Checking Account Fees: How Much Are They and How Can They Be Waived?

Banks charge monthly checking account maintenance fees that vary, from as little as $6 to as much as $15 per month, to account holders who don't meet minimum balance or monthly deposit requirements. We looked at the fees charged by 10 banks across 16 no interest checking accounts and 15 high yield checking accounts. Almost all of these banks charge monthly maintenance fees for checking accounts, but in most cases, these fees can be waived if certain conditions are met. These conditions typically require a minimum daily or average balance or a monthly direct deposit of a specific amount. Some of the accounts listed below are only available in specific states.

Average Checking Account Fees

Checking accounts with the lowest monthly fees or minimums to waive monthly fees do not usually earn interest. Monthly account fees for the 16 no interest checking accounts we evaluated range from $0 to $15, and only two checking accounts have fees that cannot be waived. These accounts are ideal for individuals looking for a simple banking experience and who like the convenience of brick-and-mortar locations.

TD Bank and BB&T offer checking accounts with fees that cannot be waived: TD Bank’s Simple Checking Account and BB&T’s Fundamentals Checking account. Citibank and TD Bank are the only two banks that offer no interest checking accounts with no minimum to open. BB&T also offers a checking account with no monthly maintenance fee; however, it is only available in select states.

High Yield Checking Account Fees

We evaluated 16 high yield checking accounts on minimums to open, monthly maintenance fees and APYs offered. Monthly maintenance fees ranged from $0 to $35 on these accounts, and 80% of these accounts had minimums to open of $25 or more. Interest bearing checking accounts make sense for individuals with high average balances and who want access to brick-and-mortar branches.

Overall, the APYs on these interest bearing checking accounts are fairly low. For example, an APY of 0.01% will only yield $1 a year on a checking account with a $10,000 balance. For better returns, consider opening a high yield savings account or investing your money with a brokerage.

Other Checking Account Fees

On top of monthly maintenance accounts, checking accounts can charge a variety of other fees. This includes fees for overdrawing your account, wire transfers, replacing lost or stolen debit cards and much more. Below we list some of the common fees associated with these checking accounts.

If you’re looking to minimize fees, you might want to consider an online checking account. Many of online checking accounts are interest bearing, have no monthly maintenance fees and have low rates for other fees. These accounts are ideal for individuals who don’t need access to brick-and-mortar banking branches and who don’t write checks frequently.