ACH/EFT processing in Gym Assistant.
What you set up, what the bank sees, what your members see, and what to do when an item comes back.
What ACH actually is
ACH (Automated Clearing House) is the U.S. bank-to-bank transfer rail that runs payroll, bill payments, and direct deposits. EFT is the broader name for the same family of electronic funds transfers, used in Canada and elsewhere. In the gym-software context, you'll see them used interchangeably to mean: pull dues directly from a member's checking or savings account.
Setup, end-to-end
- Apply for an integrated merchant services account through Gym Assistant billing. We'll route you to a partner processor that knows the Gym Assistant integration.
- Approval typically takes one to three business days. You sign a processor agreement and receive your merchant ID and API credentials.
- Plug those credentials into Gym Assistant's billing settings. Test with a $1 ACH against your own bank account to confirm.
- Capture each member's bank routing and account number at sign-up. Members can also self-enter through the MemberConnect portal.
Running an ACH dues batch
Gym Assistant's AutoBill engine pulls all active members on the cycle you set (usually the 1st or the 15th). The batch submits to the processor as a single ACH file. You'll see a deposit in your account in two to three business days for items that clear cleanly.
Returns and what to do about them
Returns come back over the next several days. The most common return codes:
- R01 — Insufficient funds. Member's account didn't have the dues amount. Most common return.
- R02 — Account closed. Member closed the account and didn't tell you.
- R03 — No account / unable to locate. Routing or account number is wrong.
- R29 — Corporate customer authorization revoked. Rare for consumer dues.
Build a workflow: a daily check on the returns report, a clear who-calls-the-member rule, and a hold on the membership until the bank info is fixed. Don't auto-retry returned ACH — the member's bank may charge them an NSF fee on each attempt.
What members see
One line on their bank statement, a recognizable descriptor (you set this when you provision the merchant account — make it match your gym name, not "BIO-LOGIC INC"). Members who reconcile statements appreciate the clean line item. Members who don't reconcile statements appreciate that their dues run silently.