Found out same-day ACH transfers actually settle at 3 AM, not instantly

I was digging into FedACH rules after a client in Phoenix asked why his Friday payment didn't show up until Monday. Turns out same-day ACH has cutoff times, and the final settlement batch runs at 3 AM Eastern, so "same day" really means "next business day after midnight" for most people. Does that bug anyone else, or is the convenience worth the confusion?

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taylor.reese26d ago

Wait, the final batch runs at 3 AM Eastern? That's wild. I always figured there was some cutoff thing happening, but I thought it settled in the evening at least. So basically if I hit that 5 PM cutoff, my money is just sitting there until the literal middle of the night. That feels like they're using the word "same day" pretty loosely, like a bank's version of a coupon that expires at midnight.