

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 6-4

Claim Number Structure

Federal agencies have special structures for their claim numbers (Individual ID number). The claim 

number is important to identifying the payment recipient whose payment information must be 

changed.

Accurate formatting of the claim number is critical for processing changes. Note that pattern 

differences exist between federal agencies. These claim numbers must include all spaces, hyphens, 

prefixes, suffixes, alphanumeric characters, and trailing or leading zeros that accompanied the 

original payment information.

Claim Number Structure Table

The following table represents correct claim number structures used in formatting CORs.

Agency Claim Number Structure Example

Social Security Administration 999999999XX

999999999X

999999999

123456789C1

123456789A

123456789

Office of Personnel Management Xb9999999bXb 

Xb9999999b9b

F_1234567_W_ 

A_1234567_0_

Department of Veterans Affairs 999999999b99b99

99999999b99b99

162306890_10_01

12345678_00_06

Railroad Retirement Board 

Retirement/Annuity

Unemployment/Sickness

XXX999999999b9b

Xbb999999bbbb9b 

XXbZZZZZ9bbbb9b 

bbb999999999

WCA123456789_7_ 

A 123456 1_

WD_000006 8_

 123456789

Department of Labor 999999999XXbXXb 123456789LW_MB_

Key: X = alphanumeric, 9 = numeric, b = blank, Z = zero filled, _ = space

B: Other Change Methods

Financial institutions not using CORs may continue to submit:

• corrected Direct Deposit Sign-Up Forms (FS Form 1199As) to federal agencies, or

• letters to federal agencies requesting changes.
6. Notification of Change Green Book

6-5 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Financial Institution Actions

The table below contains instructions for financial institutions not using CORs.

Type of Payment Fewer than 100 payments

(mail corrected SF119As or letters)

More than 100 

payments (call)

Air Force

ActiveDuty Reserve

Air National Guard 

Active Duty Allotments

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

6760 E. Irvington Place

Building 444/JMS 

Denver, CO 80279-3000 

(303) 676-4326

(303) 676-7213

Army

Active Duty Reserve 

Active Duty Allotments

DFAS - Indianapolis Center

8899 E. 56th Street 

Indianapolis, IN 46249-2801

(888) 332-7411

Coast Guard

Active Duty (Code PS)

Reserves (Code RES)

Retired (Code RPD)

Commanding Officer (Code )

US Coast Guard

Pay and Personnel Center

444 SE Quincy Street 

Topeka, KS 66683-3591

(785) 339-3506

Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Compensation, Pension or Education

(MGIB)

Veterans Life Insurance

VA Regional Office that maintains the

veteran’s records

(877) 838-2778

(215) 842-2000

ext. 14270

Fiscal Service

Federal Housing Administration

Debenture Payments

State and Local Government Series Securities

Payments

United States Mortgage Guaranty Insurance

Company and Tax Loss Bonds Payments

Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Special Investments Branch Warehouse

and Operations Center, Dock 1 

257 Bosley Industrial Park Drive

Parkersburg, WV 26101 

(304) 480-5299

TreasuryDirect Bureau of the Fiscal Service

Treasury Retail Securities Services

P.O. Box 9150 

Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150 

(844) 284-2676

Note: Financial institutions should submit systemwide changes to TreasuryDirect with the understanding that they agree to

pay the Treasury and security owners for any losses resulting from errors made by the institution. (31 CFR part 370.12)

Savings Bonds Federal Reserve

Bank of Pittsburgh

P.O. Box 299

Pittsburgh, PA 15230-0299

(800) 322-1909

Federal Salary and Allotment payments

Federal salary and Allotment payments 

(including payments by the military to civilian

employees)(FED SALARY)

Federal employing agency authorizing the payment(address

where original FS Form 1199As were mailed). If address is

unknown, contact recipient/member.

Marine Corps DFAS - Kansas City Center (888) 332-7411
Green Book 6. Notification of Change

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 6-6

Type of Payment Fewer than 100 payments

(mail corrected SF119As or letters)

More than 100 

payments (call)

Active Duty/Reserve

Active Duty Allotment

1500 E. 95th Street

Kansas City, MO 64197-0001

Military Retirement Pay

Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps

DFAS - Cleveland Center Retired Pay 

Operations

P.O. Box 99191

Cleveland, OH 44199-1126

(800) 321-1081

fax: (800) 469-6559

DC Metro Area ONLY:

(202) 606-0500

Navy

Active Duty

Reserve

DFAS - Cleveland Center/JFECA

1240 East Ninth Street

Cleveland, OH 44199-2055

(216) 522-5855

Office of Personnel Management

Civil Service Retirement

(Annuity)

(CIVIL SERVE)

Office of Personnel Management

Retirement Operations Center

P.O. Box 45

Boyers, PA 16017

(888) 767-6738

fax: (724) 794-6633

Railroad Retirement Board

Railroad Retirement

(RR RET)

Railroad Retirement Board

Direct Deposit Coordinator

844 North Rush Street

Chicago, IL 60611

(312) 751-4704
6. Notification of Change Green Book

6-7 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

C: Refused Notification of Change

Refused Notification of Change is an automated method used by a federal agency to notify the 

originating financial institution that the COR information initiated cannot be processed.

Federal Agencies Using Refused CORs

The Social Security Administration (SSA), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), and the Office of 

Personnel Management (OMB) are the only federal agencies processing Refused CORs at this time.

Processing Timeframes

CORs that cannot be processed are usually refused to the financial institution before the next 

payment is submitted.

Refused COR Codes

There are six refused COR codes authorized for federal government ACH entries:

Code Reason

C64 Incorrect individual identification

C65 Incorrectly formatted corrected data

C66 Incorrect discretionary data

C67 Routing Transit Number not from original Entry Detail Record

C68 DFI Account Number not from original Entry Detail Record

C69 Incorrect Transaction Code
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 7-1

7 Contacts

Overview

In this chapter...

A: Fiscal Service Payment Management Call Center .......................................................................... 7-2

B: EFTPS Assistance....................................................................................................................................... 7-2

C: Major Paying Agency Contacts.............................................................................................................. 7-2

D: Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Contacts ........................................................ 7-3

E: Go Direct Contact Information.............................................................................................................. 7-3

F: Treasury Offset Program........................................................................................................................ 7-3

This chapter includes addresses and/or phone numbers of ACH contacts. These contacts are 

provided to handle any problems or questions that you may have concerning ACH payments and 

collections.
7-2 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

7. Contacts Green Book

A: Fiscal Service Payment Management Call Center

For assistance with a payment issued by Treasury, please contact the Fiscal Service Payment 

Management Call Center at: 1 (855) 868-0151 or email us at Payments@fiscal.treasury.gov.

For payments issued by the Department of Defense, please see the Defense Finance and Accounting 

Service (DFAS) Contacts section.

B: EFTPS Assistance

If a taxpayer is initiating federal tax payments using EFTPS—through a financial institution (ACH 

credit) see below for the appropriate customer service helplines.

Routing Transit Number 061036000

Account Number 23401009

Taxpayer Enrollment/Helpline 1 (800) 555-4477 (Businesses)

1 (800) 316-6541 (Individuals)

Financial Institution Helpline 1 (800) 605-9876

C: Major Paying Agency Contacts

Agency Contact Website

Social Security Administration (800) SSA-1213 www.socialsecurity.gov

Office of Personnel Management www.opm.gov/retire

Railroad Retirement Board (877) 772-5772 www.rrb.gov

Department of Veterans Affairs (800) 827-1000 www.va.gov

Veterans Compensation, Pension & Education (800) 827-1000 www.benefits.va.gov/benefits

Veterans Life Insurance (800) 669-8477 www.insurance.va.gov

Bureau of the Fiscal Service (855) 868-0151 www.fiscal.treasury.gov

TreasuryDirect (844) 284-2676 www.treasurydirect.gov

Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-1040 www.irs.gov

Department of Labor

Black Lung (800) 638-7072 www.dol.gov/owcp/dcmwc

Division of Energy Employees 

OccupationalIllness Compensation 

(866) 888-3322 www.dol.gov/owcp/energy

Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation (202) 693-0040 www.dol.gov/owcp/dfec

Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation (202) 693-0925 www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc
Green Book 7. Contacts

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 7-3

D: Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Contacts

For information about military retirement and annuitant payments, please contact 1-800-321- 

1080. For additional information about payments disbursed by the military, please visit 

www.dfas.mil.

E: Go Direct Contact Information

For information about Go Direct, please contact the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution 

Center at 1 (877) 874-6347 or visit www.GoDirect.gov.

F: Treasury Offset Program

For information about the Treasury Offset Program, visit www.fiscal.treasury.gov/top/ .
9. Forms Green Book

A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 8-1

8 Glossary

Actual or Constructive Knowledge

Under Title 31 CFR part 210, both agencies and RDFIs have obligations, rights and liabilities that 

are triggered by actual or constructive knowledge of the death or incapacity of a recipient or death 

of a beneficiary.

Actual or constructive knowledge, when used in reference to a federal agency’s or RDFI’s 

knowledge of the death or legal incapacity of a recipient or death of a beneficiary, occurs when it 

receives information, by whatever means, of the death or incapacity and has had a reasonable 

opportunity to act on such information, or that the federal agency or RDFI would have learned of 

the death if it had followed commercially reasonable business practices.

A federal agency is presumed to have constructive knowledge of a death or legal incapacity at the 

time it stops certifying recurring payments to a recipient if the agency (1) does not re-initiate 

payments to the recipient and (2) subsequently initiates a reclamation for one or more benefit 

payments made to the recipient.

Agency

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, an agency is any department, agency, or instrumentality of the 

United States Government, or a corporation owned or controlled by the Government of the United 

States. The term agency does not include a Federal Reserve Bank (FRB).

Annuitant

An annuitant is a retired federal employee or their survivor who is receiving payments from the 

Office of Personnel Management; a retired railroad employee, their spouse, or their survivor who is 

receiving payments from the Railroad Retirement Board; a retired military service person, their 

spouse or their survivor who is receiving payments from a military service.

Annuity

An annuity is a recurring payment made to a retired individual, their survivor or spouse.

Automated Clearing House (ACH)

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, ACH is a funds transfer system governed by Nacha, formerly 

NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association, Operating Rules and Guidelines which provides for 

the interbank clearing of electronic entries for participating financial institutions.
8. Glossary Green Book

8-2 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

ACH Non-Receipt Claim

An Automated Clearing House (ACH) non-receipt claim is a research method where a government 

disbursing office representative will contact a financial institution, by telephone, email or facsimile 

to resolve a payee’s claim that they did not receive an ACH payment.

Automated Clearing House (ACH) Rules

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, the Automated Clearing House (ACH) rules are the Operating 

Rules and the Operating Guidelines published by Nacha, formerly NACHA – The Electronic 

Payments Association, a national association of regional member clearing house associations, ACH 

Operators and participating financial institutions located in the United States.

Automated Clearing House (ACH) 45-Day Amount

The Automated Clearing House (ACH) 45-day amount is the dollar amount of all the ACH payments 

received within 45 calendar days following the death or legal incapacity of a recipient or the death 

of a beneficiary.

Automated Enrollment (ENR)

An Automated Enrollment (ENR) is a non-monetary entry sent through the ACH by any Receiving 

Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) to a federal government agency participating in the ENR 

program for the purpose of transmitting Direct Deposit enrollment information.

Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP)

The Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) is a recipient-initialized payment and 

information system, designed to provide a single point of contact for the request and delivery of 

federal funds.

Authorizing Agency

An authorizing agency is the federal agency that authorized the initiation of the payment.

Banking Day

With reference to a financial institution, a banking day is any day on which such financial institution 

is open to the public during any part of such day for carrying on substantially all of its banking 

functions, and, with reference to an Automated Clearing House (ACH) Operator, any day on which 

the appropriate facility of such ACH Operator is being operated.

Beneficiary

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, a beneficiary is a natural person other than a recipient who is 

entitled to receive the benefit of all or part of a benefit payment. To illustrate, in a situation where 

there’s a representative payee, the representative payee is the recipient and the beneficiary is the 

person on whose behalf the representative payee is managing the payment.

Benefit Payment

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, a benefit payment is a payment for a federal entitlement 

program or for an annuity, including, but not limited to, payments for Social Security, Supplemental 

Security Income, Black Lung, Civil Service Retirement, Railroad Retirement annuity and Railroad
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 8-3

Green Book 8. Glossary

Unemployment and Sickness benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension,

and Worker’s Compensation.

Business Day

A business day is a calendar day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or a federal holiday.

Claim Number

A claim number is a number which identifies the recipient’s or beneficiary’s records at the federal

agency that authorizes the payment; often a SSN or an equivalent identification number.

Claim Number Prefix

A claim number prefix is a one or more alpha character(s) that precedes a claim number. These

letters indicate the type of claim for which benefits are being paid.

Claim Number Suffix

A claim number suffix is a one or two alphanumeric character that follows the claim number. These 

characters indicate the type of claim for which benefits are being paid.

Corporate Credit or Debit Entry (CCD)

Corporate Credit or Debit Entry (CCD) is a corporate Automated Clearing House (ACH) format 

consisting of one detailed payment record and one addenda record. The Fiscal Service uses this 

format primarily to process vendor payments.

Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX)

A Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) is a corporate Automated Clearing House (ACH) format 

consisting of one detailed payment record with up to 9,999 addenda records. The CTX format is 

used to transmit information in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X12 electronic 

data interchange (EDI) syntax.

Death Notification Entry (DNE)

A Death Notification Entry (DNE) is a notice to a Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) 

of the death of a Receiver. Only a federal government agency may originate a DNE entry.

Direct Deposit

Direct deposit is an electronic funds transfer made through an ACH credit entry to a checking or 

savings account.

Discretionary Allotment

A discretionary allotment is an amount permitted by the employing federal agency to be deducted 

from a federal government employee’s net salary amount and paid to a recipient. The amount of 

discretionary allotments may not exceed the net pay due the employee for each pay period after all 

deductions required by law are subtracted.
8. Glossary Green Book

8-4 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Effective Entry Date

An effective entry date is the date specified by the originator (authorizing agency) on which it 

intends a batch of entries to be settled. For debit entries, the effective entry date is one banking day 

following the processing date.

Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)

The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) is a system through which taxpayers remit 

federal tax payments electronically.

FastStart

FastStart is an abbreviated Standard Form (SF) 1199A form used to enroll and/or make changes to 

Direct Deposit information.

Federal Payment

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, a federal payment is any payment made by an agency. The term 

includes, but is not limited to:

(1) federal wage, salary, and retirement payments;

(2) vendor and expense reimbursement payments;

(3) benefit payments; and

(4) miscellaneous payments including, but not limited to, interagency payments; grants; loans; fees;

principal, interest, and other payments related to United States marketable and nonmarketable

securities, overpayment reimbursements; and payments under federal insurance or guarantee

programs for loans.

Federal Reserve Bank (FRB)

A Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) is a regional bank of the Federal Reserve System, which serves as the 

nation’s central bank. FRBs serve as fiscal agents of the federal government’s fiscal agent, process 

electronic payments for the federal government, and handle federal government deposits and 

checks.

FinancialInstitution

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, a financial institution is a bank, savings bank, saving and loan 

association, credit union or similar institution.

Flagging

Flagging is the automated marker on an account indicating that one or more account holders is 

deceased, and that all future federal payments for that account should be returned.

Financial Organization Master File (FOMF)

A Financial Organization Master File (FOMF) is a master list of financial institutions receiving 

federal government Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments. It contains routing numbers 

(RTNs) and a single financial institution name and mailing address for each RTN.

Government Entry

A defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, a government entry is an Automated Clearing House (ACH) 

credit or debit entry or entry data originated or received by an agency.
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 8-5

Green Book 8. Glossary

Government Disbursing Office

A government disbursing office is a federal government office that disburses payments on behalf of 

an authorizing federal agency.

Legal Incapacity

Legal Incapacity is a legal declaration that an individual is unable to manage their affairs properly.

Limited Liability Amount

The sum of the account balance and the Automated Clearing House (ACH) 45-day amount. The 

limited liability amount is the financial institution’s liability for benefit payments if funds have been 

withdrawn from the account after the death or legal incapacity of a recipient or death of a 

beneficiary, and the financial institution meets all requirements for limiting its liability. This 

amount may not exceed the outstanding total.

Lockbox

A lockbox is a collection and processing service provided by a financial agent that accelerates the 

flow of funds to Treasury's General Account, and processes associated data. This service includes 

collecting the agency's mail from a specified post office box; opening envelopes, extracting, sorting, 

and batching the envelope contents; scanning and capturing required data from payment 

instruments and remittance documents; balancing and totaling batches; recording the payments; 

processing the items; making the deposit; and transferring the funds. Agencies receive remittance 

data either in hard copy or via electronic format. 

Misdirected Payment 

A misdirected payment occurs when an agency has originated an ACH credit entry to an account that is 

not owned by the payee whose name appears in the ACH payment information.

Nacha

Nacha is a membership association (previously known as the "NACHA – The Electronic Payments 

Association") which manages the development, administration, and governance of the Automated 

Clearing House (ACH) network used by financial institutions nationwide.

Notice of Reclamation

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, a notice of reclamation is a notice sent by electronic, paper, or 

other means by the federal government to a Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) 

which identifies the benefit payments that an agency originated after death or legal incapacity of a 

recipient or death of a beneficiary, and for which the financial institution may be wholly or partially 

liable.

Originating Depository Financial Institution (ODFI)

The Originating Depository Financial Institution (ODFI) is the financial institution which delivers 

Automated Clearing House (ACH) entries directly or indirectly through a third party to its ACH 

Operator.

Outstanding Total

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, an outstanding total is the sum of all benefit payments received 

by a Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) from an agency after the death or legal 

incapacity of a recipient or the death of a beneficiary, minus any amount returned to, or recovered 

by, the federal government.
8. Glossary Green Book

8-6 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

Prearranged Payment and Deposit (PPD)

Prearranged Payment and Deposit (PPD) is the Automated Clearing House (ACH) format used by 

the federal government for consumer payments.

Reclamation

A reclamation is a procedure to recover from a financial institution the amount of federal 

government recurring benefit payments that were paid to a financial institution’s customer through 

the automated clearing house (ACH) after the death or legal incapacity of a recipient or the death of 

a beneficiary.

Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI)

For the purposes of the Green Book, Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI)is the

financial institution that receives the payment.

Recipient

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, a recipient is a natural person, corporation, or other public or 

private entity that is authorized to receive a federal payment from an agency.

Representative Payee

A representative payee is a person or institution authorized by an authorizing federal agency to 

accept payments for the benefit of one or more other persons, such as legally incapacitated adults 

or dependent children.

Third-Party Processor/Third-Party Service Provider

A third-party processor or third-party service provider is a company that receives and processes

Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction data for a financial institution.

Trace Number

A trace number is a fifteen-digit number assigned by the Originating Depositary Financial 

Institution (ODFI) to uniquely identify an Automated Clearing House (ACH) entry. The first eight 

digits are the ODFI’s routing number, and the last seven digits are the unique item number. The 

trace number is part of the original payment data forwarded to the financial institution and is 

included in each Entry Detail, Corporate Entry Detail, and Entry Detail Addenda Record.

Trace Request (FS Form 150.1)

A trace request is a form sent by the government disbursing office to a financial institution

reporting a non-receipt claim by a payee for an Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment.

TreasuryDirect

TreasuryDirect is a book-entry securities system in which investors’ accounts of book-entry 

Treasury marketable securities are maintained. It is designed for investors who purchase Treasury 

securities and intend to hold them until maturity.
A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments 8-7

Green Book 8. Glossary

Treasury Financial Manual

As defined in Title 31 CFR part 210, the Treasury Financial Manual (TFM) is a manual issued by the 

Fiscal Service containing procedures to be observed by all agencies, Federal Reserve Banks (FRB), 

and financial institutions with respect to payments, collections, central accounting, financial 

reporting, and other government-wide fiscal responsibilities of the Treasury.

Vendor Payment

A vendor payment is the electronic transfer of funds and payment-related information used by the 

federal government for payments to businesses that provide goods and services.
9-1 A Guide to Federal Government ACH Payments

9 Forms

This Chapter includes all Green Book forms.

Appendix # Form Title

1. FS Form 133 Notice of Reclamation Form

2. FS Form 150.1 Payment Trace Request Form

3. FS Form 1199A Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form

4. FS Form 1200 Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form

5. FS Form 2942 Follow-Up To Notice of Reclamation

6. SF 3881 ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form