Is a routing number the same as a SWIFT code?

No. A routing number identifies a bank inside the US and is used for ACH and domestic wires. A SWIFT code identifies a bank for international wires. Clients in the US use the routing number; clients abroad use SWIFT.

Does ACH work on weekends?

No. ACH runs on US banking days only, so payments sent on Friday evening or over a US holiday move on the next banking day.

What's the difference between ACH and Same Day ACH?

Same Day ACH is a faster option your client's bank can choose, for payments up to $1 million. Standard ACH usually settles within one banking day. The sender decides which one to use, not you.

What if my client's form asks for an IBAN?

They've picked an international payment type. Ask them to pay by ACH or domestic transfer, which only needs your routing number and account number.

How to Receive ACH Payments in Pakistan (2026 Guide)

Your US client says, "We pay all contractors by ACH. Just send your routing number." You check your bank app. There's an account number and an IBAN, but no routing number. That's the moment most freelancers find out you can't receive ACH payments in Pakistan the same way you receive a local transfer.

You can still get paid by ACH from Pakistan. You need US account details in your own name. This guide covers what ACH is, what a routing number does, when a wire makes more sense, and why your client won't find an IBAN on US details. Everything below was checked on 26 October 2026.

Key takeaways

ACH is the US network for everyday bank payments. It only pays into US accounts, so a Pakistani bank account can't receive it directly.
To receive ACH, give your client a routing number, an account number, your full legal name and the account type.
A routing number is the 9-digit code that tells a US bank where to send money. It does the job a SWIFT code does abroad.
US accounts don't use IBANs. If a payer's form asks for one, they're on the wrong payment type.
Most ACH payments settle within one banking day, and Same Day ACH can arrive the same day.

What is an ACH payment?

ACH (Automated Clearing House) is the network US businesses use to pay salaries, suppliers and contractors. It moves money between US bank and credit union accounts in batches. For your client it's a cheap, routine domestic payment, which is why accounts teams ask for ACH details first.

The scale explains why clients default to it. Nacha, which runs the network, says ACH carried 35.2 billion payments worth $93 trillion in 2025, including close to 8.1 billion business-to-business payments. If your client pays freelancers through payroll or accounting software, ACH is usually the default option.

ACH reaches every bank and credit union account in the US, according to Nacha. That's the catch for Pakistani freelancers: it reaches US accounts only.

Can you receive ACH payments in Pakistan?

Not into a Pakistani bank account. ACH only pays into US accounts, so your client's bank needs a US routing number to send it. Once you have US account details in your own name, a client can pay you by ACH like any US payee, and you cash out to rupees when you choose.

There is a version of ACH that crosses borders, called an IAT (International ACH Transaction). Nacha defines it as the US leg of an international payment, and it can never go as Same Day ACH. The sending bank sets it up, and it isn't something you can request from your side. In practice, the freelancer route is simple: get US account details, send them to your client, and let them pay you like a local contractor.

We covered what you can and can't open from Pakistan in can you open a US bank account from Pakistan.

What is a routing number?

A routing number is a 9-digit code that identifies a US bank, so a payment reaches the right one. Your client's bank uses it together with your account number to send ACH payments and domestic wires. It's sometimes called an ABA number. It works like a SWIFT code, but only inside the US.

The American Bankers Association created routing numbers to get payments to the right bank, and about 22,000 are active today. On a US check, it's the first group of numbers along the bottom.

Here's how it compares with the codes you already know:

Code	What it identifies	Used for
Routing number	A US bank (9 digits)	ACH and domestic wires inside the US
Account number	Your account at that bank	Every payment type
SWIFT code	A bank anywhere in the world	International wires
IBAN	A bank and account in one string	Payments in countries that use IBAN, such as Pakistan and most of Europe

Checked 26 Oct 2026 against the American Bankers Association and Swift.

ACH or wire: which should your payer use?

A client in the US should use ACH. It's the normal way US businesses pay contractors, it costs them little, and most payments settle within one banking day. A domestic wire is faster but costs the sender more. A client outside the US can't use ACH, so they send a SWIFT wire in US dollars.

Payment type	Typical speed	Watch out for
ACH (client in the US)	Most settle within one banking day; Same Day ACH is faster	Name and account number typos
Domestic wire (client in the US)	Usually the same business day	The sender's wire fee
SWIFT wire (client outside the US)	Varies with the banks in between	Intermediary banks taking fees from the amount

ACH timing from Nacha. Wire hours from the Federal Reserve. Intermediary fees from Chase. Checked 26 Oct 2026.

ACH and domestic wires need your routing number, account number and name, and ACH forms usually ask for the account type. A SWIFT wire needs your SWIFT code, account number, name and address, plus the bank's name and address.

Nacha estimates that 80% of ACH payments settle in one banking day or less. Same Day ACH, which can carry up to $1 million per payment, grew to 1.4 billion payments in 2025. Domestic wires run through the Fedwire system on business days, from 9:00 p.m. ET the evening before to 7:00 p.m. ET, with no Saturday or Sunday processing. The Fed plans to add Sundays in 2028 or 2029.

If your client is outside the US, a SWIFT wire in USD is the right route. Ask them to choose OUR charges so the full amount arrives. We wrote the exact message to send in how to receive payment from a client abroad.

Why do US account details have no IBAN?

Because the United States doesn't use IBANs. US banks identify accounts with a routing number and an account number instead. If your client's payment form insists on an IBAN, they've picked an international payment type. Ask them to choose ACH or a domestic transfer, which only needs the routing and account number.

IBAN is an international standard, ISO 13616, and Swift keeps the registry of national formats. Pakistan's banks adopted it under State Bank guidelines issued in 2012. The US doesn't: US bank SoFi puts it plainly, "The United States doesn't use International Bank Account Number (IBAN) codes."

This trips up clients in Europe and the Gulf most, because their banking apps expect an IBAN for every transfer. If they're sending from outside the US, their bank should switch to a SWIFT wire, which uses your SWIFT code and account number.

How long does an ACH payment take to arrive?

Most ACH payments settle within one banking day, and Same Day ACH can land the same day. Your client's bank also chooses when to send it, so a payment started on Friday evening usually moves on Monday. ACH doesn't run on weekends or US bank holidays, so plan invoices around them.

Timing depends on two things you can't see: when your client's bank submits the payment, and whether they use standard or Same Day ACH. The Federal Reserve's FedACH schedule settles payments on banking days only, so anything sent after the last window waits for the next one. If the money hasn't arrived after a few banking days, ask your client for the date it was sent and the trace number.

Which details do Upwork and clients ask for?

A US client paying by ACH asks for four things: your full legal name, routing number, account number and account type (checking or savings). Upwork's Direct to U.S. Bank method needs a US account that accepts ACH, in a name that matches your verified Upwork name. Some clients also ask for Form W-8BEN.

Upwork's help page says a new Direct to U.S. Bank method becomes active three days after you confirm it. Upwork says it doesn't charge for these transfers, and payments usually arrive in two to five business days. We're confirming Upwork payouts to HandlePay with a live payment before publishing a setup guide, so don't switch your Upwork method yet.

How to receive ACH payments with HandlePay

Download HandlePay and create your account with a username and a passkey

Verify your identity once

That's what puts your US account details in your own name.

Request your USD account

You get a routing number and an account number for a checking account based in the US.

Copy or share your details from the ACH/Wire tab and send them to your client

Get paid in dollars

When you want rupees, cash out to any Pakistani bank in your name. It lands within minutes, at the Google rate.

Only you can move your money once it lands. If you're still deciding whether you need US details at all, read the benefits of a dollar account.

Get your US account details

A routing number and account number in your own name. Your client pays by ACH, and you cash out to PKR when you choose.

Get the app

Sources

FAQs

No. ACH only pays into US accounts. Your client would need to send an international wire to a Pakistani bank instead. To receive ACH, you need US account details in your own name.

HandlePay Team

Our mission is to make international money work for everyday people, freelancers, and businesses in Pakistan.