B2B Payments Statistics
Last updated: 2026-10-28 · 10 sourced statistics
Business-to-business (B2B) payments are how companies pay suppliers, contractors and each other. Federal Reserve researchers estimate that ACH became the most used B2B payment method in 2020 and carried 41% of B2B payments by number in 2024, up from 25% in 2015, with B2B ACH payments more than doubling from 3.6 billion to 8.7 billion. By value, wires dominate: they carried 92% of B2B payment value in 2024, about $1 quadrillion. Payment size explains much of the choice. The average B2B wire was nearly $3.2 million, an ACH payment $8,084, a check $5,577 and a credit card payment $275, and ACH carries the lowest median fee, $0.25 to $0.50 a payment, against $1 to send a check and $7 to send or receive a wire. These figures come from the Cleveland Fed's September 2026 research brief and the Federal Reserve's own Fedwire statistics.
Key takeaways
- ACH carried 41% of US B2B payments by number in 2024, up from 25% in 2015, and has been the top B2B method since 2020 (Federal Reserve research).
- Credit cards carried nearly 30% of B2B payments by number and debit cards 17%, but almost none of the value.
- Wires carried 92% of B2B payment value in 2024, about $1 quadrillion, with an average B2B wire of nearly $3.2 million.
- Average B2B payment: ACH $8,084, check $5,577, credit card $275, debit card $119.
- Median ACH fees are $0.25 to $0.50 a payment, against about $1 to send a check and $7 each to send and receive a wire (AFP 2022 data cited by the Cleveland Fed).
At a glance.
Every figure on this page in one table, each linked to its named source. Scroll down for the full context behind each number.
The statistics
ACH's share of the number of US B2B payments rose from 25% in 2015 to 41% in 2024, and ACH has ranked first among B2B payment methods since 2020.
The number of B2B payments made by ACH more than doubled, from 3.6 billion in 2015 to 8.7 billion in 2024.
Credit cards accounted for nearly 30% of B2B payments by number in 2024, little changed since 2015, while debit cards rose from 13% to 17%.
Wires accounted for 92% of B2B payment value in 2024, down only slightly from 94% in 2015, and B2B wire value grew from $820 trillion to $1 quadrillion.
The value of B2B ACH payments nearly doubled, from $36 trillion in 2015 to $70 trillion in 2024, lifting ACH's share of B2B value from 4% to 6%.
B2B wire transfers averaged nearly $3.2 million per payment in 2024, by far the largest of any method.
Average B2B ACH and check payments were similar in size in 2024: $8,084 and $5,577 per payment.
Average B2B card payments were much smaller in 2024: $275 for credit cards and $119 for debit cards.
ACH has the lowest per-payment fee of the B2B methods, a median of $0.25 to $0.50 for both sender and receiver, against a median $1 for sending a check and $7 each for sending and receiving a wire (AFP 2022 data cited by the Cleveland Fed).
The Federal Reserve's Fedwire Funds Service originated 217.3 million transfers worth $1.148 quadrillion in 2025, up 3.5% by number and 1.3% by value, an average of $5.28 million per transfer.
Source:Federal Reserve Financial Services, Fedwire Funds Service: Annual Statistics2025
When these numbers don't apply
Aggregate statistics hide a lot. Read these caveats before quoting a figure as if it describes your specific situation.
- The B2B breakdown is an estimate. Federal Reserve researchers built it from the Federal Reserve Payments Study, assuming all business-initiated card payments are B2B and all business-initiated wires except interbank settlement are B2B, and splitting checks and ACH into B2B and business-to-consumer payments with the Fed's check sample survey and Nacha statistics.
- Wire totals are dominated by very large payments between big companies and financial institutions. The 92% value share says little about how a small supplier is paid.
- Fedwire Funds figures cover every transfer on the Federal Reserve's wire service, including bank-to-bank and financial transfers, so they are not a pure B2B measure.
- Fee ranges are medians reported by the Association for Financial Professionals in 2022 and cited by the Cleveland Fed. Your bank's or processor's fees may differ.
- All figures are for the United States. Global B2B 'market size' estimates from research firms use different definitions and are not included.
How we compiled this data
Reviewed on 2026-10-28. B2B shares, values, averages and fees were read in the Cleveland Fed's September 21, 2026 payments research brief, written by researchers at Federal Reserve Financial Services and the Federal Reserve Banks of Kansas City and Cleveland from Federal Reserve Payments Study data. Fedwire figures were read in the Federal Reserve Financial Services annual statistics table. Earlier figures were removed or moved: 2024 Nacha totals (2025 Nacha figures are on the ACH payment statistics page), a 'more than 7 billion B2B ACH payments' claim not on the linked page, an AFP check-share figure linked to a homepage, a Mastercard estimate linked to a newsroom homepage, a McKinsey revenue figure and an ACI real-time payments count that do not measure B2B payments, and AFP fraud and Atradius overdue figures covered on the payment fraud and accounts receivable pages. Check-specific B2B figures from the same brief are on the check payment statistics page. On 2026-10-28 the median credit and debit card acceptance fees (2.0% to 2.5% and 1.0% to 1.5%) were removed here so they appear only on the business credit card statistics page.
We hand-collected each figure from its original publisher rather than recycling secondary round-ups, cross-checked the headline numbers against the source documents in 2026-10-28, and link every statistic to the report it came from so you can verify it yourself. Where a publisher issues annual updates, we cite the report edition and flag the year inline.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common B2B payment method in the US?
By number, ACH. Federal Reserve researchers estimate ACH carried 41% of US B2B payments in 2024 and has ranked first since 2020. Credit cards carried nearly 30% and debit cards 17%.
Which payment method moves the most B2B money?
Wires. They carried 92% of US B2B payment value in 2024, about $1 quadrillion, with an average B2B wire of nearly $3.2 million. ACH carried 6% of B2B value, about $70 trillion.
How big is a typical B2B payment?
It depends on the method. In 2024 the average B2B ACH payment was $8,084, a check $5,577, a credit card payment $275 and a debit card payment $119 (Cleveland Fed estimates from the Federal Reserve Payments Study).
What does each B2B payment method cost?
Median fees cited by the Cleveland Fed (AFP 2022 data) are $0.25 to $0.50 per ACH payment, about $1 to send a check, and $7 each to send and receive a wire. Card acceptance fees, which are charged as a percentage of the payment, are on the business credit card statistics page.
Put these figures to use
- Payments hub: Payment terms, reminders, late fees and payment links for getting invoices paid.
- Stripe vs PayPal invoicing fees: Worked US fees for $250, $1,500 and $10,000 invoices paid by card and by bank (ACH).
- B2B discount strategies: Spend thresholds, bundles and 2/10 net 30 early-payment discounts, with worked numbers.
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