A practical guide to ACH settlement calendars, ATM cash demand, and fraud awareness this season
The holiday season is a time for gratitude, family, and celebration. For businesses that move money, the holidays are also one of the most demanding stretches of the year for payment processing. Payroll dates shift, transaction volumes climb, cash demand rises, and fraudsters get busier, all while teams are stretched thin by vacations and year-end deadlines.
The good news is that a little planning now goes a long way. Here’s what to have on your radar between now and the new year.
Know Your ACH Settlement Calendar
The Federal Reserve is closed on federal banking holidays, which means ACH payments don’t settle on those days. A payment with a holiday settlement date moves to the next banking day, which can mean a late paycheck or a missed vendor deadline if no one planned for it. Four federal banking holidays fall between now and early January:
| Holiday | Date | What to plan for |
| Veterans Day | Wed., Nov. 11, 2026 | A midweek pause. Many businesses stay open, but the banking system does not, so payments dated that day settle Thursday. |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thu., Nov. 26, 2026 | Payments due Thursday should be submitted ahead of Wednesday’s cutoff. Friday, Nov. 27, is a normal banking day. |
| Christmas Day | Fri., Dec. 25, 2026 | Friday payrolls and vendor payments need to settle Thursday, Dec. 24, so originate them earlier in the week. |
| New Year’s Day | Fri., Jan. 1, 2027 | Same Friday shift as Christmas, landing right on top of year-end close. |
One thing to watch this year: Christmas and New Year’s Day both land on Fridays, back to back. If your business runs a Friday payroll, both of those cycles need to be submitted early. Mark them on your calendar now, not the week of. If a deadline does slip, Same Day ACH can be a useful safety net.
Plan for Higher Volume and ATM Cash Demand
Holiday shopping, travel, and gatherings drive more card activity and more ATM withdrawals. Because Christmas and New Year’s both create three-day weekends this year, cash needs can build up while the banking system is closed.
If you operate ATMs, review ATM cash loads ahead of each long weekend and confirm your armored carrier’s holiday schedule, which often shifts around these dates. If you’re a merchant, expect higher transaction counts and make sure your team knows who to call if something looks off. Holiday foot traffic also makes ATM skimming devices more attractive to criminals, so keep up your routine inspections.
Stay Alert to Seasonal Payment Fraud
Busy, distracted teams and higher volumes create opportunity for fraud. A few patterns are worth extra attention this time of year:
- Payment change requests. An email asking you to update a vendor’s or employee’s bank account details is one of the most common business email compromises. Always verify by calling a phone number you already have on file, never one listed in the email.
- Urgent requests from “leadership.” Fraudsters often impersonate executives who are supposedly traveling or out of office and need a payment sent right away. Slow down and confirm.
- Holiday-themed phishing. Watch for messages about package deliveries, gift cards, year-end bonuses, or benefits enrollment that ask you to click a link or sign in.
- Stale user access. Review who can initiate and approve payments, remove access for anyone who has left, and confirm multi-factor authentication is turned on.
Fraud prevention is also a shared responsibility with your processor, so it is worth knowing how your processor’s security posture affects yours.
Confirm Coverage and Contacts
Holiday vacations can leave gaps at exactly the wrong moment. Make sure authorized approvers will be available on key dates, designate backups, and confirm that your escalation contacts are current. If an issue comes up on a short week, knowing exactly who to reach saves valuable time.
Your Holiday Readiness Checklist
- Add all four holiday dates to your payroll and payables calendars
- Move up file submissions for the Christmas and New Year’s Friday holidays
- Confirm backup approvers for vacation weeks
- Review user access and multi-factor authentication
- Verify any bank account change request by phone before acting on it
- Plan ATM cash loads for long weekends
- Save your EFX support contact information where your team can find it
Here for You Through the Season
At EFX, our innovation is built around one goal: your success. That means fewer surprises, smoother settlements, and a partner who’s paying attention when it matters most. If you have questions about holiday processing dates, cutoff times, or anything on this list, reach out to your EFX representative or call 888-894-4088.
From all of us at EFX, thank you for your trust this year. We wish you a safe, joyful, and well-planned holiday season.
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