Yes, you generally need an ID to deposit cash at a bank when you hand the money to a teller. Most banks require a government-issued photo ID for any cash deposit at the counter, even into your own account, and federal law makes identity verification mandatory once a cash transaction reaches $10,000. The requirements get stricter, not looser, when the deposit is going into someone else’s account.
Depositing Cash Into Your Own Account
At the teller window, the first thing you’ll be asked for is your ID. The teller uses it to confirm that the name and photo match the account holder on file before processing the deposit. This happens every time, not just on your first visit or on large amounts.
The reason is twofold. It protects you from someone else walking in and moving money through your account, and it helps the bank meet federal anti-money-laundering rules. Individual banks set their own internal thresholds for when ID is required on smaller transactions, and many require it for any teller cash deposit regardless of size.
Depositing Cash Into Someone Else’s Account
If you’re trying to put cash into an account that isn’t yours, expect a harder answer. Several large national banks no longer allow third-party cash deposits into personal checking or savings accounts at all. Chase, for example, does not permit them. The change is a response to money-laundering risk: cash from an anonymous third party is difficult to trace once it lands in someone else’s account.
Where a bank still allows it, you’ll usually need to be a joint owner or authorized signer on the account. The teller will ask for your ID, the account number, and the exact name on the account, and will document your relationship to the account holder before completing the transaction.
Which Forms of ID Banks Accept
The IDs banks accept most reliably are:
- A state-issued driver’s license
- A U.S. passport
- A military ID card
Some banks also accept a state-issued non-driver ID card. All of these are government-issued, carry your photograph, and contain enough identifying information for the teller to match you against account records.
If you don’t have a U.S.-issued photo ID, some banks and credit unions accept foreign passports or consular identification cards such as the Matrícula Consular. Policies vary, so call your branch first to confirm what they’ll take. Along with the ID, bring the account number for the deposit. For any transaction of $10,000 or more, you’ll also need your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
Minors Without a Photo ID
Minors who don’t yet have a driver’s license or state ID run into a gap. Federal customer identification rules still require the bank to verify the account holder’s name, date of birth, address, and taxpayer identification number.1FFIEC BSA/AML Examination Manual. Customer Identification Program When a minor can’t present a government-issued photo ID, banks may use alternatives: checking a consumer reporting agency, reviewing a birth certificate alongside a school ID, or contacting a parent listed as a joint account holder. Each bank writes its own procedures for these situations. The safest approach is for a parent or guardian to come along and bring their own ID.
ATM Deposits: Card and PIN Instead of ID
Cash deposits at an ATM work differently. Instead of showing a photo ID, you use your debit card and PIN. The machine validates each bill with its sensors, counts the total, and shows the amount for you to confirm before the deposit posts. You get a paper or digital receipt when the transaction completes.
This is the practical workaround if you don’t want to pull out an ID for a routine deposit—but it only works for depositing into your own account, since the card and PIN are what stand in for identity verification.
The $10,000 Threshold
Federal law draws a hard line at cash transactions over $10,000. Above that amount, the bank must verify and record your name, address, Social Security number, and the identification document you presented before completing the deposit.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 1010 Subpart C – Reports Required To Be Made The bank then files a Currency Transaction Report with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) that includes your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and details about the ID you showed.3eCFR. 31 CFR 1010.311 – Filing Obligations for Reports of Transactions in Currency
If you make multiple cash deposits in the same business day that together exceed $10,000, the bank has to aggregate them and file a report as if the deposits were one transaction.4eCFR. 31 CFR 1010.313 – Aggregation Splitting a $15,000 deposit into a morning trip and an afternoon trip doesn’t sidestep the rule.
The report itself is routine. It doesn’t mean you’re under investigation; it’s how the government tracks large movements of physical currency. If you have a legitimate reason to deposit a large amount—a car sale, an insurance payout, a cash gift—just deposit it in full and show your ID.
Don’t Try to Split Deposits to Avoid the Report
Deliberately breaking up cash to keep each deposit under $10,000 is a federal crime called structuring, and the attempt itself is enough to be charged. A conviction carries up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. If the structuring is part of a broader pattern of illegal activity involving more than $100,000 in a 12-month period, the maximum sentence doubles to ten years.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 5324 – Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirement Prohibited The paperwork is easier than the prosecution.
What to Bring Before You Go
For any teller cash deposit, plan on bringing a government-issued photo ID and the account number. If the deposit is $10,000 or more, add your Social Security number or ITIN. If the money is going into someone else’s account, call the branch first to confirm they still accept third-party cash deposits and to ask what they need from you. If you’d rather skip the ID step entirely, and the deposit is into your own account, an ATM handles it with your card and PIN.