What do I need to know about ACH transfers and electronic debit blocks?

Updated Feb 2024

What is a debit blocker?

Many banks and financial institutions have implemented anti-fraud safeguards that block unknown electronic debit attempts to your account. These debit blocks are in place to protect your bank account from unauthorized electronic debits.

To ensure that your authorized electronic debits will be allowed, you will need to add the originator identification (ID) number for each debiting bank to your approved list.

If you have a debit blocker enabled on your bank account, and the state Department of Revenue's ACH originator IDs are not on your approved list when the payment is submitted, the payment may be rejected and you would need to resubmit the entire payment, (as well as potential penalty and interest). 

What is an originator identification number (originator ID)? 

The originator identification number, or originator ID, is the 10-digit ID assigned to a company by their bank. In this case, the company is the state's Department of Revenue.

An originator identification number for ACH payments also allows your bank to trace payments. If you were to receive a credit into your account from an originator you were unaware of, the bank could complete an ACH trace to see who the originator of the payment was.

How do I avoid a debit block? 

To ensure your debit payments are successful, you should: 

1. Speak with your bank before setting up a debit payment. 
2. Provide the originator ID and name to your bank for the type of tax payment you need to make.

Which ACH transfer numbers will I need to add to my bank's approved list?

Listed below, we have provided each of the states with their publicly available ACH originator IDs. 

• States without publicly available originator IDs have been noted with an asterisk(*). You will need to call the DOR to obtain these originator IDs.
• Note: Before adding an ID to your approved list, we strongly recommend that you visit the state's website to verify that the originator ID is the most current ID available.