Secure Payments with ACHViewer: Reporting, Alerts, and Audit Trails

How ACHViewer Simplifies Reconciling Direct Deposits and ACH DebitsReconciling direct deposits and ACH debits is a critical—but often tedious—task for payroll teams, accounting departments, and finance operations. Mismatches between bank statements, payroll files, and accounts receivable records can cause delayed payroll, inaccurate cash forecasting, and time-consuming investigations. ACHViewer is designed to make this process faster, more accurate, and less stressful by bringing together transaction visibility, automated matching, exception handling, and audit-ready reporting.

What reconciliation typically involves

Reconciliation of ACH activity usually requires:

• Matching payroll or receivable files to bank entries.
• Identifying rejected, returned, or reversed items.
• Investigating timing differences (ACH settlement lags).
• Adjusting the general ledger and issuing corrections when needed.
• Maintaining audit trails for compliance.

These tasks are manual and error-prone when done using spreadsheets and disconnected systems.

Key features of ACHViewer that streamline reconciliation

1. Real-time transaction visibility
   ACHViewer pulls ACH transaction data from your banking feeds and payment processors into a single dashboard, giving teams immediate access to credits (direct deposits), debits, returns, and reversals. This eliminates the need to log into multiple systems.

2. Automated matching engine
   The matching engine compares incoming and outgoing ACH entries against payroll or receivable files using configurable rules (amount tolerance, name matching, account numbers, effective date). ACHViewer flags exact matches and suggests probable matches for near-misses, reducing manual matching by a large percentage.

3. Exception detection and workflows
   Transactions that don’t match are routed into an exceptions queue with contextual data (original file row, bank trace number, return reason code). Built-in workflow tools let teams assign cases, add notes, and track status until resolution.

4. Return and reversal handling
   ACH returns and reversals are automatically identified and linked to the originating transaction. ACHViewer surfaces common return codes (e.g., R01 — insufficient funds, R03 — no account/unable to locate) and recommends next steps, such as re-presentment or collections action.

5. Reconciliation reports and audit trails
   Pre-built and customizable reports show matched items, unmatched items, timing variances, and historical trends. Detailed audit logs capture who viewed or edited matches, making it easier to support internal and external audits.

6. Integrations and data import/export
   ACHViewer supports common payroll and accounting systems, bank feeds (via OFX/JSON/CSV/PSD2 APIs), and file formats (NACHA, CSV). Exportable reports and API endpoints let finance systems ingest reconciliation outcomes for ledger posting or further analysis.

7. Dashboards and alerts
   Role-based dashboards provide finance leaders and operations staff with KPIs: match rate, exceptions count, average resolution time, and return rates. Configurable alerts notify teams of high-severity exceptions or anomalous activity.

Typical reconciliation workflow with ACHViewer

1. Ingest bank feeds and payroll/payment files.
2. Run automated matching; review suggested matches.
3. Investigate exceptions using contextual data and built-in case notes.
4. Resolve by re-presenting, adjusting GL entries, or initiating collections.
5. Export final reconciled results to accounting systems and archive audit logs.

This workflow shortens cycle time and centralizes evidence for auditors.

Business benefits

• Faster close cycles: Reduced manual matching cuts reconciliation time significantly.
• Fewer payroll errors: Directly linking payroll files to bank items lowers the risk of missed or duplicate payments.
• Lower operational cost: Reduced spreadsheet work and fewer reconciliation headcounts.
• Improved cash forecasting: Real-time visibility gives more accurate short-term cash positions.
• Better compliance: Detailed audit trails and standardized workflows simplify regulator and auditor requests.

Example: payroll reconciliation use case

A mid-sized company processes a weekly payroll of 1,200 employees. Before ACHViewer they spent two full days reconciling deposits and investigating 3–5% of pay runs due to mismatched account numbers or stale files. After implementing ACHViewer:

• Automated matching resolved ~92% of items instantly.
• Exceptions were reduced to 0.5–1% and handled within a single business day.
• The payroll reconciliation cycle dropped from 16 person-hours to 4 person-hours weekly.

Implementation considerations

• Data mapping: Confirm file field mappings (employee ID, account number, amount) to ensure accurate matching.
• Bank connectivity: Validate supported bank feed methods and any credentials required.
• Security & access control: Set role-based permissions to protect sensitive payroll and bank data.
• Change management: Train staff on the exceptions workflow and reporting features to maximize adoption.

Closing summary

ACHViewer centralizes ACH data, automates matching, and provides clear exception workflows and audit trails, turning a time-consuming reconciliation process into a streamlined, auditable operation. For organizations that handle frequent direct deposits and ACH debits, ACHViewer reduces errors, shortens reconciliation cycles, and improves financial control.