Direct deposit rules for bank bonuses
Most checking bonuses pay only for a deposit the bank's own offer terms call a direct deposit, and the bank's system decides how each credit is coded. Payroll, pension and government benefits sent over ACH qualified at every major bank we read. Transfers between your own accounts, Zelle and other person-to-person payments, mobile deposits and ATM deposits are excluded at Chase and Wells Fargo. The guides below answer the four questions that decide whether a bonus pays, each from the bank's own page with the date we read it.
Does this deposit count?
Start with what counts as a direct deposit, which sets Chase's and Wells Fargo's definitions side by side. A payment app is the most common trap: a person-to-person Venmo payment has the same shape as the Zelle exclusion, even where the offer never prints the word Venmo. Student accounts are a separate check, because a fee waiver is not a bonus and the offer has to name the product you open.
Did it count in time?
Each bank starts its clock from a different event. Chase counts from offer enrollment, while Wells Fargo and Capital One count from account opening. Wells Fargo also says an Early Pay Day deposit does not count until it posts, so a credit still pending on the last day has not met the test. None of the three pages we read describes a partial bonus for a late or short deposit.
How do I move payroll without missing a paycheck?
Change payroll only after you know the effective pay date, and keep the old account funded until a qualifying credit has posted at the new bank. Many payroll systems let you split one paycheck across accounts, which is how one paycheck can meet two banks' tests at once, provided each portion matches that bank's own definition.
Why hasn't my bonus posted?
Check the posting window first. Chase says up to 15 days after you qualify, and Wells Fargo says up to 30 calendar days. After that, the usual failures are the deposit type, a total that fell short, and a window counted from the wrong day. A reversed payroll credit lowers the qualifying total, so recheck the posted total before the window ends.
Bask Bank $300 Interest Checking bonus requirements
Bask pays up to $300 ($50 per statement period) when you open Interest Savings and Checking by Dec 31, 2026 and meet $10k, $2,500 and $100 tests.
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17 articlesBMO $600 checking bonus requirements (14 states)
BMO pays $100/month up to $600 with $1,000+ qualifying direct deposits. Open by Dec 15, 2026 in 14 states. Not for existing BMO checking clients.
Navy Federal $400 new-member checking bonus requirements
Navy Federal $400 with CHK26SRC: join by Dec 31, 2026, open checking, finish qualifying deposits by Apr 30, 2027. Military-affiliated membership required.
Huntington checking bonus requirements: Perks $400 and Platinum Perks $600
Huntington's Perks Checking paid $400 and Platinum Perks $600, each with its own deposit test. Opening was required by Sep 30, 2026. Terms kept for reference.
Bank of America $100, $300 or $500 checking bonus requirements
BofA pays $100, $300 or $500 for $2k/$5k/$10k+ qualifying direct deposits in 90 days. Open by Jan 31, 2027. Fee waiver is separate.
Capital One 360 Checking bonus requirements
Capital One's 360 Checking $250 offer: code CHECKING250, two $500 deposits in 75 days, who is ineligible since 2024, and the 60-day payout.
Chase Total Checking bonus requirements, line by line
Chase pays $400 to new Total Checking customers with $1,000 in direct deposits within 90 days. Open by Jan 27, 2027. What counts, what doesn't, and payout.
To hold an offer's deposit rule, window and payout date in one place, use the bank bonus tracker. To see what the parked cash earns, run the bank bonus ROI calculator. To compare current offers, see bank bonus statistics.
Does Venmo count as a direct deposit for a bank bonus?
Not person-to-person Venmo: Chase excludes person-to-person payments and Wells Fargo excludes Zelle. When employer ACH payroll into the bank still counts.
Pending or posted: which deposit counts for a bank bonus?
Wells Fargo says an Early Pay Day deposit does not count until it posts. How to use the posted date against a bonus deadline.
What a returned or reversed deposit does to a bank bonus
If payroll is reversed, the qualifying total falls. Recheck the posted total before the window ends, and do not replace it with a transfer.
Student checking account bonus offers: do students qualify?
Student checking account offers: a bonus pays only if the offer names your account and you meet its age and deposit rules. A student fee waiver is not a bonus.
How to switch direct deposit for a bonus without missing payroll
How to point payroll at a bonus account without a missed bill: ask for the effective date, fund the old account, and wait until the credit posts.
Wells Fargo $325 checking bonus: requirements and what to check
Wells Fargo's $325 checking offer, read from its own terms: code, $1,000 posted deposits in 90 days, who is excluded, payout, and what to check next time.
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- Why hasn't my bank bonus posted? · Bank bonuses
- What counts as a direct deposit for a bank bonus? · Bank bonuses