Skip to Content

Understanding a deposit hold

Know why deposit and transfer holds happen — and when your money will be available to you.

What’s a deposit hold?

It’s a temporary delay before USAA Bank makes funds you’ve deposited available to you. The hold could affect some or all of your deposited money.

Knowing how temporary deposit holds work and when they may apply can help you better manage your money.

Why did USAA Bank place my money on hold?

We want to help protect you and us from the growing threat of fraud.

Your deposit or transfer may not be immediately available for one or more reasons.

  • You recently opened your USAA Bank account.
  • You’re transferring or depositing a large amount of money.
  • You have a low daily account balance.
  • You’ve had a higher-than-usual number of transfers to or deposits in your account.
  • You have a history of overdrafts, returned deposits or insufficient funds.
  • The account where the check or transfer originated may be closed, frozen, blocked or have insufficient funds.

How long is a USAA Bank check deposit hold?

If you deposit at an ATM, by mail or through a teller, we could place a hold on your check for up to seven business days. But we generally make the funds available the next business day after the day of the deposit.

If a check is returned to us unpaid, you’ll be responsible for it, even if you’ve already withdrawn the money.

For more information, refer to our Funds Availability Policy in the USAA Bank Depository Agreement and Disclosures Opens in a New Window.

No holds on electronic direct deposit

Get payments to your USAA Bank accounts without delay. Consider setting up direct deposit for your recurring paycheck.

Go to direct deposit FAQ

Deposit hold FAQ

You won’t have access to the money on hold for withdrawals, point-of-sale purchases or other debits.

If you use our Deposit@Mobile service or transfer money with your device, we’ll generally let you know if we’re placing a hold at the time of your transaction.‍ ‍ See note 1

If we place a hold after you deposit at an ATM, by mail or through a teller, we’ll send you a notice.

We offer several ways to add money to your USAA Bank accounts. For quick access to your deposited money, consider using direct deposit.