What does NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS Mean?
NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS – A type of ACH return indicating that a receiver’s bank account does not have sufficient funds to cover a specific transaction.
Non-sufficient funds (NSF) is the status of a checking account that does not have enough money to cover transactions. The acronym, NSF, also describes the fee charged when a check is presented but cannot be covered by the balance in the account. Colloquially, NSF checks are known as bounced checks or bad checks. If a bank receives a check written on an account with insufficient funds, the bank can refuse payment and charge the account holder an NSF fee.
Overdraft vs. NSF Fees
Banks charge NSF fees when they return presented payments (e.g. checks) and overdraft fees when they accept checks that overdraw checking accounts. Imagine, for example, someone has $100 in his checking account, and he initiates an ACH or electronic check payment for a purchase in the amount of $120. If his bank refuses to pay the check, he incurs an NSF fee and faces any penalties or charges the seller assesses for returned checks. If his bank accepts the check and pays the seller, his checking account balance falls to -$20 and incurs an OD fee. Either way, the fee assessed by the bank reduces the available account balance.
NSF Check Laws
In 2010, the U.S. government created a set of sweeping bank-reform laws to address OD and NSF fees among other consumer banking issues. Under the laws, consumers can opt into overdraft protection through their banks. Opting into overdraft protection affects credit and debit card transactions in particular.
For example, a person has $20 in his checking account and attempts to make a $40 purchase with a debit or check card. If he has not opted into his bank’s overdraft plan, the transaction will be declined by the retailer; if he has opted in, the transaction may be accepted, and the bank may assess an OD fee. However, if he writes a check for $40, the bank may honor it and assess an OD fee or reject it and assess an NSF fee, regardless of whether he has opted into its overdraft program.
Avoiding NSF Fees
Bank customers can avoid NSF fees by properly budgeting or keeping contingency amounts in their checking accounts so that they do not intentionally or inadvertently overdraw. In addition, customers should carefully monitor the use of checks, debit cards, and automated charges, which are common causes of overdrafts.
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