How to deposit a check with chime without direct deposit

One of the reasons so many people are moving from traditional banks to Chime is because of Chime’s customer-friendly deposit rules. Chime seems eager to get your money into your account, which is perfect for folks who always seem to be running a little low on funds by the end of a pay period.

The below article provides answers to a wide variety of questions related to Chime deposits.

1. What Time Does Chime Direct Deposit Hit?

The latest Chime posts your direct deposit is 9 AM EST on your payday. So if your work says your payday is on the 15th, then your deposit should be posted no later than 9 AM EST on the 15th. This 9 AM EST payday rule is the latest you should receive a deposit; so the worst-case scenario. 

2. What Time Does Chime EARLY Direct Deposit Hit?

If 9 AM EST on payday is the worst-case scenario for getting your direct deposit, then what is the best-case scenario? What about Chime’s promise to Get your paycheck up to two days early”?

We’ll let Chime’s fine print answer first:

Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date.

The short answer is: The speed in which you get a deposit depends on how quickly your company’s payroll sends the money. If your payday is Friday, it is possible you will get your money at some time on Wednesday, some time on Thursday, or by 9 AM on Friday. 

Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure what time an early direct deposit will come in.

To be clear — we are not saying Chime’s early deposit advertising is false. The early direct deposit is absolutely true. There are a ton of customers who successfully receive their direct deposit 1-2 days in advance of their payday. But there are some customers who only get their deposit on payday. In the cases of deposits arriving on payday, the finger of blame can usually be pointed at the customer’s company payroll department, and not at Chime.

Here is a quick, simplified lesson on how your pay is delivered from your company to your bank. For this example, let’s assume you get paid on Friday.

First, a note about modern banking. The vast majority of computer transactions are done in batches. So a bank may collect data throughout the day and hold it in a temporary data location. In the middle of the night (1 AM for example), the batch process executes and all of the day’s data is transferred from a temporary data location into the bank’s main computers. This is why you will see, in the below example, each step taking a day to complete; a bank’s computers only batch process once a day.

1. Saturday: The company payroll department creates a file that shows each employee’s name, bank routing number, bank account number, what the payment amount should be, and what date the money should be deposited (Friday in this example).

1. Sunday: The company sends their payroll file to the company’s bank 

1. Monday: The company’s bank processes the file, and then sends their own file over to the federal bank (i.e. Federal Reserve, Automated Clearinghouse). 

To be clear, no money has changed hands yet. The banks are simply communicating future expectations to each other, like digital IOU notes. The Feds are sitting in the middle, helping to pass the notes.

1. Tuesday: The federal bank sends a notification out to all of the banks in the country, telling them what the Friday IOUs are.

1. Wednesday: All customer banks receive the Fed IOU file. Remember, no money has changed hands yet.

This is where the Chime magic happens. Chime quickly processes the Fed IOU file, and then using Chime’s own money, funds the customer’s account with their Friday pay. Basically, Chime trusts the company bank and Feds enough to front you the payday money early.

1. Wednesday: The company bank actually sends the money over to the Feds.

1. Thursday: The Feds actually send the money over to the customer’s banks.

1. Friday: This is when a traditional bank funds its customer accounts.  So the banks have known since Wednesday that the money is coming, but they don’t disperse the funds until the funds are actually in hand.

Chime already dispersed the funds on Wednesday. So when the real money comes in,  Chime just puts it back into their own piggy bank.

The above shows there are a lot of steps to get your paycheck deposit, but steps #1 and #2 are the most unpredictable — when your company runs its payroll file and transmits it over to the company’s bank. If your company runs the file later than usual, then your deposit may come in later than usual. Steps #3-#8 are all automated and tend to run without problems.

Related: Transfer Money from Venmo to Apple Pay

3. Does Chime Direct Deposit Hit at Midnight?

No, there is nothing special about midnight. Chime will deposit your money after its computers have batch processed the payment notification file coming from the Feds. Early deposits can occur at any time of the day, 1-2 days prior to your payday. Deposits made on payday can be posted anytime between midnight and 9 AM EST.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know the exact time a deposit will be posted. Even Chime can’t know for sure because sometimes the computer batch job runs slow, or sometimes your payment is sitting at the end of the file. 

Related: SoFi vs Chime

4. How Long Does Chime Direct Deposit Take?

Chime will typically post your paycheck about 3 days after your employer submits the payroll file to the employer’s bank. This should get you the money 2 days before your actual payday.

5. Why is my Chime Direct Deposit Late?

If a few hours late: It is normal for early direct deposits to post at different times of the day. So if your payday is Friday, and you normally get an early deposit on Wednesday, that deposit may be posted at any time on Wednesday.  

Unfortunately, there is no way to know the exact time a deposit will be posted. Even Chime can’t know for sure because sometimes the computer batch job runs slow, or sometimes your deposit is sitting at the end of their computer file. 

If a day or more late: Chances are your direct deposit is late because your employer sent in their payroll file later than usual. Significant delays inside the Federal Reserve and banking computers are rare. This is usually an employer payroll problem.

6. Does Chime Deposit on Weekends?

No, Chime deposits Monday-Friday, not on Saturday/Sunday, and not on a bank holiday.

Does Chime Deposit on Saturdays?

No, Chime will not deposit on a Saturday or Sunday. They do not deposit on a bank holiday either. Deposits only occur Monday-Friday.

7. Does Chime Deposit on Sundays?

No, Chime will not deposit on a Sunday or Saturday. They only deposit Monday-Friday as long as it is not a bank holiday.

8. Will Chime Deposit Today?

Chime deposits Monday-Friday, as long as it is not a bank holiday. They do not deposit on Saturday or Sunday.

9. How Long Does Chime Mobile Check Deposit Take?

Checks should clear in 1-3 business days, depending on the amount of the check and who has written the check (large dollar amounts and personal checks could take the full 3 days to clear). So if you deposit a small check before 5 PM EST, all of the money should be available to you by the next morning. 

When you make the deposit, the Chime app should tell you when your funds will be available to you.

Note: Mobile check deposit is not available for all Chime customers. Mobile check deposit is only available to customers who are actively using their Chime account as a primary bank — you need to have an active direct deposit coming in and be actively using your debit card. This is a risk/security measure to give Chime confidence you are not a scammer.

10. How Long Does Chime Mobile Deposit Take?

Small checks and government (stimulus) checks should clear in 1 business day. Larger checks and personal checks may take up to 3 business days. When you make the deposit, the app should tell you how long it will take for the funds to be deposited.

How Long Does Chime Mobile Check Deposit Take with Chime?

Many checks will clear in just 1 business day. Some personal checks and large dollar amount checks may take up to 3 business days to clear. Pay attention when you do the mobile deposit as the app should tell you when your funds will be available. 

11. Does Chime Tell You if You Have a Pending Deposit?

Yes, pending deposits will appear on the activity page of the Chime app. Deposits that are pending finalization appear in a grey color. This money is not yet available for you to spend. 

Cleared deposits show up in a green color and you are free to spend this money.

Keep in mind that Chime tries to process your deposits quickly. So, you may not see the deposit as grey pending because Chime has moved it to green available so quickly. 

12. Can You See a Pending Deposit on Chime?

Pending deposits will appear as a grey colored transaction on the main activity page of the app. These deposits are pending final validation and the money is not yet available for you to spend. 

13. Does Chime Show Pending Deposits?

Yes, the main activity screen on the Chime app will show pending deposits in a grey color. You will need to wait 1-3 more business days for these to flip to green before you can spend the money.

Related: Does Chime work With Venmo?

14. How to Check Pending Deposits on Chime?

Open the Chime app and look at the main activity screen. Pending deposits will appear in a grey color. Within 1-3 business days these should flip to a green color and you can spend the money.

15. Does Chime Accept SBA Loan Deposits?

Chime says they will reject a SBA Loan deposit because their accounts are meant for personal use, not business use. Chime may also be rejecting SBA Loan deposits due to concerns of fraud. 

If a bank rejects your SBA Loan deposit, there is no need to panic. The money is not lost. The SBA will contact you and you can provide them info for a different bank.

Note: there have been some stories from business owners who claim they have had no problem using Chime to run their business, including receiving SBA Loan funds. It is unclear why some funds are accepted and others rejected. 

Our recommendation for any business owner who spends or receives large funds is to move your business to a more traditional bank where these kinds of rejects are not occurring. Chime has clearly said their platform is not meant for businesses, so we suggest moving to a bank that is more business-friendly.

16. Does Chime Accept PPP Loan Deposits?

The Chime deposit agreement says that Chime is meant for personal use, not business use. As a result, business owners are expressing some confusion and frustration over how Chime is handling their PPP Loan deposits. Many PPP deposits are being rejected, while some are being accepted. 

Chime has publicly said they are trying to reject these PPP Loan deposits because their platform is not meant for businesses. They may also be having concerns about fraud. 

Our advice for any business owner who spends or receives large funds is to move your business to a more traditional bank where these kinds of rejects are not occurring. Chime has clearly said their platform is not meant for businesses, so we suggest moving to a bank that is more business-friendly.

17. What Time Does Chime Deposit Tax Refunds?

There is nothing special about a tax refund that would give it different timing than every other type of deposit. Chime will deposit your money after its computers have batch processed overnight. This can occur anytime between midnight and 9 AM EST.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know the exact time a deposit will be posted. Even Chime can’t know for sure because sometimes the computer batch job runs slow, or sometimes your deposit is sitting at the end of their computer file. 

Related: How does Spot Me work on Chime?

18. When Does DoorDash Direct Deposit Hit Chime?

The timing of DoorDash payments is primarily driven by the DoorDash payroll calendar. It appears that DoorDash closes their week on Sunday night and then transmits the pay information on Monday morning. DoorDash users report receiving their deposit in their Chime account late on Monday or some time on Tuesday.

19. Does Chime Require Direct Deposit?

No, you can use Chime without a direct deposit. Just note that Chime may choose to limit the features available to you such as removing your ability to do mobile check deposits.

20. Can Someone Deposit Money into my Chime Account?

Banking regulations generally prohibit third parties (people not listed as an account owner) from making deposits into other people’s accounts. There is a risk of fraud and money laundering. 

The only way for a third party to deposit money into your account is for them to pretend to be you; e.g. have access to your login information, debit card, PIN, etc.

These steps seem unnecessarily risky and complicated when there are much easier methods to send money to someone, like using Cash App. 

21. What Bank Does Chime Use for Direct Deposit?

Chime itself is a financial technology (fin tech) company that focuses on building the app. Bancorp Bank delivers the banking services for Chime. 

Related: Does Zelle Work with Chime?

Related: Does Chime Work with Cash App?

Related: What Time Does Chase Direct Deposit Hit?