ACH Is Quietly Crushing Checks in B2B Payments

Emily Jones · 2026-09-22

Remember when paying another business meant scribbling a check, stuffing it in an envelope, and hoping it didn't get lost? Those days are fading. ACH payments have quietly become the backbone of B2B transactions, and the numbers tell a story that's hard to ignore. ### The Rise of ACH: Doubling in a Decade According to the Cleveland Fed, the number of B2B payments made via ACH more than doubled from 3.6 billion in 2015 to 8.7 billion in 2024. Since 2020, ACH has been the most-used B2B payment method. That's not just growth—it's a takeover. Meanwhile, other payment methods like wire transfers, credit cards, and debit cards have remained relatively steady. Checks, however, are a different story. Nearly all of ACH's growth has come at the expense of checks. ### Checks Are Losing Their Grip In 2015, checks were the most widely used B2B payment method, with 4.6 billion payments. By 2024, that number had fallen to 2.7 billion. Checks' share of total B2B payments dropped from 32% to 13%. Yet, despite this decline, nearly 90% of businesses still used checks in 2025. Old habits die hard, right? So why the slow shift? "The slow move towards ACH away from checks is about cost, automation, and reducing risk," said Ben Danner, Senior Analyst of Debit at Javelin Strategy & Research. "If you think about paper checks, there is a huge risk with mishandling, counterfeit, and alterations just to name a few things. When you add up all the costs associated with paper checks, ACH is just a better modality and also gives businesses the option of speed with same day ACH. Businesses have slowly followed consumer trends in moving towards digital payments in general." ### The Cost Advantage: ACH vs. Checks Let's talk money. The median fee for sending or receiving an ACH payment is 25 to 50 cents per transaction. Checks, by comparison, carry a median fee of $1 for sending organizations and just under $1 for receiving organizations. That might not sound like much, but when you're processing thousands of payments, those pennies add up to real savings. Plus, ACH offers speed. Same-day ACH means you can move money faster than waiting for a check to clear. In today's business world, speed matters. ### Where ACH and Checks Fit in the Payment Spectrum ACH and checks tend to be used for mid-sized B2B payments. In 2024, the average ACH transaction was $8,084, compared with $5,577 for checks. Wires were used for significantly larger payments, averaging nearly $3.2 million per transaction. Credit and debit card transactions, meanwhile, averaged $275 and $119, respectively. So while ACH is growing, it's not replacing wires for big-ticket items or cards for small purchases. It's carving out its own sweet spot. ### The Bigger Picture As ACH has gained ground and checks have declined, the other major payment methods have seen relatively little change. Credit cards and wire payments accounted for nearly 30% and 2% of B2B payments, respectively, with both shares remaining largely unchanged over the decade. Debit cards saw somewhat more movement, increasing from 13% to 17%. What does this mean for your business? If you're still relying heavily on checks, you might be missing out on cost savings and efficiency. ACH isn't just a trend—it's a practical upgrade that's been gaining steam for years. The shift is slow but steady, and it's worth considering how your payment strategy fits into this evolving landscape. > The move from checks to ACH isn't just about technology—it's about smarter, safer, and more cost-effective business practices. So next time you reach for the checkbook, ask yourself: is there a better way? The answer, increasingly, is yes.