The standard schedule
| Deposit | Must be available by | Conditions (Regulation CC) |
|---|---|---|
| Cash, in person to an employee | next business day | cash not deposited in person: second business day |
| Electronic payment: direct deposit, wire, ACH | next business day | once the bank has received final payment and the account information |
| US Treasury check | next business day | deposited into the payee's account |
| Postal Service money order; Federal Reserve or Federal Home Loan Bank check; state or local government check; cashier's, certified or teller's check | next business day | payee's account, in person to an employee, a special deposit slip if the bank requires one; state checks in a bank in the issuing state; not in person: second business day |
| Check drawn on the same bank | next business day | both branches in the same state or check processing region |
| First $275 of a day's other checks | next business day | aggregate across all the customer's accounts |
| The rest of other checks | second business day | for cash withdrawal, $550 by 5:00 p.m. that day in addition to the $275, the remainder in cash the next business day |
| Deposits at another bank's ATM | fifth business day | cash or check |
The $275, $550 and $6,725 figures took effect on July 1, 2025 under the Federal Register notice of May 20, 2024; before that they were $225, $450 and $5,525, and some bank disclosures and web pages still show the old numbers. Business days exclude weekends and federal holidays, and a deposit after the bank's cut-off time, which the CFPB says may be no earlier than 2:00 p.m. at a branch and noon at an ATM, counts as made on the next banking day. The business days calculator counts the days with the holidays removed.
Two deposits on a Monday
Both are personal checks from another bank, deposited in person on a Monday morning with no holiday that week, into an account that is not new and not overdrawn:
| Step | $3,000 check | $10,000 check |
|---|---|---|
| Available on Tuesday (business day 1) | $275 | $275 |
| Available on Wednesday (business day 2) | the remaining $2,725; in cash, $550 by 5:00 p.m. | up to $6,725 in total; in cash, $550 by 5:00 p.m. |
| Available on Thursday | the rest in cash | the rest of the $6,725 in cash |
| Excess over $6,725 | none | $3,275, may be held a reasonable period: five more business days, so by Wednesday (next week), with written notice |
The large-deposit exception applies to the aggregate of checks deposited in one banking day, so two $5,000 checks on the same day trigger it and the same two checks a day apart do not. The add or subtract days calculator gives the calendar dates once the business days are counted.
When a bank may hold longer
| Exception (229.13) | What it covers | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| New account | the first 30 calendar days after the account is opened | cash and electronic deposits next day; the next-day check categories only up to $6,725 a day, the excess by the ninth business day; other checks outside the schedule |
| Large deposit | checks totalling more than $6,725 on one banking day | the excess may be held a reasonable period |
| Redeposited check | a check returned unpaid and deposited again (not one returned only for a missing endorsement or for being post-dated, once fixed) | reasonable period |
| Repeated overdrafts | the account was negative on six or more banking days in the past six months, or by $6,725 or more on two or more days | reasonable period, for six months after the last overdraft |
| Reasonable cause to doubt collectibility | facts that would give a reasonable person a well-grounded belief the check will not be paid; not the type of check or depositor | reasonable period; no overdraft fees from the delay if notice was not given at deposit and the check is paid |
| Emergency conditions | communications or equipment failure, suspension of payments by another bank, war, an emergency beyond the bank's control | as long as the condition lasts, with diligence |
Regulation CC defines the reasonable period: one business day for a check drawn on the same bank, five business days for ordinary checks and six for deposits at another bank's ATM, beyond the normal schedule. A bank may hold longer only if it can show the longer period is reasonable. For every exception except new accounts and emergencies the bank must give a written notice with the amount, the reason and the date the funds will be available, at deposit or by the business day after it learns the facts.
What to do with the rules
- Deposit in person for the fast categories. A cashier's check or a government check gets next-day treatment only when handed to an employee into the payee's account; through an ATM or the app it moves to the second business day.
- Watch the cut-off time and the calendar: a Friday afternoon deposit before a Monday holiday may be a Tuesday banking day, and its second business day Thursday.
- Split large deposits across days if timing matters and the money arrives as several checks, since the $6,725 test is per banking day.
- Read the hold notice. It must name the exception and the release date; a hold without one of the listed reasons is not allowed under the regulation.
- Mobile deposits may follow a different timetable, as the CFPB notes; the bank's funds availability disclosure states it.
This guide follows the text of Regulation CC as published in the Code of Federal Regulations with the July 2025 amounts and the CFPB's explanation. Availability means the right to withdraw; the bank can still reverse a credit if the check is later returned unpaid, which is a different rule and the reason a cleared deposit is not proof a check was good.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a bank hold a check?
Under Regulation CC, most checks deposited into an account must be available for withdrawal by the second business day after the banking day of deposit, with the first $275 of a day's check deposits available the next business day. Cash deposited in person, electronic payments, government checks, cashier's and certified checks and checks drawn on the same bank must be available the next business day. Longer holds are allowed only under listed exceptions, such as a new account, a deposit over $6,725 in a day or reasonable cause to doubt the check will be paid, and the bank must give written notice.
Why did only part of my deposit clear?
Because the rule works in layers. The first $275 of ordinary checks deposited in a day must be available the next business day; the rest by the second business day, though for cash withdrawals the bank may limit that day to a further $550 and release the remainder in cash the following business day. On a deposit over $6,725, the excess above that amount may be held for a reasonable period, which Regulation CC sets at five more business days for ordinary checks, on top of the normal schedule.
What counts as a business day for check holds?
Regulation CC counts business days, which exclude Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays. A deposit made after the bank's cut-off time counts as made on the next banking day; the CFPB notes the cut-off may be no earlier than 2:00 p.m. at a branch and no earlier than noon at an ATM or other off-premises location.
Can a bank hold a check on a new account longer?
Yes. During the first 30 calendar days after an account is opened, cash and electronic deposits still get next-day availability, and the next-day check categories apply only to the first $6,725 deposited in a day, with the excess available by the ninth business day; other checks are not covered by the normal schedule at all during that period.
What happens if the bank holds funds without the right notice?
When a bank extends a hold under the large-deposit, redeposited-check, repeated-overdraft or reasonable-cause exceptions it must give the depositor a written notice stating the amount, the reason and when the funds will be available, at the time of deposit or by the next business day after it learns the facts. Under the reasonable-cause exception, a bank that delays funds without written notice at deposit may not charge overdraft or returned-check fees caused by the delay if the check is in fact paid.
Sources
- 12 CFR 229.10, Next-day availability (cash deposited in person; electronic payments; Treasury checks, Postal Service money orders, Federal Reserve and Federal Home Loan Bank checks, state and local government checks, cashier's, certified and teller's checks and checks drawn on the same bank, with the in-person and payee-account conditions; the first $225, $275 from July 1, 2025, of other checks)
- 12 CFR 229.12, Availability schedule (other checks by the second business day; $450, $550 from July 1, 2025, available for cash withdrawal by 5:00 p.m. that day in addition to the next-day amount; deposits at nonproprietary ATMs by the fifth business day)
- 12 CFR 229.13, Exceptions (new accounts in the first 30 calendar days; large deposits over $5,525, $6,725 from July 1, 2025, in a banking day; redeposited checks; repeated overdrafts in six months; reasonable cause to doubt collectibility; emergency conditions; the written notice; the reasonable period of five business days for ordinary checks and six for ATM deposits)
- Federal Register, May 20, 2024, Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks, 89 FR 43737 (the inflation-adjusted amounts of $275, $550 and $6,725 effective July 1, 2025)
- CFPB: How quickly can I get money after I deposit a check? (deposits after the cut-off time count as the next business day; cut-off no earlier than 2:00 p.m. at branches and noon at ATMs; the reasons a bank may hold a deposit longer; mobile deposits may follow a different timetable)