Wells Fargo offers many tools and services to help you manage your checking account and avoid overdrafts. The information on this page pertains to business accounts. For information on overdraft services for personal accounts, click here.
Online and Mobile Banking
Bank online and on the go to help stay on top of your transactions and your balance, and transfer money between accounts when you need it. You can also set up a variety of alerts such as when your balance goes below an amount you specify.
See “Tips and Tools to Avoid Overdrafts” below for details.
Overdraft Protection
- You can link up to two eligible accounts (one savings, one credit) to your checking account, and we will use available funds in those linked account(s) to cover your transactions if you don’t have enough available money in your checking account.
- See “Overdraft Protection” below for details.
Debit Card Overdraft Service
You can choose whether your ATM and everyday (one-time) debit card transactions may be approved, at our discretion, if you don’t have enough available money in your checking account or in accounts linked for Overdraft Protection at the time of the transaction.
- Business checking accounts (with the exception of IOLTA/RETA accounts and accounts for government entities) are automatically enrolled in Debit Card Overdraft Service when the account is opened. You can choose to remove this service or re-add it to an eligible account at any time.
- If Debit Card Overdraft Service is used to approve a transaction into overdraft, an overdraft fee of $35 per item will apply unless a covering deposit or transfer is made before the posted cutoff time on the same business day.
- If your account is not enrolled in Debit Card Overdraft Service, ATM and everyday (one-time) debit card transactions will be declined if there isn’t enough money in your checking account (or accounts linked for Overdraft Protection). There are no fees for declined transactions.
- See “Debit Card Overdraft Service” below for details.
Tips and Tools to Avoid Overdrafts
Use these account management tools to help you manage and track your spending.
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Keep track of your transactions
Record every deposit and withdrawal — including checks, debit card purchases, cash withdrawals, and recurring payments you've set up such as utility bills or recurring vendor payments. Visit any Wells Fargo banking location for a free check register. -
Don’t forget outstanding transactions
The current available balance we provide may not include all your transactions, such as checks you have written, upcoming automatic payments or debit card transactions you have made that have not yet been submitted for payment by the merchant. -
Keep a cushion in your account
By keeping a little extra in your checking account, you can cover outstanding transactions that don’t yet appear in your available balance and avoid overdrafts. -
Review your statements
Reconcile bank statements with your records. -
Use Wells Fargo Business Online® and Wells Fargo Mobile® Banking
You can conveniently and securely access and manage your money from your computer, tablet, or mobile device:
- Mobile Banking — Bank on the go using our mobile app. Monitor your transactions, transfer money, and deposit checks to manage your balance. Learn more about Mobile Banking.
- Account Alerts — Stay informed. Set up a low balance alert to be notified by email, text message, or push notification when your account balance reaches an amount you specify. Activate an account update alert to help notify you when deposits, checks or withdrawals have posted to your account. Sign up to receive account alerts.
- Wells Fargo Business Online — Stay on track. Use My Spending Report to track deposits and review purchases and payments made with your Wells Fargo credit card, debit card, and Business Bill Pay payments. Use Budget Watch to create a simple, customized budget to view progress toward your monthly budget goals.
Overdraft Protection
Eligibility
- You can link up to two eligible Wells Fargo accounts (one savings and one credit account) to a Wells Fargo checking account for Overdraft Protection. If you link two accounts, you may tell us which account to use first to transfer/advance funds. If you do not specify an order, we will first transfer funds from your linked savings account.
- Linked accounts must belong to the same business entity. Personal accounts cannot be used to provide Overdraft Protection for a business checking account. Checking accounts cannot be used to provide Overdraft Protection.
- You can find out which of your accounts are eligible for Overdraft Protection by signing onto Wells Fargo Business Online®, talking with a branch banker, or calling Small Business Customer Service at 1-800-CALL-WELLS (1-800-225-5935).
For additional information, please also refer to your specific account type in the Business Account Fee and Information Schedule (PDF).
Fees
There are no Overdraft Protection transfer or advance fees for Business accounts enrolled in the service. Overdraft Protection advances from a credit account accrue interest from the date each advance is made. See your credit account agreement for details.
Add, Change or Remove Overdraft Protection
You can add, change or remove Overdraft Protection by signing onto Wells Fargo Business Online®, talking with a branch banker, or calling Small Business Customer Service at 1-800-CALL-WELLS (1-800-225-5935).
Debit Card Overdraft Service
Key Information
You can choose how Wells Fargo handles your ATM and everyday (one-time) debit card transactions if you don’t have enough available money in your checking account or in accounts linked for Overdraft Protection at the time of the transaction. The payment of transactions into overdraft is discretionary, and we reserve the right not to pay.
Eligibility
Business checking accounts (with the exception of IOLTA/RETA accounts and accounts for government entities) are automatically enrolled in Debit Card Overdraft Service when the account is opened. Customers can choose to remove this service or re-add it to an eligible account at any time.
Fee
Our standard overdraft fee of $35 per item will apply if Debit Card Overdraft Service is used to approve a transaction into overdraft and a covering deposit or transfer is not made before the posted cutoff time on the same business day.
If your checking account is not enrolled in Debit Card Overdraft Service and you don’t have enough money in your account or in accounts linked for Overdraft Protection, ATM and everyday (one-time) debit card transactions will be declined at the time of the transaction. There are no fees for declined transactions.
See "Tips and Tools to Avoid Overdrafts" above for Wells Fargo services that can help you manage your account and avoid overdrafts.
Add or Remove Debit Card Overdraft Service
Any account holder with transaction authority on the eligible checking account can add or remove Debit Card Overdraft Service by visiting a Wells Fargo ATM (select More Choices, Wells Fargo Services), signing on to Wells Fargo Business Online®, talking with a branch banker, or calling Small Business Customer Service at 1-800-CALL-WELLS (1-800-225-5935).
Overdraft FAQs
What is an overdraft?
An overdraft is a negative balance in your account. An overdraft occurs when you spend more money than you have available in your checking account and the Bank pays your transaction anyway.
Is an overdraft different from a returned item?
Yes. A returned item / non-sufficient funds (NSF) item occurs when Wells Fargo returns an item (such as a check or other transaction presented for payment) unpaid because there is not enough money available in the account to cover it (meaning, we do not pay the transaction).
What is the fee for overdrafts?
Our overdraft fee for items paid into overdraft is $35 per item. We charge no more than four overdraft fees per business day for Business accounts.
We do not charge a returned item/non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee for items returned unpaid.
Note: We will not charge an overdraft fee on items that are $10 or less, and we won't charge overdraft fees if both your ending daily account balance and available balance are overdrawn by $10 or less after we have processed all your transactions.
Can I make a deposit or transfer to avoid an overdraft fee?
Yes. Making a deposit or transfer can help avoid overdraft fees.
You can avoid an overdraft and applicable overdraft fees if you make a covering deposit or transfer before the posted cut-off time on the same business day that you overdrew your account.
What is the difference between Overdraft Protection and Debit Card Overdraft Service?
- Overdraft Protection uses available funds from your linked account(s) to cover a transaction if there isn’t enough available money in your checking account.
- Debit Card Overdraft Service allows us to authorize, at our discretion, ATM and everyday (one-time) debit card transactions if there isn’t enough available money in your checking account (or in accounts linked for Overdraft Protection) to cover them. An overdraft fee of $35 per item will apply unless a transfer or a covering deposit is made before the posted cutoff time on the same business day.
Both services are optional and you can sign up for either or both services depending on account eligibility and how you prefer to manage your money. Though optional, Debit Card Overdraft Service is automatically added to business checking accounts (with the exception of IOLTA/RETA accounts and accounts for government entities) when opened, but can be removed at any time.
How much money does Wells Fargo’s Overdraft Protection transfer or advance?
We will transfer the available money from your linked savings account or advance available credit from your linked credit account to your checking account to cover any negative balance. A minimum of $25 (or the exact amount of the negative balance if over $25) will be transferred from your savings account or credit card. See your credit agreement for the minimum amount that will be transferred from a line of credit. If there isn’t enough money in the linked account(s) to cover the entire negative balance, only the available money in the linked account(s) will be transferred.
What will happen if I don’t have enough money in my account to cover an ATM or everyday (one-time) debit card transaction and I don’t have Debit Card Overdraft Service?
If your account is not enrolled in Debit Card Overdraft Service, ATM and everyday (one-time) debit card transactions will be declined at the time of the transaction. There are no fees for ATM and everyday (one-time) debit card transactions that are declined. If a checking account is not enrolled in Debit Card Overdraft Service and an ATM or everyday (one-time) debit card transaction creates a negative balance during posting, no overdraft fee will be assessed.
Debit Card Overdraft Service does not apply to checks and other transactions such as Bill Pay, ACH, or recurring debit card transactions (such as a utility or phone bill). We may continue to authorize or pay these transactions into overdraft, at our discretion and our standard overdraft fees and policies will apply.
How do I decide which services are right for me?
Review the materials on this site, talk with a local branch banker or call Small Business Customer Service at 1-800-CALL-WELLS (1-800-225-5935).
How do I add, change or remove Overdraft Protection?
You can add, change or remove Overdraft Protection through Wells Fargo Business Online®, with a branch banker, or by calling Small Business Customer Service at 1-800-CALL-WELLS (1-800-225-5935).
How do I add or remove Debit Card Overdraft Service?
You can add or remove Debit Card Overdraft Service at a Wells Fargo ATM (Select More Choices, Wells Fargo Services), through Wells Fargo Business Online®, with a branch banker, or by calling Small Business Customer Service at 1-800-CALL-WELLS (1-800-225-5935). Any account holder with transaction authority can add or remove the service on the checking account.
Are business checking accounts eligible for Debit Card Overdraft Service?
Business checking accounts (with the exception of IOLTA/RETA accounts and accounts for government entities) are automatically enrolled in Debit Card Overdraft Service when the account is opened. Business customers can remove this service or re-add it to an eligible account at any time at a Wells Fargo ATM (Select More Choices, Wells Fargo Services), through Wells Fargo Business Online®, with a branch banker, or by calling Small Business Customer Service at 1-800-CALL-WELLS (1-800-225-5935). Any account holder with transaction authority can add or remove the service on the checking account.
Does Wells Fargo guarantee my ATM and everyday (one-time) debit card transactions will be approved with Debit Card Overdraft Service?
No. The payment of transactions greater than your available balance remains a discretionary decision of Wells Fargo and we reserve the right not to pay. For example, we typically do not pay these items if your account is overdrawn or if you have had excessive overdrafts.