Chase Total Checking $400 Bonus

The short answer: yes. The Chase $400 bonus is one of the easiest and most reliable bank bonuses available. Chase pays you $400 after you receive $1,000 in qualifying direct deposits within 90 days. The $1,000 is not money you give up or invest. It is your own paycheck landing in the account, and the bank pays you $400 on top for routing it there. Very few bonuses pay this much for this little effort.

The main thing to watch is the monthly fee. Total Checking has a $15 monthly fee, but it is waived as long as you receive $500 or more in electronic deposits per statement period. If you route a paycheck there, the fee never kicks in. Once the bonus posts, you can close the account or keep it open. If you stop directing deposits there after earning the bonus, you would need a $1,500 daily balance to keep the fee waived.

Bank bonuses are generally taxable income. Chase reports the bonus as interest income on a 1099-INT, so plan to set a bit aside. Even so, this is one of the highest-paying bonuses for the amount of effort involved. It is also a strong first bonus if you have never done this before. Chase is a major bank with a simple process and a well-documented track record.

The Chase Total Checking bonus is tied to a specific coupon enrollment page. Applying through the regular Chase homepage or walking into a branch will not get you the bonus. The offer link is what enrolls you in the promotion. When you click the offer link on this page, it takes you to Chase's coupon page at account.chase.com/consumer/banking/seo, which registers you for the $400 bonus before you even complete the application.

Once approved, Chase sends you a confirmation email with your coupon code. Save it. Your 90-day direct deposit window starts from the date of coupon enrollment, not account opening. Most people complete their qualifying deposits within the first few weeks and then let the account sit.

Chase updates this offer periodically, usually with a new expiration date and the same or slightly different amount. If the offer on this page has expired, check back. Chase has been running a version of this bonus consistently for years.

Day 1: Apply using the offer link and get approved. Fund the account with any opening deposit. There's no minimum required. Your 90-day window starts.

Days 1 to 90: Set up your qualifying direct deposit. Most people route one or two paychecks to the Chase account, then switch back to their primary bank afterward. If you're using a Fidelity CMA push or another fintech, set up a recurring transfer to be safe.

Days 90 to 105: After your deposits total $1,000, Chase typically credits the $400 bonus within 15 days. You can track your enrollment status in the Chase mobile app or online banking under 'My Offers.'

Once the bonus posts: The $400 is in your account. You can close it or keep it open. There is no mandatory hold period.

The 2-year cooldown. You're not eligible if you've held any Chase personal checking account in the last 2 years. This applies across all Chase checking products, not just Total Checking. The clock starts from the date you closed your most recent Chase checking account, not from when you last earned a bonus.

The monthly fee. Total Checking charges $15/month, but this is waived if you receive $500 or more in qualifying electronic deposits per statement period. Your paycheck or qualifying direct deposit will usually cover this while you're working toward the bonus. After you stop directing deposits there, you'll need to maintain a $1,500 daily balance or $5,000 average balance to avoid the fee. Closing the account once the bonus posts is the simpler option.

Taxes. Chase reports the $400 bonus as interest income and will send a 1099-INT at tax time. Factor this in when calculating your actual take-home. Most people in standard tax brackets still net $350+ after taxes, which is still one of the best bank bonuses available for the effort required.

Chase is stricter than most large banks about what counts as a qualifying direct deposit, but the community-reported data behind this page shows the easiest path clearly. Employer payroll has worked in every conclusive report on file for this bonus, 186 for 186. If your paycheck already lands by direct deposit, routing it to Chase for the 90-day window is about as close to a guaranteed bonus as this hobby gets.

A handful of other methods also have a clean track record: Chase Business payroll (8 for 8), Treasury Direct payments (7 for 7), Elements Financial pushes (6 for 6), Cash App standard withdrawals (5 for 5), and Fidelity Cash Management pushes set up with the "transfer to someone else" option (9 for 9, most recently August 2026). Standard Fidelity pushes sent in your own name are the one method to watch closely. They split 9 worked and 7 failed with no clean recent pattern, so treat that route as a coin flip rather than a sure thing. See the full Chase direct deposit guide linked below for the complete method-by-method breakdown, including which routes to avoid.

The reported timelines tell a similar story. Across 256 community-reported timelines for this bonus, the typical account went from opening to bonus payout in 19 days (median), and the middle half landed between 13 and 35 days. That covers the full open-to-paid window, not just the 15 days Chase quotes after your deposits clear, so it includes the time it takes most people to line up their qualifying deposit.