Americans paid ~$12.1 billion in overdraft and NSF fees in 2024. Here's the current data on average fees, who pays them, and how the totals have changed.
March 6, 2026
US consumers paid an estimated $12.1 billion in overdraft and non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees in 2024, according to the Financial Health Network. That total is down sharply from pre-pandemic levels — bank overdraft revenue fell by roughly half between 2019 and 2023 — but the fees remain a substantial cost, and a highly concentrated one, borne disproportionately by a small share of accountholders. This page collects the most current national data on what overdraft fees cost, who pays, and how the totals have moved — though the overdraft fees themselves are largely avoidable. Figures are drawn from the CFPB, the Federal Reserve, bank call-report data, and Bankrate's annual survey, with sources linked throughout.
The Financial Health Network's most recent estimate puts total US consumer payment of overdraft and NSF fees at $12.1 billion in 2024. That figure is notably higher than the organization's earlier estimates; the network revised its methodology after incorporating newly available NCUA credit-union data, concluding that prior figures had understated the total by roughly $3.8 billion. Credit unions, it found, account for approximately 45% of total overdraft and NSF fee revenue — a share that earlier bank-only tallies missed.
Bank-reported data tells the same story at the institutional level. The CFPB's overdraft and NSF data spotlight found that banks with more than $1 billion in assets reported $5.83 billion in combined overdraft and NSF revenue in 2023 — down 51% from $11.96 billion in 2019.
The revenue is concentrated at the largest institutions. A Consumer Federation of America analysis of FFIEC call-report data found that JPMorgan Chase collected $1.028 billion in overdraft fees in 2024 and Wells Fargo collected $1.0 billion — together more than 40% of the $4.88 billion reported by the ten largest charging institutions.
Bankrate's 2025 Checking Account and ATM Fee Study found the average overdraft fee fell 1% year-over-year to $26.77, down from $27.08 the prior year and well below the 2021 peak of $33.58. The average NSF fee declined for the fourth consecutive year to a record-low $16.82. About 94% of accounts surveyed still charge an overdraft fee, and 61% charge an NSF fee — also a record low. Fees range from $0 at banks that have eliminated overdraft fees entirely to $36 at the high end, reflecting significant differences in overdraft policy across banks.
Overdraft costs are concentrated among a small group of frequent overdrafters. Per the CFPB's January 2024 proposed rulemaking, 79% of combined overdraft and NSF fees were paid by the 9% of consumers who paid more than 10 such fees in a year — a group that incurred a median of $380 in these fees annually.
The Federal Reserve's 2024 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking found that 11% of adults with a bank account paid an overdraft fee in the prior 12 months. The rate varied sharply by income — 16% among those earning under $25,000 and 6% among those earning $100,000 or more — and by race, with 21% of Black accountholders and 16% of Hispanic accountholders reporting a fee, compared with 9% of White and 6% of Asian accountholders.
The roughly 50% decline in bank overdraft revenue between 2019 and 2023 was driven by a wave of voluntary policy changes. Capital One, Citibank, and Ally eliminated overdraft fees entirely; Bank of America cut its fee from $35 to $10; and many institutions added buffers and grace periods. Those changes were prompted by competitive pressure from no-fee fintechs, reputational pressure following CFPB enforcement actions, and the prospect of federal regulation.
That trend appears to be reversing. American Banker reported that JPMorgan Chase's overdraft fee income rose 7.66% year-over-year through the first three quarters of 2025, and Citizens Financial's rose 16.9% over the same period. Both banks stated they had made no policy changes; the increases reflect transaction volumes returning toward pre-reform levels rather than higher fees.
The regulatory backdrop shifted as well. The CFPB finalized a rule in December 2024 that would have capped overdraft fees at $5 for institutions with more than $10 billion in assets, effective October 1, 2025. Congress overturned that rule under the Congressional Review Act — the resolution was signed into law on May 9, 2025 — and CFPB enforcement activity has been sharply reduced. As of 2026, no federal cap on overdraft fees is in effect.
Overdraft and NSF fees cost American consumers an estimated $12.1 billion in 2024 — down by roughly half from 2019, but rising again at major banks, concentrated among the small share of accountholders who overdraft frequently, and no longer subject to any federal cap. The average fee is $26.77, though it ranges from $0 to $36 depending on the institution.
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