The short answer
An institution has 10 business days from receiving a notice of error to investigate and decide (20 for new accounts). It can take up to 45 calendar days (90 for POS debit card, foreign-initiated, or new-account transfers) only if it provisionally credits the account within that 10- or 20-day window. Results go to the consumer within 3 business days of completing the investigation; errors are corrected within 1 business day of the determination.
The date the institution received the consumer's oral or written notice
Regulation E error resolution timeframes at a glance
Regulation E (12 CFR 1005.11) implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act's error-resolution requirements. Every deadline runs from the day the institution receives the consumer's notice of error, oral or written.
| Obligation | Deadline | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Investigate and determine (no provisional credit) | 10 business days (20 for new accounts) | 1005.11(c)(1), (c)(3)(i) |
| Provisionally credit to take the extended period | 10 business days (20 for new accounts) | 1005.11(c)(2)(i) |
| Tell the consumer about the provisional credit | 2 business days after crediting | 1005.11(c)(2)(ii) |
| Complete the extended investigation | 45 calendar days (90 for POS/foreign/new account) | 1005.11(c)(2), (c)(3)(ii) |
| Correct a confirmed error | 1 business day after the determination | 1005.11(c)(1), (c)(2)(iii) |
| Report results to the consumer | 3 business days after completing the investigation | 1005.11(c)(1), (c)(2)(iv) |
| Consumer's window to give notice | 60 days after the first statement showing the error | 1005.11(b)(1) |
A business day under Regulation E is any day the institution's offices are open to the public for carrying on substantially all business functions (12 CFR 1005.2(d)). If your branches handle teller transactions on Saturdays but back-office functions are closed, Saturday is not a business day; the calculator defaults to Monday through Friday excluding Federal Reserve holidays, with a Saturday toggle.
How provisional credit and the 45-day extension work
The extended period is conditional, not automatic. To move from 10 business days to 45 calendar days, the institution must provisionally credit the consumer's account in the full amount of the alleged error (including interest) within the 10 business days, tell the consumer the amount and date of the credit within 2 business days of crediting, and give full use of the funds during the investigation. Two exceptions let the institution skip the credit and still use the extended period: the consumer failed to send a required written confirmation of an oral notice within 10 business days, or the account is a Regulation T securities margin account (12 CFR 1005.11(c)(2)(i)).
If the investigation finds no error, the institution sends a written explanation, may debit the provisional credit after notifying the consumer of the date and amount, and must honor checks and preauthorized transfers (without overdraft charges) for 5 business days after the notification (12 CFR 1005.11(d)(2)).
Worked example
A consumer calls on Monday, March 2, 2026 to report an unauthorized debit card purchase (a POS transaction) on an account opened two years ago. The institution decides it cannot finish in 10 business days:
- Monday, March 16 (10th business day): provisional credit must be in the account.
- Wednesday, March 18: consumer informed of the credit (2 business days after crediting on the last permitted day).
- Sunday, May 31 (90 calendar days, because the transfer was a POS debit card transaction): investigation complete.
- Results reported within 3 business days of completion, and any error corrected within 1 business day of the determination.
The calculator above applies the real holiday calendar to those counts. For the full rule walk-through, see our Regulation E error-resolution timeframes guide and the full Regulation E requirements for banks.
Conservative assumptions this calculator makes
- Day counting excludes the event day: "10 business days" means the 10th business day after receipt, and "45 days" means receipt date plus 45 calendar days.
- The correction and results deadlines are shown at their latest possible dates, assuming the investigation runs the full permitted window. Finishing earlier starts those clocks earlier.
- The default business-day calendar is Monday through Friday excluding all Federal Reserve holidays, including Juneteenth. If your institution is open for substantially all functions on those days, your actual deadlines land sooner on the calendar.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a bank have to investigate a Reg E dispute?
10 business days from receiving the consumer's notice of error to investigate and determine whether an error occurred (12 CFR 1005.11(c)(1)); 20 business days if the notice involves a transfer to or from an account within 30 days after its first deposit. The institution can take up to 45 calendar days (90 for POS debit card, foreign-initiated, or new-account transfers) only if it provisionally credits the account within the 10- or 20-business-day window.
When must provisional credit be given under Regulation E?
Within 10 business days of receiving the notice of error (20 business days for new accounts), in the full amount of the alleged error including interest, if the institution wants the extended 45- or 90-day investigation period (12 CFR 1005.11(c)(2)(i)). The institution must tell the consumer the amount and date of the credit within 2 business days of crediting and give full use of the funds during the investigation. Up to $50 may be withheld if the institution reasonably believes an unauthorized transfer occurred.
Can an institution take 45 days without provisionally crediting the account?
No. The 45-day (or 90-day) period is available only if the account is provisionally credited within 10 (or 20) business days. Without the credit, the investigation must be completed within the initial business-day window. One exception: if the institution required written confirmation of an oral notice and did not receive it within 10 business days, it may investigate on the extended timeline without provisional credit (12 CFR 1005.11(c)(2)(i)(A)).
Are the 45 and 90 days business days or calendar days?
Calendar days, measured from receipt of the notice of error. The 10- and 20-day investigation and provisional-credit windows, the 2-day provisional-credit notice, the 1-day correction, and the 3-day results report are all business days.
When does the 90-day investigation period apply?
When the alleged error involves a transfer that was not initiated within a state, resulted from a point-of-sale debit card transaction (including cash-back, mail, and phone debit card transactions, but not ATM transactions), or occurred within 30 days after the first deposit to the account (12 CFR 1005.11(c)(3)(ii)).
How long does a consumer have to dispute an EFT error?
The institution must follow the error-resolution procedures for any notice received no later than 60 days after it sent the first periodic statement reflecting the alleged error (12 CFR 1005.11(b)(1)). A later notice does not trigger 1005.11, but the unauthorized-transfer liability caps in 12 CFR 1005.6 can still limit what the consumer owes.
What must the bank do after finishing the investigation?
Report the results to the consumer within 3 business days after completing the investigation, and correct any error within 1 business day after determining it occurred, including interest and refundable fees (12 CFR 1005.11(c)). If no error (or a different error) occurred, the report must be a written explanation noting the consumer's right to the documents relied on; a provisional credit may be debited only after notifying the consumer, honoring third-party items without overdraft charges for 5 business days (12 CFR 1005.11(d)).
Does an oral notice start the Reg E clock?
Yes. The deadlines run from receipt of an oral or written notice that identifies the consumer and account and asserts an error. The institution may require written confirmation within 10 business days, but it may not delay starting the investigation while it waits (Supplement I to 12 CFR 1005.11).
This calculator is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, not a substitute for reading the regulation, and not a representation of how any particular regulator or examiner will interpret a specific set of facts. Where a rule is ambiguous, the tool applies the more conservative reading and says so. Confirm results against the current regulation text and your institution's counsel and disclosed policies before relying on them.
Every dispute is a chain of deadlines. Miss one and it's a finding.
Canarie turns each Reg E notice into owned, dated tasks with evidence capture, so provisional credits, results letters, and corrections are provably on time.