What is a File Header ?

FILE HEADER – The first record of an ACH file containing information necessary to route, validate and track the ACH transactions contained within the file.

NACHA FORMAT

ACH Input File Structure

The NACHA format is composed of 94 character records. All records and fields are required, except the record 7 – Entry Detail Addenda Record that is optional.

Record Title Record Type Code

File Header Record – This record includes your company name and
company number. It also designates the immediate destination (LaSalle Bank
N.A. or Standard Federal Bank) of the entries contained within the file.

1
Batch Header Record – This record indicates the effective entry date (the
date you request the deposits/debits to be settled). In addition, this record
identifies your company and provides an entry description for the credit and
debits in this batch.
5
Entry Detail Record – This record contains the information necessary to post
a deposit to/withdrawal from an account, such as recipient’s name, account
number, dollar amount of the payment.
6
Entry Detail Addenda Record – This record is optional. This record contains
additional information relating to the prior entry detail record. It is primarily
used for CCD+ and CTX, which are corporate to corporate transactions.
7
Batch Control Total – This record appears at the end of each batch and
contains totals for the batch.
8
File Control Record – This record provides a final check on the data
submitted. It contains block and batch count(s) and totals for each type of
entry.
9
The basic record layout for ACH files is detailed below:
File Header Record
Batch Header Record
First Entry Detail Record
Second Entry Detail Record
:
Last Entry Detail Record
Batch Control Record
Batch Header Record
First Entry Detail Record
:
Last Entry Detail Record
Batch Control Record
File Control Record