Under the large deposit exception in Regulation CC, a bank can delay your access to check deposits whose total exceeds $6,725 in a single banking day. The first $6,725 follows the bank’s normal availability schedule. Everything above that line can be held for up to several additional business days, even for cashier’s checks, government checks, and other instruments that would otherwise be available the next day.
The $6,725 Trigger
The exception applies when the total value of checks you deposit on one banking day crosses $6,725.1eCFR. 12 CFR 229.13 – Exceptions Banks add up every check you deposit that day across all transaction accounts you hold at that bank. A $4,000 check into one checking account plus a $3,500 check into another checking account at the same bank totals $7,500 and triggers the exception. Splitting deposits across accounts does not get you under the line.
The threshold is not fixed. The Federal Reserve adjusts it periodically based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. The most recent adjustment raised it from $5,525 to $6,725, effective July 1, 2025.2Federal Reserve. Section 229.11 – Adjustment of Dollar Amounts
How Long the Hold Can Last
When a bank invokes the exception, it can extend the normal availability schedule by a “reasonable period.” The regulation treats the following extensions as reasonable:3eCFR. 12 CFR 229.13 – Exceptions
- Local checks: up to five additional business days beyond the normal second-business-day availability, for a total of up to seven business days.
- Nonlocal checks: up to six additional business days beyond the normal fifth-business-day availability, for a total of up to eleven business days.
- On-us checks (drawn on the same bank where you deposited them): up to one additional business day.
These are maximums. Many banks release funds sooner once the paying bank confirms the check will clear. A bank can also hold the money longer than these windows, but it then carries the burden of proving the longer delay was justified.3eCFR. 12 CFR 229.13 – Exceptions
Two amounts still have to come through on the normal timeline no matter how large the deposit. The first $275 of any day’s check deposits not already subject to next-day availability must be released by the next business day.2Federal Reserve. Section 229.11 – Adjustment of Dollar Amounts And the first $6,725 follows the bank’s standard availability schedule. Only the excess above $6,725 is subject to the extended hold.
Which Deposits the Exception Reaches
Several categories of checks normally qualify for next-business-day availability when deposited in person to a bank employee by the payee named on the check:4eCFR. 12 CFR 229.10 – Next-Day Availability
- U.S. Treasury checks, including tax refunds and federal benefit payments
- U.S. Postal Service money orders
- Checks drawn on Federal Reserve Banks or Federal Home Loan Banks
- State and local government checks deposited in the same state that issued the check
- Cashier’s, certified, and teller’s checks
Once your day’s check deposits cross $6,725, even these low-risk instruments lose their expedited treatment for the portion above the threshold. The bank still has to make the first $6,725 available on the normal schedule, but it can place an extended hold on everything over the line.5Federal Reserve. A Guide to Regulation CC Compliance
Wires and ACH Are Not Covered
The exception reaches only check deposits. Funds received by wire transfer or ACH credit must be available by the next business day regardless of amount.6eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks A $50,000 incoming wire clears next-day. If you can choose how to receive a large payment, electronic routing avoids the hold entirely.
Savings Accounts Are Outside Regulation CC
Regulation CC’s availability schedules apply only to “transaction accounts,” generally checking accounts and similar accounts designed for frequent withdrawals. Savings deposits and money market accounts are excluded.6eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks Banks can still hold deposits into savings accounts, but under their own deposit agreements rather than federal availability rules.
Other Exceptions Can Apply at the Same Time
The large deposit exception is one of several reasons a bank can extend a hold. Separate exceptions exist for accounts that have been repeatedly overdrawn and for checks the bank has specific, fact-based reason to doubt will clear.1eCFR. 12 CFR 229.13 – Exceptions If your hold notice cites one of those reasons rather than the deposit amount, the triggering rule and the notice requirements are different.
New Accounts: Longer Holds in the First 30 Days
An account is “new” for its first 30 calendar days. During that window, the bank must still release the first $6,725 of qualifying check deposits under normal next-day availability rules, but any amount above $6,725 can be held until the ninth business day after the deposit.6eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks
There is one carve-out. If every account holder on the new account previously held another account at the same bank for at least 30 days within the 30 days before the new account was opened, the account is not treated as new.6eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks Existing customers who open an additional checking account at the same bank generally skip the new-account restrictions.
The Notice the Bank Owes You
Whenever a bank invokes the large deposit exception, it has to give you a written notice. For in-person deposits, you should receive the notice at the time of deposit. For ATM, mail, or other non-in-person deposits, the bank must mail or deliver the notice no later than the first business day after the deposit is made or after it learns of the facts triggering the hold, whichever is later.7eCFR. 12 CFR 229.13 – Exceptions
The notice must include your account number (or a short identifying code), the date of the deposit, the amount being held, the reason the exception applies, and the date the funds will become available.6eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks A vague “a hold has been placed” message does not meet the standard. Read the notice carefully. The stated reason tells you which exception the bank is relying on, and that affects your options.
Banks must retain evidence of compliance with the notice requirements for at least two years.6eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks If a dispute arises later, the bank bears the burden of producing that documentation.
If You Think the Hold Is Wrong
A bank that violates Regulation CC’s availability or notice requirements faces civil liability. You can sue in federal district court or any other court of competent jurisdiction. Possible recovery includes actual damages plus a statutory penalty between $125 and $1,350 for an individual claim.8eCFR. 12 CFR 229.21 – Civil Liability In a class action, total recovery caps at $672,950 or one percent of the bank’s net worth, whichever is less. Courts can award attorney’s fees and costs on top. You have one year from the violation to file suit.6eCFR. 12 CFR Part 229 – Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks
Most disputes do not reach litigation. Start by raising the issue with the bank. If that does not resolve it, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which supervises banks with over $10 billion in assets, or with the bank’s primary federal regulator: the OCC for national banks and the FDIC for state-chartered banks that are not Federal Reserve members.