What time your direct deposit hits depends on the financial institution. 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.
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.
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.
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.
While the day cycle for processing ACH transfers is 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST, the night cycle usually runs from 10:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The network is set up to process a large number of payments, from payroll and vendor payments to utility bills.
Funds deposited before 9:00 p.m. ET on a business day will generally be available the next business day. Funds deposited before 8:00 p.m. PT on a business day will generally be available the next business day. You will be notified if a hold is placed on any deposited funds.
What time of day does direct deposit hit? 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.
Another reason your check or cash deposit may not be showing up as planned is that the bank put an exception hold on the funds, which allows it to hold the deposit for a period that is longer than the standard hold periods established under the law.
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 1am and 7am. This is the standard BACS payment time, so if a payment doesn't arrive by 7am, it may be processed the next working day.
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.
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Banks that offer early direct deposit do this by making funds available in your checking account as soon as they receive information from a payer, such as your employer, about incoming deposits, rather than waiting for the funds to clear first. This way, you might have access to your direct deposit two days early.
Funds Availability
Some banks make a portion of the check available immediately or within one business day. Banks typically must make the first $225 available the next business day and the balance of the check available in two business days.
If your direct deposit hasn't hit in one to three days, check with your bank. It could be that there is a hold on your account or your account is new or overdrawn, or that the sum is large enough to warrant additional review.
As long as the check is deposited before the institution's specified cut-off time, it should be available within a day or two. While the cut-off time for a branch deposit can vary, it can't be earlier than 2 p.m., by law.
Available balance is the most current record we have about the funds that are available for your use or withdrawal. It includes all deposits and withdrawals that have been posted to your account, then adjusts for any holds on recent deposits and any pending transactions that are known to the Bank.
Because ACH transfers are processed in batches, direct ACH payments typically take one to three business days to appear in the recipient's account—longer than it generally takes to process wire transfers, credit card transactions, and ATM transactions. No international payments.
At TD Bank, check deposits made before the cut-off time, typically 8 p.m. ET on business days (Monday–Friday, excluding federal holidays) are usually processed and available the next business day. Check deposits made after the cut-off time are usually available in two business days. Longer holds may apply.
Funds are transferred electronically and are deposited into the recipient's account at midnight on the payment date. Since the funds clear automatically through the ACH, they are available immediately, so there's no need for the bank to put a hold on them.
No later than the beginning of the banking day on the pay date on the transaction. Most typically sometime between midnight and 9:00 AM on the pay date.
You may only have immediate access to a portion of the funds, depending on the check's size. But expect to wait a day or two for the check to clear. Only a handful of banks, such as PNC, KeyBank and Fifth Third Bank, offer immediate check deposit availability.
However, most BACS payments are made between 1am and 7am on any given day. If your employee has not received their wages by 7am on the allocated date, then it is likely that they will have to wait until the next day.