Wire transfer cut-off times — when your money actually leaves
Fedwire, ACH and same-day ACH all close at different times, and a wire submitted after cut-off sits until the next business day. Here are the operating windows that govern US transfers.
"Same-day" in US payments means "same business day, if you make the cut-off". Missing it by ten minutes costs you a day, and over a weekend or a Federal Reserve holiday it costs you three. The windows below are the ones that actually govern when your money moves.
Fedwire operating hours
The Fedwire Funds Service runs 21 hours a day on business days. It opens at 9:00 pm Eastern on the preceding calendar day and closes at 7:00 pm Eastern, with the cut-off for customer transfers — the kind you or your business would send — at 6:00 pm Eastern. Fedwire does not operate at weekends or on Federal Reserve holidays.
Your bank closes earlier than the Fed does
This is the part that catches people. Banks impose their own internal cut-offs well before the network's, because they need time to process, review and submit. Branch cut-offs are commonly between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm local time; online and mobile cut-offs are often a little later, in the 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm range. A wire you submit at 4:30 pm may well not leave until the following business day even though Fedwire remains open for another ninety minutes.
If a transfer is time-critical, ask your bank for its specific cut-off for the channel you are using, in local time, and aim to be an hour clear of it.
ACH windows
Standard ACH settles in one to two business days. Same-day ACH has defined submission windows through the business day with settlement the same afternoon or evening, subject to a per-transaction limit. Like Fedwire, neither runs at weekends.
Holidays that stop everything
The Federal Reserve observes New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Note that Columbus Day and Veterans Day are Federal Reserve holidays even though many businesses stay open — a wire sent on either will not settle until the next business day, which surprises people every year.
International transfers
Cross-border payments add the receiving country's own business hours and holiday calendar, plus any correspondent bank in the middle. One to five business days is normal, and a transfer that passes through a market observing a local holiday can sit for longer with nothing visibly wrong.
Common questions
What time does Fedwire close?
The Fedwire Funds Service operates 21 hours a day on business days, opening at 9:00 pm Eastern the previous calendar day and closing at 7:00 pm Eastern, with a 6:00 pm Eastern cut-off for customer transfers. Individual banks impose their own earlier cut-offs, commonly between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm local time.
Why did my wire not arrive the same day?
Almost always because it was submitted after your own bank's internal cut-off, not the Fed's. Banks need processing time before the network closes, so a wire entered at 4:30 pm may sit until the next business day even though Fedwire is still open.
Do wires move at weekends?
No. Fedwire is closed on weekends and on Federal Reserve holidays. A wire sent on Friday evening will not settle until Monday, and a holiday Monday pushes it to Tuesday.
When does same-day ACH settle?
Same-day ACH has defined submission windows during the business day with settlement the same afternoon or evening. Standard ACH remains one to two business days. Neither runs at weekends.
More on US transfers
Look up a specific bank
General information, not financial advice. Payment network hours and bank cut-offs change — confirm current details with your own bank before relying on them for a time-critical transfer.