How Long Does It Take for a Check to Clear? Timelines, Holds, and Scams

Most personal checks make funds available within two to five business days after you deposit them, and how long it takes for a check to clear depends on the type of check, how you deposit it, and your account history. Federal rules require at least the first $275 of any check deposit to be available by the next business day. But there is an important catch that trips people up: “available” is not the same as “cleared,” and a check can be reversed weeks after the money shows up in your balance.

Standard Timelines Under Federal Law

Regulation CC, which implements the Expedited Funds Availability Act, sets the maximum time your bank can hold a check deposit. The clock runs in business days, so weekends and federal holidays do not count.

The first $275 of any check deposit must be available by the next business day.¹
Local checks (drawn on a bank in the same Federal Reserve processing region as yours) must be fully available by the second business day after deposit.²
Nonlocal checks must be fully available by the fifth business day.²

Your bank’s daily cutoff time also affects the count. A deposit made after the cutoff is treated as if it arrived the next business day. Federal rules say the cutoff can be no earlier than 2:00 p.m. at a branch and no earlier than noon at an ATM.³ A deposit made Friday afternoon after cutoff, before a Monday holiday, may not start clearing until Tuesday.

Checks That Clear the Next Business Day

Some checks carry so little risk that the full amount is available the next business day when you deposit them in person with a teller:¹

U.S. Treasury checks, including tax refunds
Cashier’s checks, certified checks, and teller’s checks
State and local government checks
U.S. Postal Service money orders
Checks drawn on the same bank where you’re depositing them

Next-day availability for these items applies only to in-person deposits at your bank or its own ATM. Deposit the same cashier’s check through a mobile app or an outside ATM and the hold gets longer.

Mobile and ATM Deposits

Where you deposit changes the timeline. Under Regulation CC, checks that would qualify for next-day availability at a teller window are subject to a second-business-day hold when deposited through a mobile app or at your bank’s own ATM.⁴ Deposits at an ATM not owned by your bank can be held until the fifth business day.

Banks also cap mobile deposit amounts. Limits vary widely, from around $2,000 per day at some major banks to $10,000 or more at certain online banks. If your check exceeds the limit, you’ll need a branch or ATM. Most banks also require a restrictive endorsement for mobile deposits — usually the phrase “for mobile deposit only” written under your signature. Without it, the deposit may be rejected.

When Banks Can Hold a Check Longer

Even when the standard schedule would apply, Regulation CC allows longer “exception holds” in specific situations:⁵

Large deposits. When check deposits in one day total more than $6,725, the bank must release the first $6,725 on the normal schedule but can hold the rest for additional business days.⁶
New accounts. During your first 30 days, the bank must give you next-day access to cash, electronic payments, and the first $6,725 of qualifying check deposits. The remainder can be held until the ninth business day.
Repeatedly overdrawn accounts. If your account was negative on six or more banking days in the past six months, or negative by $6,725 or more on two or more days, the bank can extend holds for six months after the last overdraft.⁴
Reasonable doubt about payment. If the bank has specific reasons to believe a check won’t be paid, such as a stale date or word that the check writer’s account is closed, it can extend the hold.

The $275 next-day floor and the $6,725 large-deposit threshold were both updated on July 1, 2025, based on inflation. The next scheduled adjustment is July 1, 2030.⁷

When a bank applies an exception hold, it must give you written notice showing the deposit date, the amount held, the reason, and the date the funds will be released.⁵ For in-person deposits, that notice comes at the time of deposit. Otherwise, the bank must send it by the next business day after learning of the issue.

Available Is Not the Same as Cleared

This is the part most people miss. When your bank makes funds “available,” it is not confirming the check has actually been paid. Regulation CC forces banks to release funds on a set schedule regardless of whether the paying bank has sent the money yet. What appears in your balance is a provisional credit, meaning the bank is fronting you the money on the expectation that the check will settle.⁷

If the check later comes back unpaid because of insufficient funds, forgery, or any other reason, your bank has the legal right to reverse the credit and take the full amount back out of your account. This is called a chargeback. If you already spent the money, your balance goes negative and you owe the difference. Most banks also charge a returned-item fee.

The gap between availability and final settlement matters. Legitimate checks usually settle within a few days, but a counterfeit or fraudulent check can take weeks to be caught and returned. During that time, the funds look fully usable.

Scams That Exploit the Clearing Gap

Scammers rely on the delay between availability and settlement. The classic version is the overpayment scam: someone sends you a check for more than the agreed amount, whether for something you’re selling, a job offer, or a supposed prize, and asks you to send the excess back by wire transfer or gift card. The check appears to clear, you send the “extra,” and weeks later the check bounces as counterfeit. The provisional credit is reversed and you owe the entire amount.⁸

The same pattern shows up in fake mystery-shopper jobs, lottery-winnings scams that ask you to wire back “taxes,” and rental scams with an overpaid deposit. The warning sign is any stranger sending you a check and then asking you to return part of the money. If you’re not sure about a check, wait two to three weeks before treating the deposit as final, and never wire funds based on a deposit that only appears to have cleared.

Foreign Checks Take Much Longer

Checks drawn on banks outside the United States do not run through the domestic clearing network. Canadian checks often clear within a few business days because of cross-border processing agreements. Checks from banks in other countries can take six to eight weeks, since they have to be forwarded directly to the foreign bank for payment. Not every bank accepts foreign checks, and those that do may charge a collection fee. For regular international payments, a wire transfer or an online payment service is usually faster.

If You Think a Hold Is Wrong

Banks must disclose their general hold policies when you open an account, and any exception hold requires written notice with the reason. If you believe a hold violates Regulation CC, for example a local check held past the second business day with no valid exception, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau online or by phone. Companies generally respond within 15 days.⁹

1
eCFR. 12 CFR 229.10 – Next-Day Availability
2
eCFR. 12 CFR 229.12 – Availability Schedule
3
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Long Can a Bank or Credit Union Hold Funds I Deposited
4
Federal Reserve Board. A Guide to Regulation CC Compliance
5
eCFR. 12 CFR 229.13 – Exceptions
6
Federal Register. Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks
7
eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (Regulation CC)
8
Consumer Compliance Outlook. Responding to Counterfeit Instrument Scams
9
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint