Top questions
What is my available balance?
Your available balance is the most current record we have about the funds that are available for withdrawal from your account. Your available balance includes:
- All deposits that are available and withdrawals that have posted to your account. It is adjusted throughout the day as we authorize or receive notice of pending transactions. Some pending deposits, such as incoming wire transfers, electronic direct deposits, and cash deposited at a Wells Fargo branch or Wells Fargo ATM, are available for your use on the day we receive the deposit.
- A portion or all of your check deposits made at a Wells Fargo branch, Wells Fargo ATM, or by mobile deposit may be available for your use on the day we receive the deposit, subject to your available balance. If funds are not available on the day of deposit, refer to your deposit receipt for the funds availability date. Funds not available on the day of the deposit will typically be available the next business day, unless a longer hold is placed on the deposit. Refer to the Availability of Funds Policy in the Account Agreement for detailed funds availability information.
- Pending withdrawals, including debit card transactions we authorize and authorized payments known to us, reduce your available balance.
Why are my available and posted balances different?
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. This balance may not reflect all of your transactions, such as checks you have written or debit card transactions that have been approved but not yet submitted for payment by the merchant.
Why was a hold placed on my deposit?
In some cases it may be necessary to place a hold on your deposit. The first $225 is usually available the next business day, but the rest may not be available for several days. If you have questions about a hold that we placed on your deposit, please call 1-800-TO-WELLS (1-800-869-3557).
What are the cut-off times for deposits?
Cut-off times are displayed in all locations. The cut-off time for most Wells Fargo ATM locations is 9 pm local time. The cut-off time for deposits using the Wells Fargo Mobile® app is 9 pm Pacific Time. Use our locator to find the cut-off times for a branch or Wells Fargo ATM nearest you.
Available balance
What’s not included in my available balance?
- Pending check deposits that have not yet been processed or posted to your account or those that did not receive availability at the time we received the deposit. These funds will be available on the next business day, unless a hold is placed. If a hold is placed on the deposit, generally $225 is available the next business day and the remaining funds will be available when the hold is removed.
- Outstanding checks and automatic payments you have authorized (such as car payments, a gym membership, or other recurring debit card transactions) that have not yet been received by us for payment.
- Debit card transactions authorized by us but not submitted by the merchant for payment within three business days of authorization, or that were never submitted for authorization.
Final transaction amounts for some debit card transactions may be greater than the amount initially authorized (a common occurrence at restaurants where a tip may not appear on the amount initially authorized, but will appear on the final transaction amount). For more details, see "What other factors affect my available balance?"
To help avoid overspending, it’s a good idea to keep a personal record of your transactions, and compare your record to what you see as your Available Balance with Wells Fargo Online®.
How is my available balance calculated?
We begin with your current posted balance and then adjust for any holds on recent deposits and any pending transactions that are known to the bank.
Current posted balance includes:
- Deposits and withdrawals that have posted to your account by the end of the previous business day.
Pending transactions include:
- Deposits you made after the previous business day (during the day or over a weekend, for example). Business days are Monday through Friday, except for federal holidays. Cut-off times are displayed in all locations. The cut-off time for most Wells Fargo ATM locations is 9 pm local time. The cut-off time for deposits using the Wells Fargo Mobile app is 9 pm Pacific Time. Use our locator to find the cut-off times for a Wells Fargo branch or Wells Fargo ATM nearest you.
- ATM withdrawals, Wells Fargo Online Bill Pay transactions, and pending debit card transactions that have been authorized, but not yet paid from your account.
- Checks and automatic payments received by the bank during the day, which have not yet been fully processed (posted) for payment. Examples of automatic payments are bills you pay by authorizing a third party to obtain the funds directly from your account. Please note: If there is not enough money to cover these transactions during the nightly processing, we may pay the item creating an overdraft or return the item unpaid.
What other factors affect my available balance?
Debit card purchases
If you make a purchase with your debit card, the merchant may request authorization for an initial amount and send us the actual transaction amount later for payment. This is often the case in places where you can add a tip to your bill (such as restaurants or salons), hotels and car rental agencies, where there can be a significant difference between the amount that's authorized initially (authorization hold amount) and the actual transaction amount. The initially authorized amount appears in your pending transactions, but the actual transaction amount is deducted from your account.
For most debit card purchases, we receive the payment request, including the actual transaction amount, within three (3) business days of the transaction. If we don't receive a final payment request from the merchant within three (3) business days, [or up to thirty (30) business days for certain types of debit or ATM card transactions including but not limited to car rental, hotel, cash disbursements, and international transactions], we release the authorization hold on the transaction. We then remove the transaction from your list of pending transactions and add the funds back to your available balance.
If we receive the payment request at a later date, the actual transaction amount will be deducted from your account at that time. Keep track of your transactions and ensure you have sufficient funds in your accounts to cover the final payment.
Deposits
Cash deposits and transfers from another Wells Fargo account are immediately available for your use. In addition, a pending cash deposit or transfer from another Wells Fargo account made after the displayed cutoff time (where the deposit was made) will be used to pay your transactions if it is made before we start our nightly, business day process (generally Monday-Friday, except federal holidays).
A portion or all of your check deposits made at a Wells Fargo branch, Wells Fargo ATM, or by mobile deposit may be immediately available for your use on the day of the deposit, unless a hold is placed. Funds not available on the day of the deposit will be available the next business day or after any applicable holds are removed. A check deposit made before the displayed cutoff time (where the deposit was made) will be used by us to pay your transactions in our nightly process. Occasionally, a hold will be placed which prevents withdrawal of the money until a later date. Further details are provided in our Funds Availability Policy in the Account Agreement.
Cut-off times are displayed in all locations. The cut-off time for most Wells Fargo ATM locations is 9 pm local time. The cut-off time for deposits using the Wells Fargo Mobile app is 9 pm Pacific Time. Use our locator to find the cut-off times for a banking location or ATM nearest you.
How can I keep track of my available balance?
- Keep a record of all of your transactions and compare your record to what is reflected by the bank.
- Adjust your record to include outstanding checks and automatic payments you have authorized (such as car payments, a gym membership, or other recurring debit card transactions) but have not yet been received by the bank.
- Set up low balance alerts to help you manage your account and monitor activity.
- You can find details about your pending and posted transactions when you view your account activity through Wells Fargo Online.
Account activity
What are pending transactions?
Pending transactions are transactions that are known to Wells Fargo but have not yet been fully processed (posted) for payment from your account.
For some debit card transactions, the amount you see listed when the transaction is pending may not be the final amount deducted from your account; for example it may not include a tip you might add to a restaurant bill.
Please note that pending transactions may not post to your account in the order listed.
When will my deposit be credited to my account?
If you make your deposit on a business day before the cut-off times displayed at the Wells Fargo branch, Wells Fargo ATM, or online, we will generally credit the deposit to your account the same business day. If you make your deposit after the cut-off time or on a non-business day, we will credit it to your account on the next business day.
- Business days are generally Monday through Friday, except for federal holidays.
- Cut-off times are displayed in all locations. The cut-off time for most Wells Fargo ATM locations is 9 pm local time. The cut-off time for deposits using the Wells Fargo Mobile app is 9 p.m. Pacific Time.
- Use our locator to find the cut-off times for a Wells Fargo branch or ATM nearest you.
How much account activity can I view online?
The amount of history you can view through Wells Fargo Online depends on your type of account:
- Checking, savings, and money market account histories are available for up to 18 months.
- Line of credit and installment loan account histories are available for up to 24 months.
- Credit card account histories are available for up to 90 days or 300 transactions.
If you need information prior to these times, please refer to your account statement. If you have enrolled in online statements, Sign on to Wells Fargo Online and you may be able to view more history through your online statements.
How can I download my account history?
Sign on to Wells Fargo Online to download your account activity into a convenient spreadsheet or financial management software Quicken® Web Connect.
By default, the download will capture the last 90 days of transactions. However, for certain types of accounts up to 18 months of account activity may be available by choosing the time frame you want and selecting Download.
To download to a comma delimited file (ASCII or spreadsheet):
- Choose an Account for which you would like to receive transaction activity.
- Access Download Account Activity under the Accounts tab and complete the required information.
- Confirm the From and To date of the data you would like to download.
- Select the Comma Delimited (ASCII, Spreadsheet).
- Click on the Download button. A window should appear with the Excel spreadsheet.
- Select Save File. Save the file in a directory/folder. (It is very important that you make a note of the location of the directory/folder in the active window so you can find this file later.)
Follow steps 1 through 6 for any other accounts you would like to download. Each account downloaded must have a different file name.
Once you have finished downloading all your account information, sign off from Wells Fargo Online® and open your file/spreadsheet/workbook (Example: Excel *.xl file type).
With an Excel or other spreadsheet file/workbook already open, go to the File menu/Open or Import function.
Find the file that you downloaded earlier and double click on it. The information will be imported into your active file/spreadsheet/workbook.
How do I get information about a levy or legal order process on my account?
To ensure that all of your questions are answered about a Levy or Legal Order Process on your account, please call our Legal Order Processing Department at 1-480-724-2000. Agents are available Monday through Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays. Levy or Legal Order Process information is not available through email.
Account activation
How do I reactivate my inactive account?
Here are common ways you can reactivate your account (some options may not be available for your account):
- Sign on to Wells Fargo Online to access Account Summary, and select the option to reactivate your account that is displayed next to the inactive account.
- Transfer funds online to this account.
- Transfer funds online from the inactive account to another Wells Fargo account.
- Make a deposit into this account using Wells Fargo Mobile deposit, at an ATM or branch.
- Make a withdrawal from this account at a Wells Fargo ATM or branch.
- Write a check that is paid from this account.
Time Accounts and Retirement Accounts
Please call us at the following telephone numbers or visit a Wells Fargo location:
- Consumer Time Account (CD) – 1-800-869-3557, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Retirement Savings and Time Accounts (CDs) – 1-800-237-8472, Monday – Friday, 8 am to 8 pm Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.
Customers outside of the United States can call Wells Fargo customer service toll-free from most countries – International Access Codes.
How do I reactivate my dormant account?
Checking, Savings, and Time Accounts
Please call us at 1-800-869-3557, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or visit a Wells Fargo branch.
Retirement Accounts
Please call us at 1-800-237-8472, Monday – Friday 8 am to 8 pm Eastern Time (excluding federal holidays), or visit a Wells Fargo branch.
Reactivation may take up to 3 business days. Access Wells Fargo Online to find a branch near you. Customers outside of the United States can call Wells Fargo customer service toll-free from most countries – International Access Codes.