How to Get Provisional Credit From Your Bank
You saw a wrong charge. Here is how to report it so your bank has to act, meet the 60-day deadline, and get your money back while it checks.
You looked at your statement and saw a charge that should not be there. You want your money back now, not after a long investigation. Provisional credit is how that happens. This page walks through the steps, using the rules in Regulation E, the federal rule that banks must follow for electronic transfers. If the term is new to you, start with the provisional credit definition. For a fuller look at the whole topic, see our page on provisional credit. Here is how to get provisional credit from your bank, step by step.
Step 1: Confirm you have a qualifying error
The process only starts with an error that the rule covers. Regulation E lists what counts. An unauthorized electronic fund transfer counts as an error. So does a transfer you did not allow. A wrong transfer to or from your account counts too.
The list goes on. A transfer left off your statement, or a math mistake by your bank, is an error. So is getting the wrong amount of cash from a machine.
Some things do not count. Regulation E says a balance question or a request for tax copies is not an error. If you want your bank to explain a transfer, that counts as an error notice. But a plain question about your balance does not open this door.
Step 2: Report the error the right way
Your bank must act on an error notice you give by phone or in writing. So a call can work. So can a letter.
Your notice has to do three things. It must let your bank find your name and account. It must say why you think there is an error. Regulation E says it should give the type, date and amount of the error if you can.
Do not worry if you cannot find your account number. A notice without your account number still counts if your bank can find the account.
One thing to check first. Your bank may ask you to give notice only at the phone number or address it gave you.
There is a catch with phone notices. Your bank may ask you to confirm a phone notice in writing within 10 business days. A bank that wants written confirmation must say so on the call and give the address. If it does, send that letter. Regulation E says your bank may skip provisional credit if it asked for written confirmation and got none within 10 business days.
The good news is that the clock does not wait for your letter. Your bank must start checking a phone notice right away and not wait for a letter.
Step 3: Meet the 60-day deadline
This is the step people miss. Regulation E says your bank must get your error notice within 60 days after it sends the statement showing the error.
Count from the day the statement was sent, not the day you read it. If you saw the charge today, find the statement it appeared on and start counting from there.
Step 4: What your bank must do next, and when the credit arrives
Once your notice is in, the rule puts your bank on a schedule.
Your bank must decide if there was an error within 10 business days of getting your notice. It must tell you the results within three business days after it finishes.
There is a longer path, and it is the one that leads to provisional credit. Your bank may take up to 45 days if it gives provisional credit within 10 business days. So if the investigation needs more time, the money shows up in your account first. Your bank must tell you the amount and date of a provisional credit within two business days.
If your bank finds an error, it must fix it. A bank that determines an error occurred must correct it, including crediting of interest and refunding fees the bank imposed. It must fix an error within one business day after it finds one. And it may not charge you for any part of the error process if an error happened.
Spending provisional credit while the investigation continues
Once the credit lands, can you use it? Yes. Regulation E says you get full use of a provisional credit while your bank looks into the error. You can spend it while the bank finishes its work. Our page on dispute provisional credit goes deeper on this.
If the bank reverses the credit or finds no error
The credit can go away. If your bank takes back a provisional credit, it must tell you the date and amount. It must also keep paying your checks. After taking back a provisional credit, your bank must still pay your checks and set payments for five business days. That grace period keeps a bounced check from landing on you.
If the bank finds no error, it must explain why in writing. You can ask for more. Your bank must promptly send copies of the papers it used if you ask. Read them before you give up.
Your bank must also tell you if a provisional credit has been made final. That notice closes the door on the investigation.
Special timelines: debit cards, new accounts, out-of-state transfers
Some cases get more time. Your bank may take 90 days, not 45, for a debit card purchase at a store. The longer time covers mail and phone orders but not an ATM. Your bank may also take 90 days, not 45, for a transfer that did not start inside a state.
New accounts get their own rule. Your bank gets 20 business days, not 10, for a transfer within 30 days of a new account's first deposit. So if you just opened the account, the first month moves slower.
For a full breakdown of every timeline, see how long does provisional credit take.
If your account is already closed
One last question. What if you closed the account before the error showed up? Regulation E says your bank must follow the error steps even if the account is closed. A closed account does not end your rights. Report the error the same way, and the bank still owes you the same process.
The short version
Check that your problem is on the list of errors. Report it by phone or in writing, with your name, account and reason. Do it within 60 days of the statement. If the bank needs more than 10 business days, the credit should arrive, and you can spend it. If the bank later finds no error, ask for the papers and read them.