Zelle Business Account Limits: What You Need to Know

With low to no fees and an expansive network, Zelle now ranks among the top digital payment platforms, simplifying transactions for consumers. However, businesses with high payment values or transaction volumes quickly realize that Zelle business account limits can significantly hinder their business growth.

While well-functioning digital payment platforms can drive revenue and customer loyalty, friction can result in lost revenue. Research shows that 62% of eCommerce shoppers who experience payment failure during a purchase won’t return to complete their purchase.^[1]Finance Magnates. “Online Merchants Lose 62% of Customers Who Experience a Failed Transaction”. Accessed on XXXX, 2024. Account limits stand as one of the many reasons these payments fail—and can cause significant cash flow problems for businesses.

In this guide, we’ll unpack the limits Zelle sets on business accounts so that you can ensure they don’t get in the way of your growth.

Zelle Limits for Business Entities vs Individuals

Zelle primarily operates as a P2P service for personal transactions for individuals who want to send and receive funds to friends, family, or others they know. Anyone with a bank account at one of the 1800 participating network banks or financial institutions can use this free P2P payment service, receiving money instantly and directly into their bank accounts.

Zelle business accounts, however, have stricter application criteria. For small- to medium-sized business owners to have a Zelle business account, they’ll need a business checking account with a financial institution that offers Zelle for business. Not every bank providing P2P Zelle services extends its offerings to accommodate business usage. Additionally, P2P account holders might be restricted from using their personal accounts to accept business payments.

Exploring Zelle’s Business Transaction Thresholds by Bank

Financial institutions set bank limits for two main reasons. They are a vital security feature to protect account holders against fraud and unauthorized account access. Even if a hacker gains access to your account, the restrictions ensure they can only do limited damage.

In addition, sending and receiving restrictions help to manage bank liquidity and cash flow. Since banks and ATMs keep limited cash, capping spending and withdrawals allows them to control their cash flow.

Additionally, business revenue is generally more substantial than personal exchanges, so Zelle’s limits on business accounts are significantly higher than on P2P accounts. Citibank, for instance, sets a daily Zelle P2P limit of $2,500—while the daily business account limit is double that. Similarly, the monthly limit for outgoing P2P transactions is $15,000, while business accounts can send up to $40,000 monthly.

Unlike other mobile payment apps, Zelle is not a digital wallet. This means that the platform doesn’t hold any funds. Instead, it facilitates the movement of funds directly between bank accounts in the Zelle network. For this reason, every bank in the Zelle network that offers business accounts sets its own account limits. Limits can be set per transaction, daily, weekly, or monthly. Although limits are usually based on the monetary amount, they can also be placed on the number of transactions allowed.

Here’s what to expect with some of Zelle’s most popular network banks. Note that these limits apply to business accounts only; personal Zelle accounts for P2P payments generally have lower limits.

Bank of America

Bank of America’s Zelle limits apply to outgoing transactions only—there are no limits on the amount you can receive daily. While this is great for accepting customer payments, it won’t help streamline cash flow if you need to pay vendors or employees via Zelle.

The maximum single transaction amount you can make within 24 hours is $15,000. This is also the daily total maximum, whether it happens over one or 20 transactions. (You may not process more than 20 outgoing transactions daily).

Bank of America allows you to make a maximum of 60 business account transactions per week, capped at a total value of $45,000. In terms of monthly limits from that same business account, your limit is 120 transactions or $60,000, whichever comes first.

Chase

Chase’s Zelle limits are not highly publicized. As a Chase standard, outgoing transactions from Zelle business accounts are capped at $7,500 per transaction. You will need to ask your banker regarding weekly and monthly limits to confirm the suitability for your business.

Capital One

Capital One is one of the seven banks that collectively own Zelle—and is also one of its founding members. Given this close relationship, the bank does not set weekly or monthly limits. However, there is a daily cap of $2,500 for outgoing payments.

Although Capital One does not limit the amount you can receive through Zelle, keep in mind that your customers have a limit on what they can transfer (set by their bank).

Citibank

Citibank requires that both users (the sender and receiver) are enrolled with Zelle directly through their bank or financial institution to send and receive money through Zelle. In other words, transactions are not possible if either user is only registered on the Zelle app.

New small business enrollments (under 30 days) or those with recent changes have a daily sending limit of $1,000 and a monthly limit of $4,000. Existing small business enrollments (31 days or older) have a daily sending limit of $5,000 and a monthly limit of $40,000.

Citibank’s daily limits for small businesses run from 12:00 AM to 11:59:59 PM EST, while monthly limits work on a rolling calendar basis. There are no caps on incoming transactions or limits on the number of transactions, as long as they collectively do not exceed the dollar maximum limit.

Outgoing transaction limits can vary depending on whether your account is a new enrollment or changes are made to your mobile number, email address, or linked account number.

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo limits Zelle business accounts depending on details such as your funding account, the recipient, and your financial and transaction history. In general, the daily limit averages around $2,500—with a monthly limit of $20,000 for outgoing transactions. As with Citibank, newer accounts may have lower limits.

When using your US mobile number or email address to receive payments, there is no limit on how much you can receive via Zelle. However, if the sender pays money using your account number, there is a daily receiving limit of $10,000.

TD Bank

Unlike many other banks, TD Bank bases Zelle business account limits on whether payments are instant or not. Outgoing instant transfers are capped at $1,500 daily, while the monthly cap is $7,500. These limits are safety measures to ensure that anyone with unauthorized access cannot instantly drain an account. Outgoing transactions that take up to three days to process have higher limits, at $3,000 daily and $15,000 monthly. Additionally, you can request or receive money into your account of up to $100,000, but the paying party will likely have a limit on the amount they can send you.

Credit Unions

As with banks, credit union limits for Zelle payments will vary depending on the institution. For example, the Gather Federal Credit Union has a daily Zelle sending limit of $500. This won’t be the case for all credit unions, however.

If your credit union or bank is not yet part of the Zelle network, you can still register via the app (instead of through your financial institution). But remember that you still cannot make or receive business payments via Zelle unless you have a registered business account with a financial institution that offers it.

Navigating Zelle Business Account Limits

Due to the platform’s ubiquity, Zelle is often front of mind for businesses just kick-starting their operations. After all, many business owners are already familiar with the P2P service, so why not use the business services as well?

As illustrated above, navigating Zelle business account limits can be a somewhat complex task. Different banks set different limits at their whim, and your customers’ bank limits often matter as much as yours.

It goes without saying that careful navigation of red tape is crucial for your business. Of course, you can always talk to a Zelle or bank representative to negotiate higher limits, but not all financial institutions are willing to do this, especially for smaller enterprises.

Even if you manage to increase transaction limits, higher limits often trigger security alerts. Large payment values or transaction amounts through Zelle can result in your account being frozen for investigation, further disrupting your business operations and cash flow.

Try a Tailored Payment Processing Solution Instead

You have a business to run. Rather than spending your time carefully checking up on dozens of shifting business account limits, wouldn’t it be nice to have a straightforward service? At PaymentCloud, we make it our business to find the perfect payment processor for your needs.

We’ll set you up with a dedicated account manager to sift through the options and find the most suitable payment solution for your business requirements. Our offerings also integrate with many popular accounting, inventory, and eCommerce tools to build a comprehensive business ecosystem with the platforms you already use. This way, your credit card processing solution will work for you—and not vice versa.