Is $5,000 Enough Money to Keep in Your Checking Account?

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Keeping money in a checking account won’t make you rich. Unlike savings accounts and CDs, which are currently paying a lot of interest, or brokerage accounts, which allow you to invest in the stock market, a checking account is mostly a place to park some cash you might need any minute.Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes. But it’s important to have a checking account balance that meets your needs. And if you’re wondering if $5,000 is enough to cut it, the answer is, it depends.What do your monthly bills look like?If you’re wondering if $5,000 is enough for your checking account, you’ll need to know what your monthly bills look like.It’s usually best to keep enough money in your checking account to cover a month of expenses. An even better bet is to have enough money in there for two months of bills, just in case your paycheck is delayed for any reason.You don’t want to end up in a situation where you’ve overdrawn your checking account — and gotten hit with a fee — due to a delay in pay that was outside of your control. Similarly, you don’t want to pay a bill late because your paycheck was delayed and get stuck with a late fee (or, worse yet, a ding to your credit score). So two months’ worth of bills protects you from those unwanted scenarios.Meanwhile, let’s say your monthly expenses come to $2,500. In that case, $5,000 is certainly enough to keep in a checking account.But if your monthly expenses come to $6,000, a $5,000 balance isn’t even enough to cover a full month of bills.How to boost your checking account balanceIf you have a decent sum of money in a savings account that’s linked to your checking account, you may not have to take action, even if your checking account can’t cover a month of bills on its own.Most banks let you instantly transfer funds from one account to another in that situation. So if you have three months’ worth of bills in savings and just under one month’s worth of bills in your checking account, you’re technically covered.If your checking account could use a boost and you don’t have money to transfer into it, try working a side hustle to come up with the extra cash. Now’s a great time of year to land a side gig, because many businesses need extra help during the holiday shopping rush.That said, some checking accounts give you a bonus for signing up. Some also pay a decent amount of interest. It pays to shop around for a new checking account if your current one isn’t giving you many benefits. Click here for a list of our favorite checking accounts.When it comes to funding your checking account, you need to strike a balance. You don’t want to keep too much cash in there, but having too little isn’t great, either. As a general rule, aim for one to two months of bills — whether that amounts to $5,000 or a completely different number.Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026
This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!
Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes. We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from Motley Fool Money is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.”}]] [[{“value”:”

Keeping money in a checking account won’t make you rich. Unlike savings accounts and CDs, which are currently paying a lot of interest, or brokerage accounts, which allow you to invest in the stock market, a checking account is mostly a place to park some cash you might need any minute.

Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026

This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!

Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

But it’s important to have a checking account balance that meets your needs. And if you’re wondering if $5,000 is enough to cut it, the answer is, it depends.

What do your monthly bills look like?

If you’re wondering if $5,000 is enough for your checking account, you’ll need to know what your monthly bills look like.

It’s usually best to keep enough money in your checking account to cover a month of expenses. An even better bet is to have enough money in there for two months of bills, just in case your paycheck is delayed for any reason.

You don’t want to end up in a situation where you’ve overdrawn your checking account — and gotten hit with a fee — due to a delay in pay that was outside of your control. Similarly, you don’t want to pay a bill late because your paycheck was delayed and get stuck with a late fee (or, worse yet, a ding to your credit score). So two months’ worth of bills protects you from those unwanted scenarios.

Meanwhile, let’s say your monthly expenses come to $2,500. In that case, $5,000 is certainly enough to keep in a checking account.

But if your monthly expenses come to $6,000, a $5,000 balance isn’t even enough to cover a full month of bills.

How to boost your checking account balance

If you have a decent sum of money in a savings account that’s linked to your checking account, you may not have to take action, even if your checking account can’t cover a month of bills on its own.

Most banks let you instantly transfer funds from one account to another in that situation. So if you have three months’ worth of bills in savings and just under one month’s worth of bills in your checking account, you’re technically covered.

If your checking account could use a boost and you don’t have money to transfer into it, try working a side hustle to come up with the extra cash. Now’s a great time of year to land a side gig, because many businesses need extra help during the holiday shopping rush.

That said, some checking accounts give you a bonus for signing up. Some also pay a decent amount of interest. It pays to shop around for a new checking account if your current one isn’t giving you many benefits. Click here for a list of our favorite checking accounts.

When it comes to funding your checking account, you need to strike a balance. You don’t want to keep too much cash in there, but having too little isn’t great, either. As a general rule, aim for one to two months of bills — whether that amounts to $5,000 or a completely different number.

Alert: highest cash back card we’ve seen now has 0% intro APR into 2026

This credit card is not just good – it’s so exceptional that our experts use it personally. It features a 0% intro APR for 15 months, a cash back rate of up to 5%, and all somehow for no annual fee!

Click here to read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from Motley Fool Money is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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