Funeral balances are often large, which is exactly where card processing fees add up. ACH, a direct bank transfer, usually carries a lower fee than a card for the same amount, so offering it can save meaningful money over a year of cases. The trade-off is that ACH settles a little slower and needs the family’s bank details.
ACH versus card
| Factor | ACH | Card |
|---|---|---|
| Typical fee | Lower, often flat-ish | A percentage that grows with the amount |
| Best for | Large balances | Convenience and smaller amounts |
| Settlement | A few business days | Fast |
| Needs | Bank account details | Card details |
When to offer ACH
- On larger balances where the card fee is significant.
- For families who prefer a bank transfer.
- For scheduled payment-plan installments.
What to track
Whichever method a family uses, the payment should attach to the case with its method, amount, and date, post against the matching invoice, and update the balance. ACH that settles in a few days should still show as pending so staff are not surprised. Processing fees are standard from the provider and separate from your subscription.
What to ask software vendors
- Do you support both ACH and card against the case?
- What are the ACH and card processing fees?
- Does an ACH payment show as pending until it settles?
- Do payments sync to QuickBooks against the right invoice?
How FuneralHQ handles this
FuneralHQ supports both card and ACH payments against the case, so families can choose and you can steer larger balances to the lower-fee method. Every payment posts to the case and syncs to QuickBooks. Processing fees are standard and separate, with no platform markup.
Related resources
Read credit card payments for funeral homes and funeral home online payments.