ACH return reason code
R38 return code: Stop Payment on Source Document
A stop payment was placed on the check behind an ARC or BOC debit.
What R38 means
R38 is the return reason code Stop Payment on Source Document
. A stop payment was placed on the check behind an ARC or BOC debit.
ARC and BOC entries whose source check had a stop payment.
It is sent by the RDFI as a return entry: the original entry goes back to the ODFI with an addenda record carrying R38, and the ODFI passes the return on to the Originator.
Typical causes
- The Receiver placed a stop payment on the check behind an ARC or BOC debit.
Return timeframe
Extended return: available to the ODFI by opening of business on the banking day after the 60th calendar day following the settlement date of the original entry.
Worked example
For an entry that settled on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, the day before Thanksgiving: must be available to the ODFI by opening of business on Monday, January 25, 2027, the banking day after the 60th calendar day (Sunday, January 24, 2027).
What the Originator can do next
- Contact the Receiver about the stopped payment before trying to collect it another way.
How R38 appears in a NACHA file
A return is the original entry detail record (type 6) sent back with a return transaction code — 21 or 26 for a checking account, 31 or 36 for savings (21 and 31 return a credit, 26 and 36 a debit) — the original amount, and an addenda record of type 99 that carries the reason. The batch keeps the original entry’s SEC code.
| Positions | Field | In an R38 return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record Type Code | 7 (addenda) |
| 2–3 | Addenda Type Code | 99 (return) |
| 4–6 | Return Reason Code | R38 |
| 7–21 | Original Entry Trace Number | Trace number of the entry being returned |
| 22–27 | Date of Death | YYMMDD for R14 and R15; blank otherwise |
| 28–35 | Original Receiving DFI Identification | First 8 digits of the original entry’s RDFI routing number |
| 36–79 | Addenda Information | Free text from the RDFI |
| 80–94 | Trace Number | The return entry’s own trace number |
To read a return file record by record, open the file in NACHA Navigator, a free sister site that parses NACHA files in your browser without uploading them.
Look up R38 from code or an AI agent
The code table on this page is the one behind the REST API and the MCP server, so a script or an AI agent gets the same answer as JSON. No key and no account.
curl -s 'https://payopskit.com/api/v1/codes/R38?set=ach-return'{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "lookup_payment_code",
"arguments": {
"code": "R38",
"set": "ach-return"
}
}
}{
"code": "R38",
"set": "ach-return",
"found": true,
"matches": [
{
"set": "ach-return",
"code": "R38",
"name": "Stop Payment on Source Document",
"description": "A stop payment was placed on the check behind an ARC or BOC debit.",
"details": {
"category": "return",
"timeframe": "Extended return: available to the ODFI by opening of business on the banking day after the 60th calendar day following the settlement date of the original entry",
"timeframeKind": "calendar-days",
"timeframeDays": 60,
"timeframeFrom": "original-settlement",
"account": "any",
"accountNote": "ARC and BOC entries whose source check had a stop payment.",
"writtenStatement": false,
"initiatedBy": "RDFI",
"note": null,
"effectiveFrom": null,
"upcomingChange": null,
"caveat": null
}
}
]
}The MCP server is at /mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key); the API and MCP docs show how to connect Claude, Cursor or VS Code.
The deadline for a settlement date: GET /api/v1/ach/return-deadline?settlement_date=2026-11-25&code=R38 or the MCP tool ach_return_deadline.
Source: Nacha Operating Rules, Appendix Four (Return Entries). The code’s title is the Rules’ own; the rest is this site’s plain-language summary. It is informational and not a substitute for the Rules, your ACH Operator’s schedule or your ODFI agreement.