Real-Time Payments (RTP)

Real-Time Payments (RTP)

Real-Time Payments (RTP) is a U.S.-based instant payment infrastructure operated by The Clearing House, designed to enable the immediate transfer of funds between participating financial institutions. RTP transactions are initiated, cleared, and settled within seconds, and are available 24/7/365, meaning transactions can be initiated, cleared, and settled within seconds—any time of day, including weekends and holidays.

Key Features 

• Instant Settlement: Funds are transferred and made available to the recipient in real time, with immediate confirmation and finality.
• Irrevocable Transactions: Once processed, RTP payments cannot be reversed, reducing fraud risk and enhancing trust.
• Rich Messaging Capabilities: RTP supports ISO 20022 messaging, allowing for detailed remittance information and advanced features like Request for Payment (RfP), which enables billers to request payment directly from customers.

Strategic Value for Financial Institutions

For banks and credit unions, RTP offers a platform to:

• Modernize payment services with real-time capabilities for consumer, business, and government transactions.
• Enhance customer experience by enabling instant bill pay, payroll, disbursements, and peer-to-peer payments.
• Improve operational efficiency through faster settlement cycles and reduced reliance on batch processing.
• Drive innovation by building new products and services around real-time payment flows, such as just-in-time funding, instant lending, and dynamic invoicing.

Ecosystem Role

RTP is a foundational component of the U.S. instant payments ecosystem, working alongside the FedNow service launched by the Federal Reserve. While RTP is privately operated, it is widely adopted by large and mid-sized institutions and continues to expand its reach. Its interoperability with other systems and support for advanced use cases makes it a strategic asset for institutions aiming to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving payments landscape.

Read more about instant payments and their play with banks and credit unions.

download a document: instant payments demand instant action