Overdraft Fee Calculator

Most U.S. banks charge between $30 and $37 per overdraft occurrence, with $35 being a common figure. Some banks cap the number of fees charged per day, often between one and three. Credit unions and online banks frequently charge less or waive overdraft fees entirely, so it is worth comparing before assuming the fee is fixed.

Multiply the number of overdraft occurrences by the fee per occurrence, then add any sustained overdraft fee multiplied by how many times it applied. For 3 occurrences at $35 each, the cost is 3 x $35 = $105. Add a $15 sustained fee that applied once and the total becomes $105 + $15 = $120.

A sustained overdraft fee, also called an extended overdraft fee, is an additional charge some banks apply if your account balance remains negative for a set number of business days, commonly five, after the initial overdraft. It is separate from and added on top of the per-transaction overdraft fee, and can repeat if the balance stays negative for multiple grace periods.

Many banks will refund a first-time or occasional overdraft fee if you call and ask, especially for long-standing customers with an otherwise clean history. This is not guaranteed and policies vary, but it costs nothing to ask. Some banks also automatically waive the fee if you deposit enough to cover the shortfall within a short window, often by the next business day.

This varies by bank. Many cap it at a fixed number, commonly three, four, or six occurrences per day, while some banks have no stated daily cap. Check your specific account's disclosure or fee schedule, since a busy day with several small purchases against a negative balance can otherwise generate multiple $35 fees.

Enable low-balance alerts, link a savings account or credit line for automatic overdraft transfers, opt out of debit card overdraft coverage so transactions decline instead of being approved with a fee, and keep a small buffer in checking. Some banks also offer a grace period or a no-fee buffer of $20 to $50 that prevents a fee if you go only slightly negative.

An overdraft fee itself does not appear on your credit report and does not directly affect your credit score. However, if the negative balance goes unpaid for an extended period, typically 60 to 90 days, the bank can close the account and send it to collections, which can then damage your credit score.

An overdraft fee is charged when the bank pays a transaction that exceeds your balance, covering the shortfall for you. An NSF fee is charged when the bank instead declines or returns the transaction unpaid because there are insufficient funds. Both are typically in the same $30 to $37 range, but only an overdraft fee corresponds to the bank actually advancing you money.

Overdraft protection that transfers funds from a linked savings account or line of credit usually carries a much smaller flat fee, often $10 or less, than letting a transaction overdraw and trigger a standard $35 fee. For accounts that occasionally run tight, linked overdraft protection is usually cheaper than paying per-occurrence fees, though it is best avoided by simply monitoring your balance.

At a typical $35 per-occurrence fee, 5 overdrafts cost 5 x $35 = $175 in a single month before any sustained overdraft fee. If a sustained fee of $15 also applied once because the balance stayed negative past the grace period, the total rises to $190. Enter your bank's actual fee schedule into the calculator for an exact figure.