Getting overdraft protection - Canada.ca (2024)

How overdraft protection works

An overdraft occurs when you don’t have enough money in your bank account to cover a payment or withdrawal.

Overdraft protection is a financial product that covers the amount of the transaction when you go into overdraft.

These transactions may include:

debit purchases
bill payments and pre-authorized debits
cheques
withdrawals
transfers between bank accounts

Overdraft protection can help you avoid declined transactions, late payment charges and non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees. Each NSF fee can be around $50. Overdraft protection can be less expensive than some short-term credit options, like payday loans.

Most financial institutions offer one or two main types of overdraft protection:

basic overdraft protection
linking your bank account to another financial product

Basic overdraft protection

With basic overdraft protection, your financial institution lends you enough money to cover the transaction. This is up to an approved limit. Your account balance will show as a negative amount.

You pay interest on the overdrawn amount. You also usually pay a flat monthly fee or a fee each time you go into overdraft. This depends on which fee option you've chosen.

For example, say you have $200 in your account and you make a purchase that costs $250. This would overdraw your account by $50. Your account balance is -$50. You'll have to pay back the overdrawn amount of $50 with your overdraft fee and any interest. Your financial institution will take the repayment out of your next deposit.

Linking your bank account to another financial product

Your financial institution will take money from your linked account to cover the overdraft.

Financial products you may link to include:

lines of credit, including home equity lines of credit (HELOC)
other accounts with money in them
credit cards

Your financial institution may charge a fee each time it transfers money from another financial product.

Lines of credit including home equity lines of credit

Your financial institution will cover the amount of the transaction when you don’t have enough money in your account. They'll do this by transferring money from your line of credit or HELOC.

You pay interest at your line of credit’s interest rate on the balance owing until you repay it.

Other bank accounts

Your financial institution will cover the amount of the transaction by transferring money from the account that has funds.

If your linked account doesn’t have enough money, the financial institution may:

deny the transaction, or
charge you an NSF fee

Credit cards

Your financial institution will cover transactions by taking a cash advance from your linked credit card.

The interest rate for cash advances is usually higher than the regular interest rate for a credit card.

Interest charges apply right away for a cash advance on a credit card.

Costs of overdraft protection

Along with interest that applies to the overdraft amount, your financial institution can charge a fee for overdraft protection.

Fees

Many financial institutions offer one or both fee options for basic overdraft protection:

monthly fee
pay-per-use fee

You choose an option when you open your account or when you apply for overdraft protection. If you already have overdraft protection, you can change your fee option.

Monthly fee

Your financial institution will charge a flat fee every month no matter how many times you go into overdraft. Monthly fees are usually around $5.

Most financial institutions require you to pay the fee every month, even when you don’t go into overdraft.

Some financial institutions will waive the fee during months when you don’t go into overdraft. This lowers the cost of overdraft protection, especially if you don’t go into overdraft often.

If you pay a monthly fee, your financial institution won’t charge pay-per-use fees.

Example of basic overdraft protection with a monthly fee

Say you have $200 in your bank account. You have overdraft protection with a monthly fee of $5.

You make the following transactions:

Pay-per-use fee

Your financial institution will charge a set fee each time you go into overdraft. The maximum fee amount is $5.

Your account may already be overdrawn. They'll usually charge a pay-per-use fee every time you make another transaction and increase your overdraft balance.

If you often go into overdraft, it can be expensive to use pay-per-use overdraft protection.

Some financial institutions will only charge a pay-per-use fee one time each business day. That's even if you go into overdraft more than once that day. This lowers your overdraft protection cost.

If you pay pay-per-use fees, you won’t pay a flat monthly fee.

Example of basic overdraft protection with pay-per-use fees

Say you have $200 in your bank account. You have overdraft protection with pay-per-use fees of $5.

You make the following transactions:

You went into overdraft 3 times during the month. You’ll pay a total of $15 in pay-per-use fees.

Situations when there are no overdraft protection fees

Some financial institutions may not charge you overdraft protection fees if you:

have an account that includes overdraft protection at no extra cost
go into overdraft by a small amount, such as $5 or less
pay back the overdrawn amount before the end of the day

Courtesy fees

Say you don’t have overdraft protection and can’t cover a transaction. Some financial institutions might allow the transaction to go through and charge you a small fee for the overdraft. Financial institutions sometimes call this an overdraft courtesy fee, ad-hoc fee or casual overdraft fee. It can help you avoid a more expensive NSF fee.

Your financial institution may only charge this fee the first time you can’t cover a transaction. You may have to pay an NSF fee if you go into overdraft a second time and don’t have overdraft protection.

If they charge you an overdraft courtesy fee, consider if overdraft protection would be worthwhile.

Interest charges

When your bank account is overdrawn, you pay interest each calendar day on the amount you owe. The annual interest rate for overdraft protection is usually around 21-22%.

Remember that interest charges are only part of the cost of using overdraft. Pay-per-use fees can significantly increase your total banking costs.

Making payments on overdraft balances

With basic overdraft protection, your overdraft balance is automatically reduced every time you deposit money in your bank account.

For example, say your bank account has a balance of $-50 and you deposit $250. The $50 you owe on your overdraft balance will be paid off. Your new account balance will be $200 before any overdraft fees and interest charges.

Financial institutions may require you to pay off your entire overdraft balance after a certain time.

Your overdraft protection plan may let you borrow money using a credit card, line of credit or HELOC. In this case, you’ll need to pay it back according to the terms and conditions of your agreement.

Check your account agreement or ask your financial institution about your repayment terms.

Overdraft protection limits

Limits for basic overdraft protection can vary.

Ask for an overdraft limit that’s less than the amount of your regular paycheque after taxes and deductions. This will ensure that you’ll be able to pay off any overdraft balance on a regular basis.

Your financial institution can also decide to change your overdraft limit. It may do so without first letting you know.

Qualifying for overdraft protection

Basic overdraft protection is credit. Your financial institution will require you to fill out an application if you want overdraft protection.

To qualify for overdraft protection, you must be the age of majority:

Understanding your overdraft protection agreement

Financial institutions must obtain your express consent to add overdraft protection to your account.

Learn more about express consent for financial products and services.

Many financial institutions reserve the right to refuse a transaction to go through when you go into overdraft.

Many also reserve the right to cancel your overdraft protection without notice. For example, if you don’t pay off your overdraft balance by the deadline in your agreement.

Each financial institution’s overdraft protection may have different terms and conditions. Review the terms and conditions in your account agreement carefully.

Ask your financial institution about anything you don’t understand.

Using overdraft protection

Overdraft protection isn’t meant to be an ongoing option to manage any money shortfall. It's meant to be a short-term solution to help you cover a necessary expense.

For long-term solutions, consider using a credit product such as a line of credit or a personal loan.

Overdraft protection and your credit score

Your account may default if you don’t repay your overdraft balance by the deadline in your agreement. This could hurt your credit score.

Ask your financial institution how much time you have to repay your overdraft balance. This way you can make sure to pay it back on time.

Learn more about credit scores.

Overdraft protection and joint accounts

Joint accounts are deposit accounts where you share access and responsibility for all transactions with others. If the account has overdraft protection, all account holders are responsible for repaying debts.

Learn more about joint accounts.

Cancelling your overdraft protection

Financial institutions can usually cancel your overdraft protection within 10 days after you provide written notice. Some financial institutions allow you to cancel by phone. When you cancel your overdraft protection, you still need to pay any overdraft balance that you owe.

For details on how to cancel, check the terms and conditions of your overdraft protection agreement. You can also ask your financial institution.

How to choose the right overdraft protection for your needs

If you don’t have overdraft protection, you might be paying NSF fees and other service fees. You can take steps to avoid paying certain fees.

Check if you have overdraft protection

First, make sure you know if your account includes overdraft protection or not. Check the terms and conditions of your account agreement or check with your financial institution.

Keep track of your account balance

Keep an eye on your account balance by checking it often.

It’s important to know when money will be:

deposited to your account
taken out for bills and other payments

Consider how often you make transactions like:

in-store purchases with your debit card
online purchases with your debit card
Interac e-transfers®
ATM or branch withdrawals
cheques
transfers between bank accounts
recurring bills you pay with a pre-authorized debit like for:
- utilities
- a mobile phone plan
- a gym membership
- a car loan
- rent or mortgage payments

Monitor your account balance, especially if you have pay-per-use overdraft protection or don’t have overdraft protection.

Review your overdraft transactions

Review your banking transactions from the past few months to a year. Check how many times you went into overdraft and what you paid in banking fees. This will help you figure out your overdraft protection needs.

For example, say you only go into overdraft a few times a year. Consider overdraft protection with pay-per-use fees. You may also consider a monthly overdraft service that doesn’t charge a fee unless you go into overdraft. This way, you won’t be paying for a service you’re not using.

If you often go into overdraft, consider a monthly overdraft service. You may also consider a premium bank account that includes overdraft protection.

Depending on the features of a premium account, it may be more expensive than a basic bank account. However, the higher monthly fee may be worthwhile depending on your situation.

Find the best account for your needs with the Account Comparison Tool.

Get electronic alerts from your financial institution

Your financial institution may send you an electronic alert when the balance of your chequing or savings account falls below a certain amount.

These alerts may help you manage your day-to-day finances and avoid fees.

Learn more about these electronic alerts.