An adjustment or correction of a posted item on your bank statement means the bank went back and changed a transaction that had already finalized in your account. The change can add money to your balance or take it away, depending on which direction the original error ran. Federal law gives you 60 days from the statement date to dispute it, so the entry is worth understanding as soon as you spot it.
What the Entry Actually Represents
Once a transaction posts, the bank treats it as a completed movement of money. An adjustment is the bank revisiting that completed entry and fixing something about it, usually the dollar amount. Some banks reverse the original transaction entirely and repost it at the correct figure. Others leave the original alone and post a separate line for the difference. Either way, the adjustment appears as its own item on your statement, tied back to the transaction it corrects.
A credit adjustment adds money to your account. You’ll see one when you were overcharged, when a deposit was recorded for less than its actual value, or when a merchant refund routes back to you. A debit adjustment removes money, which happens when the bank determines it credited you too much in the first place. Debit adjustments can shrink your available balance without much warning, which is often why people notice the entry and start looking for an explanation.
Why the Adjustment Appeared
A handful of situations account for most posted-item corrections:
- A merchant submitted a duplicate charge for a single purchase, or a refund that didn’t route correctly the first time.
- An ATM recorded a different deposit amount than what was actually inside the envelope or feeder, and the bank fixed the count after reviewing the machine.
- A check was encoded electronically for the wrong dollar figure. If someone encoded a $1,000 check as $100, the bank posts a correction for the $900 difference. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, the party that encoded the wrong amount is liable for any resulting losses.1Legal Information Institute. UCC 4-209 – Encoding and Retention Warranties
- The bank’s own systems made a bookkeeping mistake on an electronic transfer, such as applying interest or a fee incorrectly.2eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors
- The bank credited your account twice for the same deposit and later removed the duplicate.
How to Tell if the Adjustment Is Right
Pull up the original transaction the adjustment references and compare the numbers. Match receipts, ATM slips, and merchant confirmations against what the bank now shows. If the adjustment lines up with a real correction you already knew about, such as a refund you were expecting or a deposit you knew you’d miscounted, you can generally let it stand.
If the entry doesn’t match anything you recognize, or if the math doesn’t work out, treat it as an error and move quickly. The same is true if a transaction you were expecting to see is missing from the statement entirely.
The 60-Day Deadline
Federal law gives you 60 days from the date your bank sends the statement to report an error on that statement. Miss the window and the bank has no obligation under federal law to investigate or correct the entry on an electronic fund transfer.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693f – Error Resolution Your account agreement can set an even shorter deadline, so check the terms you received when you opened the account.
The 60-day rule covers unauthorized transfers, transfers for the wrong amount, missing electronic transactions, computational mistakes the bank made, and cases where an ATM gave you more or less cash than it recorded. You can also submit a notice simply to request more information about an electronic transfer that isn’t clear on your statement.2eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors
How to Dispute the Adjustment
You can notify the bank orally or in writing. The notice needs three things: your name and account number, which transaction you believe is wrong and by how much, and why you think it’s an error.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693f – Error Resolution
Before you call, gather what you have. Merchant receipts, ATM slips, screenshots of your online statement, and the reference number of the transaction all help the bank locate the entry faster. Most banks accept disputes through their mobile app, their website, or by phone.
If you report by phone, the bank may require written confirmation within 10 business days. If it asks and you don’t send it in time, the bank is not required to provisionally credit your account while it investigates.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693f – Error Resolution
What the Bank Must Do Once You Report It
The bank has 10 business days to investigate and tell you the results. It can take longer, up to 45 days, but only if it provisionally credits your account for the disputed amount within those first 10 business days. The bank must notify you within two business days after issuing that provisional credit, and you get full use of the money while the investigation continues.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1005 Regulation E – Section 1005.11 Procedures for Resolving Errors
The 45-day window stretches to 90 days in three situations: the transaction was initiated outside the United States, it was a point-of-sale debit card purchase, or it occurred within 30 days of your first deposit to the account.2eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors
When the bank finishes, it must report results within three business days. If it confirms the error, it has one business day to correct it and must also fix any related fees or interest that resulted from the original mistake. If an unauthorized electronic transfer is confirmed, the bank may withhold up to $50 from what it credits back to you.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1005 Regulation E – Section 1005.11 Procedures for Resolving Errors
If the bank finds no error, it must send a written explanation and tell you that you can request copies of the documents it relied on. The bank must provide those documents promptly if you ask.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693f – Error Resolution When the bank reverses a provisional credit after finding no error, it must honor checks and preauthorized payments without charging overdraft fees for five business days after notifying you, on items it would have paid had the provisional funds still been there.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1005 Regulation E – Section 1005.11 Procedures for Resolving Errors
If the Bank Won’t Fix It
When the bank’s answer doesn’t resolve things, or the deadlines above pass without action, you can complain to a regulator. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accepts complaints online or by phone at (855) 411-2372, forwards them to the bank, and generally gets a response within 15 days.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint
If your bank is a national bank or federal savings association, you can also contact the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Customer Assistance Group at 1-800-613-6743 or file at helpwithmybank.gov. The OCC only handles institutions it regulates; for a state-chartered bank, the CFPB or your state banking regulator is the right route.6HelpWithMyBank.gov. File a Complaint
Either agency will expect to see that you tried to resolve the dispute with the bank first, so keep dates, names, reference numbers, and copies of everything you send or receive along the way.