Firstly, most bank transfers are processed immediately. However, some bank transfers can take up to two hours, overnight or even the next business day. The time it takes for a bank transfer to be successful depends on a number of factors, and some of these factors could cause a delay.
Your specific bank transfer time will vary depending on a range of factors, including fraud prevention, different currencies, different time zones, and bank holidays/weekends. In general, the bank transfer time will be around one to five working days.
Usually, you'll have access to your direct deposit at the opening of business on your payday — by 9 a.m. In many cases, direct deposits hit accounts even earlier, often between midnight and 6 a.m. on payday morning.
A night cycle, created in 1979, is used to process Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfers (debits and credits) at night—generally between 10:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
The short answer is that you'll typically be able to access a direct deposit by 9 a.m. on the morning of your payday and sometimes as early as midnight. ¹ That said, the exact timing of when direct deposit hits can vary.
We send payments to other banks every hour between 9am and midnight every day. Payments submitted after midnight will be sent after 9am. Depending on the receiving bank's timeframes, the recipient could see the money in their account quickly after you make a payment or it may show overnight.
Most transactions post at the end of each business day but posting order and times can vary. Business days for banks are generally Monday - Friday from 9am to 5pm, excluding federal holidays. Transactions received outside of these hours, including on weekends, are usually posted on the next business day.
What time does the money go in? Depending on your bank, funds are available sometime after midnight on the day they are due. Some banks deposit money into your account around 11.30pm so you can withdraw it before midnight on benefits payday. Others will release your funds at midnight or just a few minutes after that.
Same-day ACH, which typically requires an additional fee, processes the same business day. For regular ACH payments, ODFIs generally settle at 8:30 AM the following business day for debit requests, and 8:30 AM the second business day for credits.
This is because some financial institutions update their accounts a few hours after midnight. However, most banks complete the direct deposit before 6 a.m., allowing many consumers to wake up the next day with the funds sitting in their accounts.
Bacs payments will usually go into an account between 01:00 and 07:00. This is the standard Bacs payment time, so if a payment doesn't arrive by 07:00, it may be processed the next working day.
The cut-off time is usually 5 pm, but it can vary between banks. Banks will process requests made after this time the following business day.
The Interbank GIRO service is available 7 days a week, from 4:30am to 12:00am (midnight).
Domestic transfers typically take up to 24 hours and are often completed the same day if initiated before the same day wire transfer cut off time. Factors like weekends, bank holidays, and processing times of the receiving bank can impact how long a wire transfer takes to show up.
Standard deposit times
Most recipients can expect their direct deposits to be available by 9 a.m. on payday, with many banks allowing funds to be released between midnight and 6 a.m. If your bank allows for the funds to be released sooner, you'll see them then.
Example: If a bank is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, then those hours are considered the bank's banking day. If a customer makes a deposit at 6:00 pm on Friday, it will not be processed until the next banking day, which would be Monday.
Bank to bank transfer times can vary across financial institutions depending on the type of transfer you make. If you're making a traditional inter-bank transfer it will take 1-3 business days. If you use NPP Faster Payments or a PayID it can be near real-time.
Transfers typically happen quickly. Generally, domestic bank wires are completed in three days, at most. If transfers occur between accounts at the same financial institution, they can take less than 24 hours. Wire transfers via a non-bank money transfer service may happen within minutes.
Daily ATM withdrawal limits generally reset at midnight, or shortly after.
Banks typically will post the deposits the morning of the first business day after the deposit is made.
If both the sending and the receiving accounts belong to the same bank, the transfer will be made within the same day. Normally, when it comes to internal transfers, the amount will be available in the recipient's account instantly.
Generally, a bank must make the first $225 from the deposit available—for either cash withdrawal or check writing purposes—at the start of the next business day after the banking day that the deposit is made. The rest of the deposit should generally be available on the second business day.