A deposited check does not always clear on the bank’s normal schedule. Under the Federal Reserve’s Regulation CC, a bank can delay funds under six named exceptions, and the rule sets the usual extension at one, five or six business days depending on the type of check, with longer holds allowed when the bank can justify them. The text sits in section 229.13 of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Why a deposit is on hold and for how long

A reader looking at a held deposit usually wants two answers: which exception the bank is using, and how long the hold can run. For exceptions (b) through (f), paragraph (h)(1) lets a bank extend the schedule by “a reasonable period.” Paragraph (h)(4) puts numbers on that phrase. The extension is up to one business day for a check covered by section 229.10(c)(1)(vi), up to five business days for checks under section 229.12(b)(1) through (4), and up to six business days for checks under section 229.12(c)(1) and (2) or section 229.12(f).

Those day counts are not a ceiling. Paragraph (h)(4) also says a longer extension may be reasonable, and that “the bank has the burden of so establishing.” A hold of more than six business days is therefore possible, but the bank carries the job of showing why it was needed.

The $6,725 line that triggers the large-deposit and new-account rules last changed on July 1, 2025, and a new figure appears only when the Federal Reserve amends the regulation.

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The six situations that allow a hold

The exceptions are listed in 12 CFR 229.13, paragraphs (a) through (f). Each one describes a different reason a bank can step outside the standard availability schedule.

The first is a new account, defined as the first 30 calendar days after the account is established. On a new account, only the first $6,725 of check deposits in one banking day follows the usual schedule, and the excess must be available by the ninth business day. The second is a large deposit: check deposits totaling more than $6,725 on one banking day fall outside the standard schedules, and a bank may add up a customer’s multiple accounts to reach the figure.

The third is a redeposited check, one that was returned unpaid and deposited again. The fourth is repeated overdrafts. The schedules do not apply for six months after the last overdraft if an account had six or more banking days with a negative balance in the prior six months, or two or more such days involving $6,725 or more.

The fifth is reasonable cause to doubt collectibility, which requires facts that would create a well-grounded belief in a reasonable person that the check will not be paid. The rule says a belief about a whole class of checks does not count. The sixth covers emergency conditions: an interruption of communications or equipment, another bank suspending payments, war, or an emergency beyond the bank’s control, provided the bank uses due diligence.

The written notice a bank owes

When a bank delays funds under exceptions (b) through (e), paragraph (g) generally requires written notice. The notice has to carry an account identifier of up to four digits, the deposit date, the delayed amount, the reason for the hold and the period after which the funds will be available.

Timing is spelled out too. The notice is due at the time of deposit or, if the bank learns the facts later, as soon as practicable and no later than the first business day after the bank learns them. The rule has alternatives: a one-time notice for nonconsumer accounts in the large-deposit and redeposited-check cases, a periodic notice for repeated overdrafts, and a notice in a reasonable form for emergencies.

Fees on a held check

Paragraph (e) also touches fees. When a bank delays funds on the ground of doubt about collectibility, it may not charge overdraft or returned-check fees that the delay itself caused if it gave no written notice at the time of deposit and the check was ultimately paid. A bank may charge those fees if it provided the fee notice and refunds on request. Notice records for the doubt-about-collectibility exception must be kept under section 229.21(g).

Where the rule stands today

The Code of Federal Regulations text on the eCFR site is marked current as of October 5, 2026, and Title 12 was last amended on October 2, 2026. The site labels its text “authoritative but unofficial.” The section 229.13 dollar thresholds carry the most recent change on the record, dated July 1, 2025.

Finding which exception a bank is using

The free reference is the Federal Reserve’s rule itself, Subpart B of Part 229 on the eCFR, which sets out the schedules, the exceptions and the notice requirements in one place. The exception named in a bank’s hold notice can be matched against paragraphs (a) through (f) to see what the bank is claiming.

A deposit slip, receipt or mobile deposit confirmation shows the date and amount, and the bank’s notice should show the reason and the date the money will be available. If a notice is missing for a hold under exceptions (b) through (e), paragraph (g) is the provision that calls for one. A hold that runs past the one, five or six business days in paragraph (h)(4) puts the burden on the bank to show why.

The deadlines and dollar figures in this story come from the text of 12 CFR 229.13 as published on the eCFR.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.