A deposit slip is a short form you fill out to add cash or checks to a bank account. It records each item you’re depositing, the total, and which account should receive the money. Getting it right helps you avoid processing delays and holds on your funds.
What’s Printed on the Slip
Banks use two versions. Pre-printed slips sit at the back of most checkbooks and already show your name, address, and account number. If you don’t have your checkbook with you, every branch keeps blank slips (sometimes called counter slips) at a writing station near the tellers. On a blank slip you write in your name and account number by hand.
Along the bottom of every slip runs a row of numbers in magnetic ink. That line carries the bank’s nine-digit routing number and your account number, and bank machines read it to sort transactions automatically. Pre-printed slips already have this encoded. With a counter slip, the teller usually enters your account information into the system manually.
How to Fill Out a Deposit Slip
Work from the top of the form down.
- Write today’s date on the line near the top.
- On the “Cash” or “Currency” line, enter the total value of any bills and coins you’re depositing.
- List each check on its own line with the amount. Some banks want the check number or the issuing bank’s routing number next to each entry so the deposit can be traced later if a question comes up.
- Add the cash and all check amounts and write the total on the subtotal line.
- If you want part of the deposit handed back to you in cash, write that amount on the “Less cash received” line. Otherwise leave it blank or write zero.
- Subtract any cash back from the subtotal. That net figure is what actually posts to your account.
You only need to sign the slip if you’re taking cash back. Your signature confirms you received those funds. If everything is going into the account, skip the signature line.
Endorse Your Checks First
Before you hand over any checks, endorse each one by signing the back in the endorsement area. For added protection, write “for deposit only” with your account number above or below your signature. That’s a restrictive endorsement, and it means the check can only be deposited into your account rather than cashed by someone else who finds it.1CFPB. What Does It Mean for a Check to Be Indorsed For Deposit Only Under the Uniform Commercial Code, anyone other than a bank who pays out on a check marked “for deposit only” is liable for the amount.2Cornell Law School. UCC 3-206 – Restrictive Indorsement
For a mobile deposit, write “for mobile deposit only” (or “for deposit only at [your bank’s name]”) along with your signature.
Where the Slip Goes
At a Branch
Hand your completed slip and the cash or checks to a teller. Bring a valid photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport, and having your debit card ready can speed things up because tellers often use it to pull up your account. The teller verifies the items, processes the deposit, and hands you a printed receipt. Review the receipt before you leave the window and keep it; if a dispute comes up later about a cash amount, that receipt may be your only proof.
At an ATM
Many current ATMs accept checks and bills directly into a scanner slot without an envelope or a slip, reading the check image or counting the cash for you to confirm on screen. Older machines may still ask you to seal the deposit in an envelope and key in the amount. Either way, the ATM prints or emails an electronic receipt.3eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.9 – Receipts at Electronic Terminals Deposits made at an ATM your bank doesn’t own can take longer to clear.
By Mobile Deposit
For a check, most banks let you skip the slip and the branch entirely. Open the bank’s app, photograph the front and back of the endorsed check, and submit it. Hold onto the physical check until you’ve confirmed the full amount posted to your account.
When You Can Use the Money
Federal law caps how long a bank can hold deposited funds before making them available.
- Cash deposited in person to a teller is generally available the next business day.
- Regardless of check type, the first $275 of a check deposit must be available by the next business day.4eCFR. 12 CFR 229.10 – Next-Day Availability
- Certain checks get full next-day availability when deposited in person to a bank employee: U.S. Treasury checks, U.S. Postal Service money orders, cashier’s checks, certified checks, teller’s checks, and checks drawn on a Federal Reserve Bank or Federal Home Loan Bank. State and local government checks also qualify when deposited in the state that issued them.4eCFR. 12 CFR 229.10 – Next-Day Availability
- Most other local checks must be available by the second business day after deposit.5eCFR. 12 CFR 229.12 – Availability Schedule
- Nonlocal checks can be held through the fifth business day.5eCFR. 12 CFR 229.12 – Availability Schedule
- Deposits at an ATM your bank doesn’t own may be held through the fifth business day.6Federal Reserve. A Guide to Regulation CC Compliance
Business days here means Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.
If your total check deposits on one day exceed $6,725, the bank may put an extended hold on the amount above that threshold. The first $6,725 follows the standard schedule; the rest can be held an additional five business days for local checks or six for nonlocal checks.7eCFR. 12 CFR 229.13 – Exceptions The $6,725 figure took effect on July 1, 2025, and is adjusted for inflation every five years.8CFPB. Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (Regulation CC) Threshold Adjustments
Large Cash Deposits
When you deposit more than $10,000 in cash in a single day, your bank must file a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) with the government.9FinCEN. Notice to Customers: A CTR Reference Guide The threshold applies to your total cash deposits at the same bank on the same day, so three $4,000 deposits in one day trigger a report the same as one $12,000 deposit. The bank handles the paperwork on its own, and a CTR by itself does not mean anything is wrong.
What is a problem is splitting deposits into smaller amounts on purpose to stay under $10,000. That’s called structuring, and it’s a federal crime even if the cash is completely legitimate. A conviction carries up to five years in prison and substantial fines, doubling to ten years if the structured amounts exceed $100,000 within a twelve-month period or if the structuring happens alongside another federal offense.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 5324 – Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirement If you have a legitimate reason to deposit a large amount of cash, just deposit it and let the bank file its report.
Depositing a Check Into Someone Else’s Account
You can sometimes use a deposit slip to put a check into another person’s account, such as a rent check going straight to a landlord. The original payee endorses the back of the check, writes “Pay to the order of [recipient’s full name]” under the signature, and the recipient fills out a slip for their own account. Banks are not required to accept these third-party checks, and many will ask both people to come in together with government-issued photo ID. Call the receiving bank first to confirm its policy before you make the trip.