# Checking Account

*Everyday Money — Finicade finance glossary*

A checking account is the account money flows through — salary in, bills and card payments out — designed for access rather than return. Interest is usually negligible or zero, which is the point: it should hold roughly one month of expenses plus a buffer, with the rest sitting somewhere that actually pays. The fees to watch are monthly maintenance (usually waivable by direct deposit or a minimum balance), overdraft charges, and out-of-network ATM fees.

**Also known as:** transaction account, chequing account

**Related terms:** [Savings Account](https://finicade.com/glossary/savings-account), [Direct Deposit](https://finicade.com/glossary/direct-deposit), [Overdraft](https://finicade.com/glossary/overdraft), [Debit Card](https://finicade.com/glossary/debit-card), [Cash Flow](https://finicade.com/glossary/cash-flow)

Source: https://finicade.com/glossary/checking-account