Checks, holds and cashing
Check hold rules: when a bank may keep your money longer
The calculator opens on a $12,000 check, a large deposit. Open “More situations” to try a new account, a redeposited check or another exception.
All of it available by
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Counted as deposited on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Funds open from 9:00 a.m. local time that day at the latest.
| $275 | Wed, Oct 28 | First $275 of the day’s check deposits: next business day (§ 229.10(c)(1)(vii)) |
| $6,450 | Thu, Oct 29 | Rest of the check: second business day (local check) (§ 229.12(b)) |
| $5,275 | Thu, Nov 5 | Large deposit: the part of the day’s checks over $6,725 may be held a reasonable period (§ 229.13(b), 229.13(h)) |
To take it out as cash, the bank may wait until Fri, Oct 30, except $550 by 5:00 p.m. on the day above (§ 229.12(d)).
- When it uses an exception, the bank must give you a written notice with the reason and the date the funds will be available (229.13(g)).
These are the latest dates the regulation allows. Many banks release funds sooner; your deposit receipt or the bank’s availability policy shows its own schedule.
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A bank may go beyond the normal check schedule only in the cases listed in 12 CFR 229.13, and even then only for a “reasonable period”. For deposits of more than $6,725 in checks on one banking day, only the part above $6,725 can be held longer; the first $6,725 keeps the normal dates. A check returned unpaid and deposited again, an account overdrawn repeatedly in the last six months, or a reasonable cause to believe a check will not be paid can justify a longer hold on the whole check. In each of these cases the bank must give you a written notice stating the reason and the day the funds will be available. The reasonable period is set by the regulation: five more business days for an ordinary check, one for a check drawn on the same bank. A new account, in its first 30 days, is the only case with no federal deadline for ordinary checks. The thresholds have applied since July 1, 2025.
Fees, limits and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Each exception and the delay it allows
| Exception | What can be held | Latest date for an ordinary check | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| New account (first 30 calendar days) | Ordinary checks: all of it. Cashier’s, certified, Treasury and government checks and postal money orders: the part over $6,725 | No federal date for ordinary checks; day 9 for the excess of next-day items | Not required |
| Large deposit | The day’s checks above $6,725 | Day 7 | Required |
| Redeposited check | The whole check | Day 7 | Required |
| Repeated overdrafts | The whole deposit | Day 7 | Required, may cover 6 months |
| Reasonable cause to doubt payment | The whole check | Day 7 | Required, with the reason |
| Emergency (power failure, war, communications breakdown) | Deposits affected | As soon as reasonable after the emergency | Not required |
Two exceptions are not reasons for a hold. A redeposited check is exempt when it was returned only because an endorsement was missing or because it was postdated. And a bank may not invoke “reasonable cause” just because a check is large or because it comes from a bank in another state: the commentary asks for facts, such as a check that is stale, altered or drawn on an account the bank knows is closed.
How the large-deposit split works
The large-deposit rule adds every check you deposit on one banking day to all your accounts at the bank. The first $6,725 follows the normal dates, and only the excess can be extended. The calculator above applies the split, including the next-day $275. The tool below shows just the part that can wait, for any total.
How much of a big deposit can be held longer?
Part that can wait longer
$5,275
| Protected by the normal schedule | $6,725 |
| Last day for the held part | business day 7 (Thursday) |
| Written notice required | yes (§ 229.13(g)) |
Threshold $6,725 a banking day since Tuesday, July 1, 2025 (§ 229.13(b)).
The official commentary gives an example with a $7,000 cashier’s check deposited in person: $6,725 must be available the next business day, and only $275 may be held. Splitting checks over several days does not create an exception; it simply keeps each day under the threshold.
New accounts: the one case without a deadline
For the first 30 calendar days after an account is opened, a bank may set its own schedule for personal, business and payroll checks. The regulation still protects some deposits: cash and electronic payments keep their next-day dates, and next-day checks (cashier’s, certified, teller’s, Treasury, state and local government checks and postal money orders) are available on the normal day for the first $6,725 of the day, the rest by the 9th business day. The fake check page explains why a scammer prefers a fresh account: the bank cannot yet know the depositor.
If you think a hold breaks the rules
Ask the bank, in writing, for the reason and for its funds availability policy, which it must give you on request. If the notice is missing, or the date goes beyond the limits above, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or with the bank’s regulator. For credit unions, the National Credit Union Administration handles complaints. Keep the deposit receipt and the notice: the date of deposit decides every count.