Setting up recurring or scheduled payments

This article explains how to schedule a one-time payment or create a recurring payment to an existing payee in Relay. It also includes steps for setting up recurring internal transfers between your Relay accounts. If you need to create a new payee first, see Adding and archiving a payee.

Relay users can schedule or set up recurring payments for ACH, wire, and check payments. Please note: scheduled and recurring payments are currently supported on Relay. 

How to set up a recurring payment

1. Sign in to your Relay account.
2. Navigate to the Payments tab.
3. Navigate to the Recurring Payments tab within the Payments dashboard. 
4. Select New Recurring Payment at the top-right corner of your screen.
5. Select the recipient (vendor) from the list of payees shown, or add a new payee.
6. Choose the account you want to pay from.
7. Enter the amount.
8. Click Next step.
9. Choose the payment method (ACH Next-day, ACH Same-day, Domestic Wire, International Wire, or Check). If the payee’s payment details aren’t on file yet, enter the required payee information.
10. Select the Recurring Payment box, then set the recurring details:
    1. Start date
    2. Frequency (for example weekly, every 2 weeks, twice monthly, etc.)
    3. Ends on (Never ends, Ends after a date, or Ends after number of payments)
11. Enter the memo (the reason for payment).
12. Click Next step.
13. Review the payment details, then click Pay.

Note: Recurring payments will process until the endpoint you select in Ends on. Your upcoming recurring payment activity can be found in the Payments tab. 

How to set up a scheduled (one-time) payment

1. Sign in to your Relay account.
2. Navigate to the Payments tab.
3. Select the payment method you are scheduling a payment for (ACH Next-Day, Domestic Wire, etc.)
4. Select the recipient (vendor) from the list of payees shown, or add a new payee.
5. Choose the account you want to pay from.
6. Enter the amount.
7. Click Next step.
8. If the payee’s payment details aren’t on file yet, enter the required payee information.
9. Under Scheduled Date, select the date you would like to schedule the payment for.
10. Enter the memo (the reason for payment).
11. Click Next step.
12. Review the payment details, then click Pay.

Your scheduled transaction can be viewed and/or cancelled before the scheduled date by navigating to Payments > Scheduled for Payment tab (under Payment Activity). The transaction will remain in Scheduled status until the scheduled date. 

Can I choose the time a scheduled payment is sent?

At the moment, Relay allows you to choose the date a scheduled payment is processed. Scheduled payments are sent within 2 hours of the time they are made. 

For example, if you create a scheduled ACH payment on Monday at 9 AM to be sent on Friday, your ACH payment will be sent at 9 AM on Friday. 

Failed Scheduled / Recurring Transactions funds

If a scheduled or recurring payment fails at the time it's processed, Relay will send you an email notification. The email includes the source account, payee name, and payment amount so you can identify which payment was affected.

Scheduled or Recurring Payments can fail at processing time for two main reasons: 

Insufficient funds: If the source checking account does not have sufficient funds to cover a scheduled or recurring payment, the transaction will be cancelled. You will need to manually re-execute the payment once sufficient funds have been added to your account. You can do so by clicking the transaction on your Home or Accounts page, and then clicking Execute transaction in the side panel. 

Payee inactivated: the payee was automatically deactivated because you linked an external bank account with the same account and routing numbers as that payee.

If you receive a failure notification, review your account balance or payee settings and reschedule the payment as needed.

Please note: Future transactions from a recurring payment will execute as normal, provided sufficient funds are available at the time of each execution. 

How to set up recurring internal transfers

Internal transfers move money between your own Relay accounts. You can create a one-time (scheduled) transfer or a recurring transfer. 

1. Sign in to your Relay account.
2. Go to Home or Accounts, then click Move money > Transfer Money.
3. Select the account that money will be transferred from.
4. Select the account(s) that money will be transferred to.
5. In Transfer Frequency, choose how often the transfer should occur.
6. Select the Transfer type:
   • One-time transfer (scheduled transfer)
   • Recurring transfer (additional fields will appear)
7. If you chose Recurring transfer, complete the recurring fields:
   • Start date
   • Frequency
   • Ends on (Never ends, Ends after a date, or Ends after number of transfers)
8. If you chose One-time transfer, select the scheduled date for transfer.
9. Enter a memo (internal note).
10. Click Next.
11. Confirm the transfer details, then click Initiate Transfer.

Canceling recurring or scheduled payments

You can cancel scheduled or recurring payments if you no longer want them to process. For step-by-step instructions, see Cancelling a scheduled or recurring transfer.

Frequently Asked Questions