Call the bank or credit union that holds your account right away, and tell it exactly what you asked for, what the machine gave you, and what was taken from your account. If a different company owns the ATM, call that owner too. Keep the receipt. That is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) consumer guidance, last reviewed August 30, 2024, and it applies to US accounts. The rest of this article covers what to say, what to save, and how the federal error-resolution timeline works.
The first hour: what to do, in order
- Stay at the machine long enough to capture the facts. Take the receipt if one prints. Note the ATM’s location, the date and the time. If the machine shows a bank name or a terminal ID, write that down as well.
- Contact your own bank or credit union. Use the number on the back of your card or the official app or website, not a number from a search result or a sticker on the machine. The CFPB says to call immediately.
- Say it as an error report. For example: “I am reporting an ATM error. I requested [amount], received [amount], and my account was charged [amount].” Using the word “error” matters, for the reason explained below.
- Contact the ATM owner if it is not your bank. The CFPB advises calling the owner in addition to your institution. Give the owner the same facts. Nothing in the guidance says one call replaces the other.
- Write down every contact. Record the date, the person you spoke with if given, and any case or reference number.
- Ask how to follow up in writing. Ask where and how the institution accepts written confirmation or supporting documents, and how it will tell you the result. Then follow that process.
What evidence to keep
- The ATM receipt. Under Regulation E’s terminal-receipt rules (12 CFR 1005.9), receipts carry transaction details, and your periodic statement carries its own transaction information. Together they let you compare what the machine recorded against what the bank posted.
- The amount requested, the amount actually dispensed, and the debit shown in online banking or on your statement. Screenshots help.
- The date, time and location of the ATM, and its owner if it is not your bank.
- Every case number and confirmation you receive, from both the bank and the ATM owner.
The CFPB does not publish any error-rate or resolution-rate figures for ATM discrepancies, so you should not rely on claims about how often these cases succeed. Your documentation is what you control.
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Why you should call it an “error”
Regulation E, the federal rule covering electronic fund transfers, defines “error” in 12 CFR 1005.11. The definition includes an incorrect electronic fund transfer to or from your account. It also includes your receipt of an incorrect amount of money from an electronic terminal. A casual question to a teller about a strange balance may not count as an error notice. A clear report that the ATM gave you the wrong amount fits the definition, so state it plainly and get a reference number.
Deadlines and what happens after you report
| Stage | General rule under Regulation E |
|---|---|
| Your notice deadline | Generally 60 days after the institution sends the periodic statement on which the alleged error first appears. The clock runs from that statement, not simply from the ATM visit. Special rules may apply. |
| Investigation | The institution must investigate promptly and generally decide within 10 business days whether an error occurred. |
| Extended investigation | If it cannot finish, it may extend if the regulation’s conditions are met, which in many cases includes giving you provisional credit. The general outside limit is 45 days, and 90 days applies to specified transfers. |
| Reporting the result | Generally within three business days after the investigation is completed. |
| Correcting a confirmed error | Generally within one business day after the institution determines an error occurred. |
The last two timing points are summarized in the CFPB’s Electronic Fund Transfers FAQ (version 3, last updated January 15, 2025). The regulation has details and exceptions, so treat these as general timelines and not a promise for your case.
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The 60 days is a ceiling, not a waiting period. Report right away even if your statement has not arrived yet. Delay can make the ATM’s records harder to match, and it risks missing the deadline if you overlook the statement.
If the money does not come back
- Check that your institution logged a clear error notice within the 60-day window, and that you have a reference number for it.
- If the debit posts later than the ATM visit, report it as soon as you see it and point to the statement or online entry that shows it.
- If the ATM is run by another company, check that you have a separate case number from that owner.
- Read the institution’s written result. If you disagree with it, ask what the next step is under its process.
If the machine gave you more than you expected
The CFPB guidance covers the machine giving the wrong amount, which can mean a different amount than you requested in either direction. If you received more cash than you asked for or than was debited, the same practical steps apply: keep the receipt and report the discrepancy to your bank and the ATM owner. The sources here do not address your legal position on keeping surplus cash, and a later correction by the bank may adjust your account. Reporting promptly and keeping a record is the safer course.
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Limits of this guidance
This covers US federal consumer rules for consumer accounts. Your account agreement, the type of account, your state, and the institution’s own procedures can change the details. The article is general information, not a determination of any individual claim.
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