
Zelle® is a fast, secure and easy way for your small business to get paid
Send and receive money with Zelle
Zelle is a great way for small businesses to send, requestfootnote1 and receive money from customers and vendors, right through your online banking or mobile banking app.footnote2,footnote3,footnote4 It's fast, safe, and easy.
How to send money
- Open Zelle
- In online banking by clicking on Transfers & Payments, select “Send Money with Zelle®” and select "Send" or
- In the Bank of the West mobile app by clicking on Payments, select “Send Money”, and select “Send”.
- Choose a contact, or add their U.S. mobile number or email address.
- Add the amount and an optional note, then send.
If the recipient is enrolled with Zelle, the money is sent directly to their account, typically in minutesfootnote2.
How to requestfootnote1 money
- Open Zelle
- In online banking by clicking on Transfers and Payments, select “Send Money with Zelle®”, and select "Request"footnote1 or
- In the Bank of the West mobile app by clicking on Payments, select “Send Money”, and select "Request"footnote1.
- Choose a contact, or add their U.S. mobile number or email address.
- Enter the amount you're requesting and an optional note to say what it's for, then send.
Your recipient will get a requestfootnote1 to send you moneyfootnote3, and once they respond and send your payment, the money will be sent directly to your account and available to use, typically in minutesfootnote2.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Zelle?Zelle® is a fast, safe and easy way for small businesses to send, requestfootnote1, and receive money directly between eligible bank accounts in the U.S.footnote2 If your customers use Zelle within their mobile banking app, they can send payments directly to your Bank of the West bank account with just your email address or U.S. mobile phone number. With Zelle, payments typically arrive within minutesfootnote2.
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How do I use Zelle with a small business account?
You can send, requestfootnote1, or receive money with Zelle. To get started, log into Bank of the West's online banking or mobile app and select "Send Money with Zelle®". Enter your email address or U.S. mobile phone number, receive a one-time verification code, enter it, accept terms and conditions, and you're ready to start sending and receiving with Zelle.
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Who can I send money to with Zelle when I have a small business bank account?
When you use Zelle with a small business account, you can send money to other small businesses that bank with a financial institution that offers Zelle to small businesses. You can also send to consumers that have access to Zelle through their mobile banking app. At this time, we don't support sending to (or receiving from) consumers that are only enrolled in the Zelle app.
If the small business or consumer you send money to has already enrolled with Zelle through their bank's mobile app, the money is sent directly to their bank account and cannot be canceled. It's important to only send money to people you trust, and always ensure you've used the correct email address or U.S. mobile number when sending money.
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I have a small business bank account. Who can I receive payments from with Zelle?
You can receive payments from consumers using Zelle through their bank's mobile app. You can also receive payments from other small businesses if their financial institution offers Zelle to small businesses. At this time, you're not able to receive payments from consumers that are only enrolled in the Zelle app.
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What if I've used Zelle through another financial institution?
You can still enroll and use Zelle through Bank of the West. Zelle does not restrict you from enrolling in multiple financial institutions. However, the same email address or U.S mobile phone number cannot be used in multiple financial institutions to send and receive money.
If you would like to use the same email address or U.S mobile phone number to send and receive money at Bank of the West that has been previously used at another financial institution, then you need to transfer that email address or U.S. mobile phone number to Bank of the West from the Zelle activity screen. You will get an email confirmation after the email address or U.S mobile phone number is transferred.
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How long does it take to receive payments with Zelle?
Once you're enrolled with Zelle, money you receive is typically available within minutes footnote2.
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How do I receive payments with Zelle?
First, you should enroll your email address or U.S. mobile number with Zelle through your mobile banking app and associate it with your small business account. Second, share your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile phone number with your customers and ask them to send you payment with Zelle right from their banking app. You don't need to share any sensitive account details; they can send you money by using your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile phone number to identify you. After the consumer sends you payment with Zelle, you will receive your money directly into your enrolled bank account.
You can also request paymentsfootnote1 directly through your mobile banking app by clicking "Send money with Zelle®," selecting "Request"footnote1, entering your customer's email address or U.S. mobile number, confirming the recipient is correct (their name or their email address/U.S. mobile number will pop up – make sure it's the person or business you want to request payment from) and tapping "Request"footnote1. Note that if your customer is not already enrolled with Zelle, you must send the payment request to their email address.
If your customer is using Zelle through their bank's mobile app, they'll be able to pay you with Zelle. You'll receive a payment notification once your customer has sent you money in response to your request. If your customer is enrolled in the Zelle app, they will not be able to send you money with Zelle, and you should arrange for a different payment method.
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How do I tell my customers that they can pay me with Zelle?
There are a few ways you can encourage your customers to pay you with Zelle.
- Tell customers verbally that you accept payments with Zelle, and that they can easily send you money right from their banking app
- Print it on an invoice. We recommend adding "I accept payments with Zelle®"
- Use Zelle to requestfootnote1 money from your customers (which will send them a notification telling them you've requested payment with Zelle)
- Add pre-approved Zelle content to your business website.
Please note, you'll only be able to receive payments from consumers using Zelle through their financial institution's mobile banking app. You will not be able to receive payments from consumers enrolled in the Zelle app.
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How do I use Zelle to requestfootnote1 a payment from my customer?
To request money with Zelle, select "Send Money with Zelle®" in your Bank of the West mobile banking app, choose "Request"footnote1, select the individual from whom you'd like to requestfootnote1 money, enter the amount you'd like to request, include an optional note, review and hit "Request"footnote1.
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Does Zelle or Bank of the West offer purchase protection?
Neither Bank of the West nor Zelle offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle – for example, if you do not receive the item you paid for or the item is not as described or as you expected.
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Are there any fees to use Zelle with a small business account at Bank of the West?No, Bank of the West does not charge a fee to use Zelle with a small business accountfootnote5.
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I want to use Zelle to send and receive money with friends from my personal bank account, as well as to receive payments for my small business from my business account. Are there any differences in the experience?
Whether you use Zelle with a business account or a consumer account, Zelle uses the same network to initiate payments to small businesses and consumers. Consumers that are already enrolled with Zelle through their mobile banking app don't need to do anything different to send money to a small business – they use the existing Zelle experience they already know and trust within their bank's mobile app. However, the experience is slightly different for small businesses, as small businesses cannot currently receive payments from consumers that are only enrolled in the Zelle app.
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I already use Zelle through my personal bank account. How do I enroll to use Zelle with my small business bank account?
To get started, log into Bank of the West's online banking or mobile app. To enroll a small business bank account with Zelle, you must use a different U.S. mobile number or email address than the one you used to enroll your personal bank account with Zelle. For example, crystal@email.com would be connected to your personal checking account, and 555-555-1234 would be connected to your small business bank account.
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If I use Zelle for my small business, will Zelle integrate with accounting software?
No, Zelle does not integrate directly with accounting software at this time. However, since Zelle is connected to your bank account, you are able to see all Zelle transactions in your online banking transaction records. If your bank account transactions feed into accounting software, you will see the Zelle transactions.
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How do I know if my small business is eligible to use Zelle?
If you mostly receive payments from your customers or make payments to your suppliers via either cash or check, your business may be a good fit for Zelle.
Only Business Checking and Business Savingsfootnote6 accounts are currently eligible to send and receive money with Zelle. Other types of accounts, such as credit card and loan accounts, aren't eligible for incoming or outgoing Zelle payments. Note that sending money with Zelle from your savings account counts toward the maximum nine (9) transfers or withdrawals set by the bank (per month for savings accounts).
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Who should I call if I have questions or need help?
Please call (800) 488-2265 (TTY 1-800-659-5495) and select option 3, for assistance.
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Can I cancel a payment if I sent money using Zelle?
You can only cancel a payment if the small business or consumer you sent money to hasn't yet enrolled with Zelle. To check whether the payment is still pending because the recipient hasn't yet enrolled, you can go to your activity page, choose the payment you want to cancel, and then select "Cancel This Payment."
If you send money to a small business or consumer that has already enrolled with Zelle through their bank's mobile app, the money is sent directly to their bank account and cannot be canceled. This is why it's important to only send money to people you trust, and always ensure you've used the correct email address or U.S. mobile number when sending money.
If you try to send money to a consumer that is only enrolled in the Zelle app, the payment won't go through and a message will pop-up to let you know the payment cannot be completed. With small business accounts, Zelle does not currently support sending money to users in the Zelle app.
If you sent money to the wrong person, we recommend contacting the recipient and requesting the money back. If you aren't able to get your money back, please call us at (800) 488-2265 (TTY 1-800-659-5495) and select option 3, for assistance.
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Is there a limit to how much money I can send?
Yes. When sending money, you'll see the daily and monthlyfootnote7 limits in the Bank of the West mobile app or within Bank of the West Business Online Banking. Zelle sends payments quickly, with recipients typically receiving the money within minutes.footnote2
- Daily Limit - $5,500
- $3,000 limit for Zelle payments using a recipient's email or U.S. mobile phone number
- $2,500 limit for non-Zelle payments using a recipient's account and routing numberfootnote8
- Monthlyfootnote7 Limit - $20,000
- $15,000 limit for Zelle payments using a recipient's email or U.S. mobile phone number
- $5,000 limit for non-Zelle payments using a recipient's account and routing numberfootnote8
- Daily Limit - $5,500
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Is there a limit on the number of transactions I can send and receive with Zelle each month?
Transaction Limits:
- Daily Transaction Limit for Sending Money – 15
- Monthlyfootnote7 Transaction Limit for Sending Money – 30
- There is no limit on the number of transactions to Receive Money
Note: If more than nine payments are made with a money market account within a statement cycle the customer will receive a notification informing them they have exceeded their limit for the calendar month or statement cycle.
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