Getting started with ACH
Zero Hash partners with Plaid to provide bank account verification through a tokenized solution.
Contract
In order to use ACH via Zero Hash, platforms must have the following products enabled with Plaid. These products are billed to platforms, but Zero Hash is permitted to access this data thanks to the processor token model.
Product name | Reason |
---|---|
Auth | Enables platforms to connect end customer bank accounts. |
Balance | Enables Zero Hash to check current and pending bank account balances prior to executing a transaction. This check is done by Zero Hash for each transaction request. If the platform also chooses to do balance checks, the platform will be charged for their check, and for the check by Zero Hash. |
Identity | Enables Zero Hash to verify that the participant name matches the name on the bank account. This check is done by Zero Hash whenever an external account is linked. This check can also be done by platforms, and there will only be one charge to the platform from Plaid. Also referred to as identity match. Note: This is different from identity verification, which is not a requirement. |
Integration
To kick things off, you need to:
- Set up a Plaid production or sandbox account.
- Enable Zero Hash as an integration in your Plaid account settings (Developers > Integrations > search for Zero Hash). Your Plaid Account Manager can assist.
If you need an intro to Plaid please contact your Zero Hash relationship manager, who can expedite the agreement process.
The most integral implementation lift is linking the end customer account and exchanging it for a token that is shareable with Zero Hash. This will require a series of Plaid calls* for a platform:
- /link/token/create
- Plaid's Auth service allows customers to sign in to their bank via the Plaid interface and authorize linking their bank account. This gives you tokenized access to the customer's bank account for debits and credits.
- Note: You can also offer manual account linking (account and routing number entry), which can take 1-2 days and requires slight changes to the Auth configuration.
- /item/public_token/exchange
- /processor/token/create
Once the processor token is created and shared with Zero Hash, via Create external accounts Zero Hash can connect the end customer bank account and initiate transactions.
*The listed calls are the minimum calls required to Plaid. To take advantage of the partnerships, you must contract for balance and identity as well, but Zero Hash can handle the calls.
Adding a bank account is a one-time process for an end customer that verifies account ownership, so it is not something a customer has to do every time they want to initiate an ACH transaction.
Updated 2 months ago