RTP System Operating Rules

Systems it applies to

• RTP →

Publisher: The Clearing House →

Versions ClearingPost holds (4)

1. Effective 10-04-2026effective 4 Oct 2026current

   What changed: The Clearing House published this edition to support One Leg Out (OLO) Payments on the RTP network, to modify the rules on Requests for Payment that are RTP/Zelle Messages, and to make clarifying, conforming and cleanup changes. Section I.A gains ten new defined terms: Domestic Payee, Domestic Payer, Foreign Payee, Foreign Payer, OLO Beneficiary, OLO Intermediary Institution, OLO Originator, OLO Payment, Swift and UETR. Section II.B adds an exception to the prohibition on RTP Payments involving a Foreign Financial Institution as Sender or Receiver, permitting OLO Payments and returns of funds from them. Section II.E is renamed Limitations on Foreign Payments and adds an OLO exception to the general prohibition on sending or receiving an RTP Payment for a person not resident in or domiciled in the United States. Section II.G requires Sending Participants to maintain agreements obliging Senders and Initiating Customers of OLO Payments to report fraud affecting OLO Originators and Foreign Payers, and to report that fraud to The Clearing House and the Receiving Participant. Section III.H requires OLO Payment Messages to carry the OLO local instrument code, to name the Sending Participant as instructing agent and the Receiving Participant as instructed agent, and to identify the OLO Originator, OLO Beneficiary, OLO Intermediary Institutions and their foreign financial institutions as applicable, together with the address of the OLO Originator or Foreign Payer. New Section III.K opens an optional early-adopter period on 4 October 2026 during which Participants may send OLO Payments only to other participating early adopters. Section V.E.2 expands the circumstances in which a Receiving Participant that used the accept-without-posting response may delay its funds-availability decision beyond 11:59 p.m. the next business day, adding the need to obtain information from a third party to complete legal or compliance review. Section IX.A.1.b extends TCH third-party audit rights to IDS Payments and OLO Payments. Most changes take effect 4 October 2026; the changes to Section III.I.2 take effect 31 March 2028, from which date every Receiving Participant must receive inbound OLO Payments except where rejection is permitted under the Operating Rules.

   This version at the publisher ↗
2. Effective 09-30-2026effective 30 Sep 2026

   What changed: Upcoming edition listed by The Clearing House as 'Upcoming RTP Operating Rules: Effective 09-30-2026' and published at https://www.theclearinghouse.org/-/media/New/TCH/Documents/Payment-Systems/RTP/RTP-Operating-Rules-Effective-September-30-2026.pdf. The cover reads 'RTP Operating Rules, September 30, 2026'. The document's Revision History states the edition was initially published in December 2025 following approval of changes regarding Indirect Domestic Send (IDS) Payments. The Revision History states an updated version was published in April 2026 to incorporate additional changes related to the Liquidity Management Transfer (LMT) Service and to make formatting enhancements. The Revision History records that the LMT Service changes were approved on 13 April 2026 and take effect on 1 June 2026. Supersedes the edition effective 1 June 2026.

   Publisher page (not this version) ↗
3. Effective 06-01-2026effective 1 Jun 2026

   What changed: In-force edition listed by The Clearing House as 'Current RTP Operating Rules: Effective 06-01-2026'; cover reads 'RTP Operating Rules, June 1, 2026' and the contents page 'RTP Operating Rules, Effective June 1, 2026'. Supersedes the 01-01-2026 edition and precedes the upcoming 09-30-2026 and 10-04-2026 editions. The document carries no change log, so the specific amendments are not itemised here.

   Publisher page (not this version) ↗
4. Effective 01-01-2026effective 1 Jan 2026

   What changed: Current RTP Operating Rules effective January 2026; includes On Behalf Of (OBO) payment framework with full compliance now mandatory (deadline passed April 16, 2026). TCH may require OBO-sending participants to undergo third-party compliance audits. An upcoming version effective September 30, 2026 is announced alongside updated Participation Rules. RTP Customer Display Requirements for Credit Transfers and Request for Payments take effect July 1, 2026.

   Publisher page (not this version) ↗