A bank maintenance fee is a recurring monthly charge your bank deducts from your checking or savings account just for keeping it open. Basic checking fees average about $5.50 a month, while interest-bearing and premium accounts can run $15, $16, or more. You have two ways out: meet a waiver condition your bank already offers, or move to an account that never charges the fee in the first place.
What the Fee Is and What It Costs
Banks charge maintenance fees to offset the cost of running branches, staffing customer service, maintaining digital banking platforms, and protecting your data. Unlike a one-time overdraft charge or out-of-network ATM surcharge, this one hits every month regardless of how you use the account. On your statement it usually shows up as “monthly maintenance fee” or “monthly service fee.”
What you pay depends on the account. Noninterest checking accounts that charge a fee average around $5.50 a month. Interest-bearing checking averages roughly $15 to $16. Premium accounts with rewards or higher interest can run $25 or more. Banks typically deduct the charge on a fixed date or at the close of your statement cycle, so it is predictable.
How to Get the Fee Waived
Nearly every bank that charges a maintenance fee also offers at least one way to avoid it. The specific requirements are spelled out in your account agreement and fee schedule. These are the common paths.
Keep a Minimum Balance
The most direct waiver is a balance requirement. Some banks look at your lowest daily balance during the statement period; others average your daily balances across the month. Thresholds at major banks generally sit between $500 and $1,500 for basic checking. Premium accounts can require $5,000 or more.
Set Up Direct Deposit
Routing a paycheck or government benefit into your account is another common route. Banks typically want qualifying electronic deposits totaling $250 to $500 per statement period. Transfers from peer-to-peer apps or manual pushes from another bank usually don’t count. The deposit generally has to come from an employer, government agency, or similar source.
Link or Combine Accounts
Many banks offer relationship pricing that rewards you for keeping more of your money with them. Linking a savings account, CD, mortgage, or brokerage account to your checking can satisfy the waiver. Some banks add up the balances across all linked accounts and drop the fee once the combined figure clears a threshold, often $5,000 or more. Confirm with your bank which account types count toward the combined-balance calculation.
Age-Based Waivers
If you are between 17 and 24, many banks waive the monthly fee automatically. Some extend the benefit to anyone enrolled in college or a qualifying educational program, though verification rules vary. A number of banks also offer reduced fees or waivers for customers age 62 or older, so ask about senior account options.
Active-Duty Military
Several major banks voluntarily waive maintenance fees for active-duty service members through their military banking programs. These are bank-specific policies, not federal mandates. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps interest rates on pre-service debts at 6 percent but does not require fee waivers on deposit accounts.1Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) If you are on active duty, ask your bank directly whether a military waiver applies.
Accounts That Never Charge a Maintenance Fee
If jumping through waiver hoops feels like more trouble than it’s worth, switch to an account that skips the fee entirely. Online-only banks are the most reliable source of truly free checking. With no branches to fund, they routinely offer accounts with no monthly fee and no minimum balance. Credit unions also frequently provide free checking as a standard member benefit. Across the industry, the majority of noninterest checking accounts either carry no maintenance fee or offer a waiver that is easy to hit, such as a single direct deposit.
How to Get a Fee Reversed
If a fee already posted and you think you met the waiver, or you missed the threshold by a small margin, call and ask for a reversal. Most banks will grant at least one courtesy reversal a year, especially for long-standing customers with clean histories.
A few tips when you make the request:
- Explain what happened. A late paycheck, a temporary dip in your balance, or a family emergency gives the bank context.
- Mention your history. Years with the bank, solid average balances, or multiple accounts held there all strengthen the ask.
- Accept responsibility. A brief, polite acknowledgment that it was an oversight goes further than arguing the fee is unfair.
- Ask plainly. Something like “I’ve been a loyal customer, can this fee be waived?” works.
If the first representative says no, ask for a supervisor. Approved credits usually appear within one to three business days.
What Happens If You Ignore It
Letting the fee slide can set off a chain of problems. If your balance is too low to cover the deduction, the charge pushes you negative, and a negative balance can trigger additional fees that compound quickly.
When an account stays negative for an extended period, typically 30 to 60 days, the bank usually closes it involuntarily. Two things tend to follow. First, the bank may report the involuntary closure to a checking-account screening service, which can make opening an account elsewhere difficult for up to five years. Second, the unpaid balance can be sent to a debt collector, and that collection account can land on your credit report and pull down your score.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Will It Hurt My Credit if My Bank or Credit Union Closed My Checking Account?
If you know you are not using an account, close it yourself while the balance is still at zero or positive, so nothing negative gets reported.
Watch for Dormancy Fees on Unused Accounts
A related charge is the dormancy or inactivity fee. If you stop using an account for several months to a year, some banks tack on an additional $5 to $25 a month on top of any standard maintenance fee. After a longer stretch of inactivity, generally three to five years depending on where you live, the bank has to hand your remaining funds over to the state as unclaimed property.3HelpWithMyBank.gov. When Is a Deposit Account Considered Abandoned or Unclaimed? If you have an account you rarely touch, log in or run a small transaction now and then to keep it active.
Your Right to Know About the Fee
Federal law requires banks to disclose maintenance fees before you open an account. Under the Truth in Savings Act, every bank has to maintain a schedule listing all fees, charges, and the conditions under which they apply, including any minimum balance needed to avoid them.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 12 USC Ch. 44 – Truth in Savings Regulation DD, the implementing rule, requires those disclosures before you open the account or no later than 10 business days afterward.5eCFR. 12 CFR 1030.4 – Account Disclosures
If your bank raises the fee later, it has to mail or deliver notice at least 30 calendar days before the change takes effect.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Regulation DD – Subsequent Disclosures That window gives you time to move balances, switch products, or change banks. If you were never notified of an increase, you have strong grounds to ask for a reversal or to file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.