Bank fees
Wells Fargo monthly service fee: amounts and how to avoid it
Wells Fargo checking fees run $5 to $35 a month. See the fee for Everyday Checking, Clear Access Banking, Prime and Premier, and each way to avoid it.
8 min read
Wells Fargo monthly service fees
Wells Fargo Consumer Account Fee and Information Schedule, checked Nov. 2, 2026
Quick answer
Wells Fargo's monthly service fee is $15 for Everyday Checking, $5 for Clear Access Banking, $25 for Prime Checking and $35 for Premier Checking. Each drops to $0 in any fee period where you meet one option to avoid it. For Everyday Checking, the common ones are $500 or more in qualifying electronic deposits, such as a direct-deposited paycheck, or a $1,500 minimum daily balance. For Clear Access Banking, it is $250 in qualifying electronic deposits or a primary owner aged 13 to 24. Way2Save Savings charges $5 unless you keep $300 in it or set up a small automatic transfer. New accounts skip the fee for fee periods ending in the first 64 days.
How the Wells Fargo monthly service fee works
Wells Fargo charges a monthly service fee on most consumer checking and savings accounts. It uses a fee period, not a calendar month, to decide whether you owe it. A fee period can have 25 to 35 days, and you only need to meet one of your account's options in each one. The dates of your fee period are in the Monthly service fee summary on your account statement.
Prime Checking and Premier Checking work a little differently. Their fee period ends on the last business day of the calendar month, and Wells Fargo uses your statement-ending qualifying balance to decide whether the fee applies.
New accounts get a head start. Wells Fargo waives the fee for each fee period ending within the first 64 days after opening, or the first 188 days for Premier Checking.
The amounts below come from Wells Fargo's account pages and its Consumer Account Fee and Information Schedule, marked effective July 28, 2026, plus the Consumer Account Addenda. Wells Fargo says it regularly updates the schedule, so fees can change. Check the current version on its consumer account disclosures page before you rely on a number.
Everyday Checking: $15 or $0
Everyday Checking is the account Wells Fargo calls its most popular. The $15 fee is waived with any one of these each fee period:
- $500 or more in total qualifying electronic deposits.
- A $1,500 minimum daily balance. This is the lowest balance during the fee period, so one dip below $1,500 can cost you the waiver.
- $5,000 or more in qualifying deposit balances, investment balances or both. Wells Fargo totals eligible checking, savings, CD and FDIC-insured IRA balances, plus certain investment balances, on the last business day of the fee period.
- A primary account owner who is 17 to 24 years old. At 25, age no longer counts.
- A qualifying monthly non-civilian military direct deposit through the Wells Fargo Worldwide Military Banking program.
Everyday Checking also charges $3 per withdrawal at a non-Wells Fargo ATM in the U.S. and $5 outside the U.S., plus any fee the ATM operator charges.
Clear Access Banking: $5 or $0
Clear Access Banking is Wells Fargo's checkless account with no overdraft fees. The $5 fee is waived with any one of these each fee period:
- $250 or more in total qualifying electronic deposits.
- A primary account owner who is 13 to 24 years old. Owners aged 13 to 16 need an adult co-owner.
- A qualifying monthly non-civilian military direct deposit through the Worldwide Military Banking program.
You can't write checks on Clear Access Banking. Wells Fargo says checks written on it are returned unpaid, and a payment a merchant processes as a check is declined, so the merchant may charge you a returned-payment fee.
Prime Checking: $25 or $0
Prime Checking has a $25 fee. Wells Fargo waives it if you have $20,000 or more in statement-ending qualifying balances across linked accounts. Linked accounts can include checking, savings, CDs and FDIC-insured IRAs, plus investment balances through Wells Fargo Advisors and applicable bank fiduciary and custody accounts. Certain investments are not eligible for linking.
The fee is also waived for a current U.S. Wells Fargo employee or a qualified Wells Fargo retiree. If your linked balances drop below $20,000, you pay the $25 fee for that month.
Wells Fargo's fee schedule lists waived monthly service fees on linked checking and savings accounts as a Prime and Premier Checking benefit. If you close or convert the Prime or Premier account, that benefit ends for every linked account.
Premier Checking: $35 or $0
Premier Checking has a $35 fee, waived with $250,000 or more in statement-ending qualifying balances across the same kinds of linked deposit and investment accounts. Wells Fargo also says it may waive the fee at its discretion for promotional or other purposes. If your balances drop below $250,000, the $35 fee applies.
Prime Checking and Premier Checking can't use the Worldwide Military Banking program to avoid the fee.
What counts as a qualifying electronic deposit
For Everyday Checking and Clear Access Banking, the deposit option is usually the easiest to meet if you are paid by direct deposit. Wells Fargo counts a deposit of funds, such as your salary, a government benefit payment or other income, that has posted to your account and arrived as:
- A direct deposit through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network.
- An instant payment through the RTP network or the FedNow Service.
- An electronic credit from a third-party service that pays your debit card over the Visa or Mastercard network.
Timing matters. A paycheck made available early with Early Pay Day doesn't count until it posts, which generally happens on your employer's scheduled pay date. If your fee period ends on the last calendar day of the month, only transactions posted through the last business day count.
Wells Fargo savings account fees
Way2Save Savings has a $5 monthly service fee. Wells Fargo waives it with any one of these each fee period:
- A $300 minimum daily balance.
- One automatic transfer of $25 or more from a linked Wells Fargo checking account.
- One automatic transfer of $1 or more each business day of the fee period from a linked Wells Fargo checking account.
- One or more Save As You Go transfers, which move $1 from linked checking each time a one-time debit card purchase or online Bill Pay payment posts.
- A primary account owner who is 24 or under.
Platinum Savings has a $12 monthly service fee, waived with a $3,500 minimum daily balance or for a current U.S. Wells Fargo employee or qualified retiree.
How to check your own account's fee
Your account's terms, not a general article, decide what you pay. To check yours:
- Find the Monthly service fee summary on your statement. It shows your fee period dates. Prime and Premier statements don't include this summary.
- Match your account to its page: Everyday Checking, Clear Access Banking, Prime Checking, Premier Checking or Way2Save Savings.
- Read the current Consumer Account Fee and Information Schedule. Wells Fargo says you can get a copy at wellsfargo.com, from a banker or by phone. If your account isn't listed, it says to check with a banker.
- If the fee doesn't match, call Wells Fargo at 1-800-869-3557 and ask which option you missed and whether a different account would fit how you bank.
Monthly fees are only one bank charge to watch
A $15 fee every month adds up to $180 a year. Wells Fargo consumer checking accounts other than Clear Access Banking can also charge a $35 overdraft fee per item, with no more than three per business day. Our Chase monthly service fee guide compares how another big bank handles the same kind of fee.
Our guide to finding money you're owed or wasting covers fees, subscriptions and duplicate charges together, and the Money Leak Finder gives a rough estimate of what they cost you each year.
Where Compass+ fits
Today, the Compass assistant runs inside Gerald with a read-only bank connection. It can see your balances and transactions, including a monthly service fee charge from your bank.
It does not contact your bank, request fee reversals, change accounts or move money. Standalone Compass+ is waitlist-only while broader money-finding features are in development. Compass+ is not affiliated with Wells Fargo.
Frequently asked questions
Wells Fargo monthly service fee FAQ
How much is the Wells Fargo monthly service fee?
It depends on the account. Clear Access Banking is $5, Everyday Checking is $15, Prime Checking is $25 and Premier Checking is $35. Way2Save Savings is $5 and Platinum Savings is $12. Each one is $0 in any fee period where you meet one of the account's ways to avoid it.
How do I avoid the $15 Wells Fargo Everyday Checking fee?
Meet one of these each fee period: $500 or more in total qualifying electronic deposits, a $1,500 minimum daily balance, $5,000 or more in qualifying deposit and investment balances, a primary account owner who is 17 to 24 years old, or a qualifying monthly non-civilian military direct deposit through the Worldwide Military Banking program.
What counts as a qualifying electronic deposit at Wells Fargo?
Wells Fargo counts posted deposits such as your salary, a government benefit payment or other income that arrive as an ACH direct deposit, an instant payment over the RTP network or FedNow Service, or an electronic credit to your debit card over the Visa or Mastercard network. Deposits made available early with Early Pay Day don't count until they post.
How do I avoid the Clear Access Banking fee?
Clear Access Banking has a $5 monthly service fee. Wells Fargo waives it with $250 or more in total qualifying electronic deposits in the fee period, a primary account owner who is 13 to 24 years old, or a qualifying monthly non-civilian military direct deposit through the Worldwide Military Banking program.
Does a new Wells Fargo account charge a monthly service fee right away?
No. Wells Fargo's fee schedule says it waives the monthly service fee for each fee period ending within the first 64 days after opening. For Premier Checking, the waiver covers fee periods ending within the first 188 days.
How do I avoid the Wells Fargo Way2Save Savings fee?
Meet one of these each fee period: a $300 minimum daily balance, one automatic transfer of $25 or more from a linked Wells Fargo checking account, one automatic transfer of $1 or more each business day, one or more Save As You Go transfers, or a primary account owner who is 24 or under.
Sources
- Wells Fargo: Consumer Account Fee and Information Schedule (effective July 28, 2026) (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Consumer Account Addenda (in use 10/7/2026) (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Consumer Account Disclosures (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Compare checking accounts (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Everyday Checking (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Clear Access Banking (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Prime Checking (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Premier Checking (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
- Wells Fargo: Way2Save Savings (checked Nov. 2, 2026)
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