Planning a Big Bank Deposit? Here's What Actually Happens

Thinking about dropping $10K+ into your checking account? The bank won’t freeze it or investigate you—but there ARE some real things to know first.

The Reporting Part: Any cash deposit over $10K triggers a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) that goes to FinCEN (Treasury Department). It’s standard procedure for AML compliance, not a red flag. As long as your money’s legit, nothing happens.

Don’t Try to Dodge It: Structuring—making multiple smaller deposits to avoid the $10K threshold—is actually illegal. Banks catch this and file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) anyway. Not worth it.

What They’ll Ask: Expect to show proof of where the money came from (invoices, receipts, etc.). Businesses have to file Form 8300 within 15 days of receiving $10K+ in cash.

The Fine Print: Check your bank’s deposit limits—some have caps or charge fees. Make sure it’s FDIC-insured (protects up to $250K if the bank fails).

Hold Times: Cash usually clears fast, but checks can take 2-7 days. Funds might not be available right away.

Watch for Scams: If someone’s sending you a check to deposit and asking you to wire back part of it—that’s a classic con. Verify the source before depositing anything large.