Financial Basics: Getting Money After a Check Deposit

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Question: How quickly can I get money after I deposit a check?

Answer: Each bank or credit union has its own rules as to when it will let you access money after you deposit a check but federal law establishes the maximum length of time a bank or credit union can make you wait.

Generally, if you deposit a check for $200 or less in person to a bank employee, you can access the full amount the next business day. If you deposit more than $200, you can access $200 the next business day, and the rest of the money the second business day.

Some banks or credit unions may make funds available more quickly than the law requires. If you need the money from a particular check, you can ask the teller when the funds will become available. A receipt showing your deposit does not mean that the money is available for you to use.

Your bank or credit union has a cut-off time for what it considers the end of the business day. If you make a deposit after the cut-off time, the bank or credit union can treat your deposit as if it was made on the next business day. A bank or credit union’s cut-off time for receiving deposits can be no earlier than 2:00 p.m. at physical locations and no earlier than noon at an ATM or elsewhere.

If your deposit is cash, a money order, a certified check, a check from an account at the same or another branch of your bank or credit union, or a check from the government, you can withdraw or use the full amount on the next business day if you make the deposit in person to a bank employee. If you make the deposit at an ATM at your bank, you can withdraw or use the full amount on the second business day.

It may take longer for you to access your deposit for a few reasons:

  • If you have a new account or if your account has been overdrawn too many times in the past six months;
  • If you make a deposit over $5,000;
  • If you make a deposit at an ATM owned by someone other than your bank or credit union; or
  • If the bank or credit union reasonably believes the deposited check may be uncollectible.
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