Trial deposits are two small test credits, each less than $1, that a financial platform sends to your bank account so you can report the exact amounts back and prove the account belongs to you. The process runs over the ACH network, takes one to three business days, and ends with the platform pulling the same amounts back out so your balance returns to where it started. Most people run into trial deposits when linking a bank account to a payment app, brokerage, or new financial service.
Why Platforms Use Them
A routing number and account number alone don’t prove anything. Anyone could type in someone else’s digits. Trial deposits close that gap: only a person who can actually log in and view the account’s transactions will know the exact amounts that landed there.
The full cycle is straightforward. You enter your bank details. The platform sends two micro-deposits through the Automated Clearing House network. You check your statement for the amounts. You type them back into the platform. The platform then withdraws those same small amounts to zero everything out.
What You Need to Start
Two numbers from your bank: a nine-digit routing number that identifies the bank, and your individual account number. Both appear at the bottom of a paper check, or in the account details section of your bank’s app or website. The routing number is always exactly nine digits. Account number length varies.
Get either number wrong and the deposits either go nowhere or land in someone else’s account, and you won’t find out until days later when nothing posts. Double-check both against your bank’s own records before submitting. If your bank uses separate routing numbers for wire transfers and ACH, use the ACH one.
Finding the Deposits in Your Statement
Two small credits should post to your account within one to three business days. Each is less than $1, so expect figures like $0.08 and $0.34. Under NACHA’s micro-entry rule, these credits are capped below $1 each by definition.1Nacha. Micro-Entries (Phase 1)
To make them easier to spot, NACHA requires the originator to use “ACCTVERIFY” in the transaction description and a company name you would actually recognize.2Nacha. A Deep Dive Into Nachas Micro-Entry Rule Some platforms also label them as “VERIFY” or include their own brand name. Look for two separate line items, not a single combined credit.
Write down or screenshot the amounts exactly, including every decimal place. $0.32 is not $0.33, and the platform won’t accept close.
Entering the Amounts
Go back to the platform where you started. Your bank account should be listed as “pending” or “unverified” in the payments or linked accounts area. Two empty fields will ask for the deposit figures. Type them in exactly as they appeared and submit.
If they match, the account is verified and you can start transferring. If they don’t, you get another try, but most platforms cap you at three total attempts. Three wrong entries typically locks the verification, and you’ll need to wait or restart from scratch. That lockout is there to stop anyone from guessing the amounts through brute force.
Watch the expiration window too. Trial deposits don’t sit indefinitely. Platforms give you a set period to complete verification, and if you miss it, the deposits expire and you have to re-initiate the whole process. The specific window varies, so check the platform’s instructions.
What Happens to the Money Afterward
Once verification succeeds, the platform withdraws the micro-deposits so your balance returns to where it began. These reversal debits run through the same ACH network and follow NACHA’s rule that total debits can’t exceed total credits.1Nacha. Micro-Entries (Phase 1) The withdrawals usually appear within a few business days after verification.
The amounts are trivially small, so even a slow reversal costs you at most a couple of dollars. There’s no minimum balance requirement to receive or reverse the deposits. If the account closes or verification fails before the reversal runs, the platform simply writes the amounts off.
When the Deposits Don’t Arrive
This is where most people get stuck. You submitted your details days ago and see nothing. Check these before assuming something broke:
- Timing. One to three business days means weekdays only. Start on a Friday afternoon and the earliest you’d see anything is Tuesday or Wednesday.
- Routing and account numbers. A single transposed digit sends the deposits somewhere else. Verify the numbers you entered.
- Account type mismatch. Some banks use different routing numbers for checking versus savings, or for ACH versus wire. Confirm you used the ACH routing number for the correct account type.
- Fraud filters. Some banks and credit unions block unfamiliar small deposits. Call your bank if you suspect this.
- Pending views. Certain banks don’t display micro-deposits until they fully post. Look in both posted and pending transaction views.
If nothing shows up after five business days, contact the platform’s support team. They can confirm whether the deposits were actually sent and provide the ACH trace number, which your bank can use to locate the transaction.
Deposits You Didn’t Request
If micro-deposits appear and you never started a linking process, treat it as a warning sign. Someone may have your routing and account numbers and be trying to link your account to a platform they control. Once they confirm the amounts, they can initiate withdrawals.
- Contact your bank immediately. Report the unauthorized deposits and ask them to watch for suspicious activity.
- Don’t verify anything. If you get messages asking you to confirm deposit amounts or click a link, ignore them. Verifying completes the fraudulent link.
- File a complaint with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Reporting creates a record and helps track patterns.
- Consider new account numbers. If your account and routing numbers are compromised, the safest step is getting new ones from your bank.
Legitimate micro-deposits always follow something you initiated. If you didn’t start the process, nobody should be sending test deposits to your account.
When Instant Verification Is Available Instead
Trial deposits are increasingly the backup rather than the default. Many platforms now offer instant verification, where you log into your bank through a secure connection and the account is confirmed in seconds rather than days. Services like Plaid handle this by redirecting you to your bank’s own login page or an equivalent secure interface.
Not every bank supports instant verification, and some platforms still only offer micro-deposits. When trial deposits are your only option, the process is well-tested and secure as long as you complete it promptly and keep the deposit amounts private. If a platform offers both, instant verification is faster and avoids the ACH round trip entirely.
Your Protections While the Process Runs
Trial deposits move through the ACH network, which puts them under the consumer protections in Regulation E, the federal rule covering electronic fund transfers.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1005 – Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E) Regulation E doesn’t specifically address micro-deposit verification, but its broader protections apply: your bank must investigate unauthorized electronic transfers you report, and your liability is limited if you flag problems quickly.
On the ACH side, NACHA’s micro-entry rule requires any company sending verification deposits to use commercially reasonable fraud detection, including monitoring the volume of micro-deposits they send and receive back.2Nacha. A Deep Dive Into Nachas Micro-Entry Rule The rule is designed to prevent bad actors from abusing the system at scale. If money leaves your account during verification that shouldn’t have, your bank is the first call.