Relay supports scheduled one-time payments and recurring payments for ACH, wires, and checks, plus recurring internal transfers between your own Relay accounts.
What you need before you start
A signed-in Relay account
An existing payee for the vendor you are paying, or the payee's routing and account details ready to add
Enough money in the source checking account on each scheduled date
The payment amount, method (ACH Next-day, ACH Same-day, Domestic Wire, International Wire, or Check), and a memo
If you need to add the payee first, see Adding and archiving a payee.
How do I set up a recurring payment to a payee?
Recurring payments send a set amount to the same payee on a schedule you choose. ACH, wire, and check payments are all supported.
Sign in to your Relay account.
Go to the Payments tab.
Open the Recurring Payments tab within the Payments dashboard.
Click New Recurring Payment in the top-right corner.
Select the payee from the list, or add a new one.
Choose the account you want to pay from.
Enter the amount, then click Next step.
Choose the payment method (ACH Next-day, ACH Same-day, Domestic Wire, International Wire, or Check). If the payee's payment details are not on file, enter them now.
Check the Recurring Payment box, then set:
Start date
Frequency (weekly, every two weeks, twice monthly, and so on)
Ends on (Never ends, Ends after a date, or Ends after a number of payments)
Enter the memo (the reason for payment).
Click Next step.
Review the payment details, then click Pay.
Recurring payments process until the endpoint you set under Ends on. Upcoming activity appears in the Payments tab.
How do I schedule a one-time payment?
Scheduled payments send once on a future date you choose. They are available for ACH, wires, and checks.
Sign in to your Relay account.
Go to the Payments tab.
Select the payment method you are scheduling (ACH Next-day, Domestic Wire, and so on).
Select the payee from the list, or add a new one.
Choose the account you want to pay from.
Enter the amount, then click Next step.
If the payee's payment details are not on file, enter them now.
Under Scheduled Date, select the date you want the payment to send.
Enter the memo (the reason for payment).
Click Next step.
Review the payment details, then click Pay.
Your scheduled transaction appears under Payments > Scheduled for Payment (in Payment Activity). It stays in Scheduled status until the send date and can be viewed or cancelled before then.
How do I set up recurring internal transfers between my Relay accounts?
Internal transfers move money between your own Relay checking or savings accounts. You can send once on a scheduled date, or on a recurring schedule.
Sign in to your Relay account.
Go to Home or Accounts, then click Move money > Transfer Money.
Select the account money will be transferred from.
Select the account(s) money will be transferred to.
Under Transfer Frequency, choose how often the transfer should occur.
Choose the Transfer type: One-time transfer or Recurring transfer.
If you chose Recurring transfer, set:
Start date
Frequency
Ends on (Never ends, Ends after a date, or Ends after a number of transfers)
If you chose One-time transfer, select the scheduled date.
Enter a memo (internal note).
Click Next.
Confirm the transfer details, then click Initiate Transfer.
What happens if a scheduled or recurring payment fails?
If a scheduled or recurring payment fails at processing time, Relay sends you an email with the source account, payee name, and payment amount so you can identify which payment was affected. There are two main reasons a payment fails.
If the source account has insufficient funds
Relay cancels the payment when the source checking account does not have enough money to cover it on the send date. To retry, add money to the account, then manually re-execute the payment: click the transaction on your Home or Accounts page, then click Execute transaction in the side panel.
If the payee was inactivated
Relay automatically deactivates a payee when you link an external bank account with the same account and routing numbers as that payee. Review the payee details, restore or recreate the payee, then reschedule the payment.
Future payments in a recurring series still process as normal, provided the source account has enough money on each execution date.
How do I cancel a scheduled or recurring payment?
You can cancel any scheduled or recurring payment before its send date. See Cancelling a scheduled or recurring transfer for step-by-step instructions.
Common issues
Payment did not process on the expected date. Check your email for a failure notification. Insufficient funds or a deactivated payee are the two most common causes.
Vendor is missing from the payee list. Add the payee first, then restart the recurring or scheduled payment flow.
Scheduled payment sent later in the day than expected. Scheduled payments send within two hours of the time the payment was created, not at midnight on the send date.
Recurring series ended sooner than expected. Review the Ends on setting. The series may have hit a date or payment-count limit.
Frequently asked questions
What payment types can I schedule or make recurring?
You can schedule or set up recurring payments for ACH (next-day or same-day), domestic wires, international wires, and checks.
What is the difference between a recurring payment and a recurring internal transfer?
A recurring payment sends money to an external payee from the Payments tab. A recurring internal transfer moves money between your own Relay checking or savings accounts using Move money > Transfer Money.
Can I choose the exact time a scheduled payment sends?
You choose the date, not the exact time. Scheduled payments send within two hours of the time the payment was created. For example, a payment created Monday at 9 AM for a Friday send date will process at 9 AM on Friday.
What does "Ends on" mean for recurring payments or transfers?
Ends on controls how long the recurring series runs. The options are Never ends, Ends after a date, or Ends after a number of payments or transfers.
Where do I see my upcoming scheduled or recurring payments?
Upcoming activity lives in the Payments tab. Scheduled one-time payments appear under Payments > Scheduled for Payment, in the Payment Activity view.
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