When you deposit money into your bank account, you can’t always use the money right away. Your financial institution may put a hold on a portion of your funds as they process them and make sure they clear. Whether or not all your cash is available can depend on a variety of factors, such as the form of the deposit (say, electronic or a check); the amount of money involved; and when and where the deposit was made (in person? After business hours?). Your money might be ready to use almost immediately, or it could take a few days or even longer.
Federal regulations determine how long banks can take to make deposits available to their clients. And banks and credit unions may have their own internal guidelines as well about processing deposits. It can be a good move to check with your financial institution about their guidelines for clearing deposits so you don’t wind up accidentally overdrawing your account.
That said, here are some important guidelines about when banks typically make funds available to help you manage your money even better.
Why Do Banks Put a Hold on Deposits?
Banks hold deposits to protect themselves, as well as their customers, from losing money. If a check you deposit bounces or some other complication arises, the bank will have an opportunity to fix the problem before you have the opportunity to spend the funds.
While a delay in being able to access your own money may seem like a nuisance, holds can actually help protect you from fraud and fees.
If your bank allows you to spend funds from a check that later bounces, you would have to repay the bank the amount that they gave you, and likely also get hit with a hefty overdraft fee. This is the case regardless of who is at fault.
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How Long Can a Bank Hold a Deposit?
The amount of time it takes for funds to become available can depend on a number of factors, including how long you’ve held your account, your financial history, the type of deposit (e.g., cash, check, direct deposit), and the amount of the deposit.
• Generally, a bank or credit union has until at least the next business day (a business day is a weekday that is not a holiday) to make most deposits available.
• Electronic deposits are typically available on the same day. So, one way to make sure your paycheck is available to you quickly is to sign up for direct deposit.
• Cash deposits may clear immediately or the next business day.
• The longest a bank can hold funds is usually five business days for money deposited at an ATM of a different bank.
• While each bank or credit union has its own rules as to when it will let you access the money you deposit, federal law establishes the maximum length of time a bank or credit union can make you wait.
The amount of money deposited can also matter. Here are the rules set by the Federal Reserve.
• Direct Deposit: Day of Deposit
• Wire Transfer: Next Business Day
• First $225 of any non-”next-day” check deposited: Next Business Day
• Cash*: Next Business Day
• U.S. Treasury Check: Next Business Day
• U.S. Postal Service Money Order*: Next Business Day
• State or Local Government Check*: Next Business Day
• Casher’s, Certified, or Teller’s Check*: Next Business Day
• Checks and Money Orders Drawn on Another Account at the Same Financial Institution: Next Business Day
• Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank Checks*: Next Business Day
• Any Other Checks or Non-U.S. Postal Service Money Orders: Second Business Day After the Day of Deposit
• Deposits of Items Noted by “*” at an ATM Owned by the Customer’s Financial Institutions: Second Business Day After the Day of Deposit
• Deposits Made at an ATM Not Owned by the Customer’s Financial Institution: Fifth Business Day After the Day of Deposit
* Deposited in person
You may want to keep in mind that the hold times listed above are the maximum allowed. It’s possible that your funds will be available sooner.
You can typically find specifics about your bank’s funds availability policy in the account agreement you received when you opened your account, or you can ask the bank for a copy of their holding policies.
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Understanding Cut-Off Times
When you deposit a check, you may think you did it “today.” However, you may have missed the cut-off for starting the deposit process on that calendar day.
If you make a deposit after the cut-off time, your financial institution can treat your deposit as if it was made on the next business day. If the deposit was made late in the day on a Friday, it could actually take three or more days for the money to show up in your account.
By law, a bank or credit union’s cut-off time for receiving deposits is generally no earlier than 2:00 p.m. at physical locations and no earlier than noon at an ATM or elsewhere. Sometimes banks have later deposit times for mobile deposits (made via the bank’s phone app), such as 5 pm.
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Deposits That May Take Longer to Become Available
There are certain circumstances under which banks are allowed to hold deposited funds for longer than the times listed above.
When these exceptions apply, there isn’t always a clearly defined limit to the amount of time the bank can hold funds. The bank can generally hold funds for a “reasonable” amount of time.
Exceptions to standard holding times include:
Large Deposits
If a customer deposits more than $5,000, the bank will typically need to make the first $5,000 of the funds available on the second business day, but they are allowed to put a longer hold on the remaining amount.
Redeposited Checks
If a check bounces and then is redeposited, banks may hold the funds for longer than one business day. (You may want to be cautious about accepting future checks from a person or business that has already bounced a check.)
Accounts That Have Been Repeatedly Overdrawn
If a customer has a history of overdrawing their account, the bank may go beyond charging overdraft fees and also hold funds for more time before making them available for use.
Repeatedly overdrawn means that the account has had a negative balance on at least six business days within the past six months, or the account was $5,000 overdrawn more than twice within the past six months. (One note: If you are in this situation, you may want to consider the pros and cons of overdraft protection.)
Reasonable Doubt
If a customer deposits a check that seems suspicious, the bank may hold funds for a longer period of time. A check may seem suspicious if it’s postdated or it’s more than 60 days old. (Typically, how long a check is good for is about 6 months, but it may cause concern after two months has passed.)
New Bank Accounts
If you recently opened a bank account and your account is less than 30 days old, you may experience hold times of up to nine days. Official checks and electronic payments, however, may be partially available the next day.
Emergency Conditions
If there is a communications outage, a natural disaster, or another circumstance that impedes normal bank functions, banks can hold funds until they are able to provide the funds.
The Takeaway
When you deposit a check, you naturally expect the money to show up in your bank account. But there may be a delay between the time you deposit money and the time that those funds are actually available for you to spend.
Banks generally make funds available on the business day after you make a deposit, but there are exceptions.
Direct deposits are typically available sooner, and some checks, such as those larger than $5,000 or older than 60 days, can take longer to clear.
Knowing your financial institution’s policies about holding times can help ensure that you’re able to pay your bills on time, have access to cash when you need it, and don’t get hit with overdraft fees.
Leveraging Technology
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SoFi members with direct deposit activity can earn 4.20% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Direct Deposit means a recurring deposit of regular income to an account holder’s SoFi Checking or Savings account, including payroll, pension, or government benefit payments (e.g., Social Security), made by the account holder’s employer, payroll or benefits provider or government agency (“Direct Deposit”) via the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) Network during a 30-day Evaluation Period (as defined below). Deposits that are not from an employer or government agency, including but not limited to check deposits, peer-to-peer transfers (e.g., transfers from PayPal, Venmo, etc.), merchant transactions (e.g., transactions from PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc.), and bank ACH funds transfers and wire transfers from external accounts, or are non-recurring in nature (e.g., IRS tax refunds), do not constitute Direct Deposit activity. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. SoFi members with direct deposit are eligible for other SoFi Plus benefits.
As an alternative to direct deposit, SoFi members with Qualifying Deposits can earn 4.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Qualifying Deposits means one or more deposits that, in the aggregate, are equal to or greater than $5,000 to an account holder’s SoFi Checking and Savings account (“Qualifying Deposits”) during a 30-day Evaluation Period (as defined below). Qualifying Deposits only include those deposits from the following eligible sources: (i) ACH transfers, (ii) inbound wire transfers, (iii) peer-to-peer transfers (i.e., external transfers from PayPal, Venmo, etc. and internal peer-to-peer transfers from a SoFi account belonging to another account holder), (iv) check deposits, (v) instant funding to your SoFi Bank Debit Card, (vi) push payments to your SoFi Bank Debit Card, and (vii) cash deposits. Qualifying Deposits do not include: (i) transfers between an account holder’s Checking account, Savings account, and/or Vaults; (ii) interest payments; (iii) bonuses issued by SoFi Bank or its affiliates; or (iv) credits, reversals, and refunds from SoFi Bank, N.A. (“SoFi Bank”) or from a merchant. SoFi members with Qualifying Deposits are not eligible for other SoFi Plus benefits.
SoFi Bank shall, in its sole discretion, assess each account holder’s Direct Deposit activity and Qualifying Deposits throughout each 30-Day Evaluation Period to determine the applicability of rates and may request additional documentation for verification of eligibility. The 30-Day Evaluation Period refers to the “Start Date” and “End Date” set forth on the APY Details page of your account, which comprises a period of 30 calendar days (the “30-Day Evaluation Period”). You can access the APY Details page at any time by logging into your SoFi account on the SoFi mobile app or SoFi website and selecting either (i) Banking > Savings > Current APY or (ii) Banking > Checking > Current APY. Upon receiving a Direct Deposit or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits to your account, you will begin earning 4.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% on checking balances on or before the following calendar day. You will continue to earn these APYs for (i) the remainder of the current 30-Day Evaluation Period and through the end of the subsequent 30-Day Evaluation Period and (ii) any following 30-day Evaluation Periods during which SoFi Bank determines you to have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits without interruption.
SoFi Bank reserves the right to grant a grace period to account holders following a change in Direct Deposit activity or Qualifying Deposits activity before adjusting rates. If SoFi Bank grants you a grace period, the dates for such grace period will be reflected on the APY Details page of your account. If SoFi Bank determines that you did not have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits during the current 30-day Evaluation Period and, if applicable, the grace period, then you will begin earning the rates earned by account holders without either Direct Deposit or Qualifying Deposits until you have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits in a subsequent 30-Day Evaluation Period. For the avoidance of doubt, an account holder with both Direct Deposit activity and Qualifying Deposits will earn the rates earned by account holders with Direct Deposit.
Members without either Direct Deposit activity or Qualifying Deposits, as determined by SoFi Bank, during a 30-Day Evaluation Period and, if applicable, the grace period, will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances.
Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 10/31/2024. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.
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