Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Zelle®?
Zelle® is a fast, safe and easy way to send money directly between almost any bank accounts in the U.S., typically within minutes.1 With just an email address or a U.S. mobile phone number, you can send money to friends, family, and other people you know and trust, regardless of where they bank.1
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How do I use Zelle®?
You can send, request or receive money1 with Zelle®, or even split2 the cost of a bill.
- To get started, sign in to First Republic Bank’s online banking, navigate to Transfers and select “Send Money with Zelle®.” Or sign in to the mobile banking app and select “Move Money,” then “Zelle®.” Accept the terms and conditions, then enter your email address or U.S. mobile phone number. You’ll need to enter a one-time verification code and select a primary deposit account.
- To send money using Zelle®, simply add a trusted recipient’s email address or U.S. mobile phone number and enter the amount you’d like to send (and an optional note). Review and then hit “Send.” In most cases, the money is available to your recipient within minutes.1
- To request money using Zelle®, choose “Request.” Then select the individual from whom you’d like to request money, enter the amount and select “Request.”1
- To receive money, just share your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile phone number with a friend and ask them to send you money with Zelle®.
- To split the cost of a bill using Zelle®, choose “Split,” select the individual(s) with whom you’d like to split the bill, enter the total amount and select “Split.”2 The Split feature is available on desktop only.
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How does Zelle® work?
When you enroll with Zelle® through our online banking or mobile banking app, your name, the name of your bank, and the email address or U.S. mobile number you enrolled with are shared with Zelle®. No sensitive account details are shared — those stay with First Republic. When someone sends money to your enrolled email address or U.S. mobile number, Zelle® looks up the email address or U.S. mobile number in its “directory” and notifies First Republic Bank of the incoming payment. First Republic Bank then directs the payment into your bank account, all while keeping your sensitive account details private.
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Is my information secure with Zelle®?
Keeping your money and information safe is a top priority for First Republic Bank. When you use Zelle® within our mobile banking app or online banking, your information is protected with the same technology we use to keep your bank account safe. We will send you a confirmation email every time a recipient is added to your account or money is sent from your account to make a payment.
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What if I get an error message when I try to enroll with Zelle®?
Please call us at (855) 886-4819.
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What if I have already used Zelle® through another financial institution?
You can still enroll with and use Zelle® through First Republic Bank. Zelle® doesn’t restrict you from enrolling through multiple financial institutions. However, the same email address or U.S. mobile phone number cannot be used at 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 First Republic Bank that has been previously used at another financial institution, you need to transfer it to First Republic Bank, either at the time of enrollment with Zelle® or from the Zelle® settings screen at a later time. You will get an email confirmation after the email address or U.S. mobile phone number is transferred.
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What types of payments can I make with Zelle®?
Zelle® is a great way to send money to family, friends and people you are familiar with, like your personal trainer, babysitter or neighbor.1
Since money is sent directly from your bank account to another person’s bank account within minutes,1 Zelle® should only be used to send money to friends, family and others you trust.
Neither First Republic Bank 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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Who can I send money to with Zelle®?
You can send money to friends, family and others you trust.1
Since money is sent directly from your bank account to another person’s bank account within minutes,1 it is important to only send money to people you trust.
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I’m unsure about using Zelle® to pay someone I don’t know. What should I do?
If you don’t know the person or aren’t sure you will get what you paid for (for example, items bought from an online bidding or sales site), you should not use Zelle®.
These transactions are potentially high risk, just like sending cash to a person you don’t know is high risk. Neither First Republic Bank nor Zelle® offers a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle®.
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What if I want to send money to someone whose bank doesn’t offer Zelle®?
You can find a full list of participating banks and credit unions live with Zelle® here.
If your recipient’s bank or credit union isn’t on the list, don’t worry. The list of participating financial institutions is always growing, and your recipient can still use Zelle® by downloading the Zelle® app for Android and iOS.
To enroll with the Zelle® app, your recipient will enter their basic contact information, an email address and a U.S. mobile number, and a Visa® or Mastercard® debit card with a U.S.-based account (does not include U.S. territories). Zelle® does not accept debit cards associated with international deposit accounts or any credit cards.
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Are there limits to how much I can send using Zelle®?
Yes. When sending money via the First Republic Bank mobile banking app or within online banking, you will see the daily and monthly limits set by First Republic Bank for using Zelle®.
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What happens if I don’t have enough money to cover a Zelle® payment?
You won’t be able to make a payment using Zelle® if the amount exceeds your available balance.
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What happens to payments if the recipient doesn’t enroll with Zelle®?
After 14 calendar days, your payment will expire and the full amount will be returned to your account.
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Can I use Zelle® internationally?
To use Zelle®, the sender’s and recipient’s bank accounts must be based in the U.S.
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Are there any fees to send money using Zelle®?3
First Republic Bank does not charge any fees to use Zelle®. However, there may be scenarios where using Zelle® may incur charges:
- If transactions are initiated from a money market savings account, excessive transaction fees may apply.
- Mobile carrier fees may apply.
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Can I cancel a Zelle® payment?
You can only cancel a scheduled payment if the person you sent money to hasn’t yet enrolled with Zelle®. To determine if you can cancel a payment, go to your activity page and look for a Cancel button next to it.
If the recipient has already enrolled with Zelle®, the money is typically received within minutes1 directly to their bank account and cannot be canceled. This is why it’s important to only send money to people you trust1 and to use the correct email address or U.S. mobile number when sending money.
You can cancel a payment if the person you sent money to hasn’t yet enrolled with Zelle® or if the payment was sent with standard speed and funds have not yet been sent to the recipient. To cancel a pending payment, you can go to your activity page, choose the payment you want to cancel and then select “Cancel This Payment.”
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 (855) 886‑4819 so we can help you.
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Can I cancel a recurring Zelle® payment?
You can cancel the next pending transaction on a recurring series or the entire payment series. To cancel the next payment or series, go to your activity page and look for the payment you want to edit or cancel under pending transactions. Tap the pending payment and select “Cancel.” You will have the option to cancel the next scheduled payment or the recurring series.
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How long does it take to receive money with Zelle®?
Money sent with Zelle® is typically available to an enrolled recipient within minutes.1
If you send money to someone who isn’t enrolled with Zelle®, they will receive a notification prompting them to enroll. After enrollment, the money will move directly to your recipient’s account, typically within minutes.1
Recurring and future-dated payments are not sent with Zelle®. These types of payments are available within First Republic Bank’s online banking and mobile banking app. For those types of payments, your recipient will receive the money one to three banking business days after your scheduled payment date.
If your payment is pending, we recommend confirming that the person you sent money to has enrolled with Zelle® and that you entered the correct email address or U.S. mobile phone number.
If you’re waiting to receive money, you should check to see if you’ve received a payment notification via email or text message. If you haven’t received a payment notification, we recommend following up with the sender to confirm they entered the correct email address or U.S. mobile phone number.
Still having trouble? Please call us at (855) 886-4819.
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Will the person I send money to with Zelle® be notified?
Yes. They will receive a notification via email or text message.
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Someone sent me money with Zelle®. How do I receive it?
If you have already enrolled with Zelle®, you do not need to take any further action. The money will be sent directly into your bank account, typically within minutes.1
If you have not yet enrolled with Zelle®, follow these steps:
- Click on the link provided in the payment notification you received via email or text message.
- Select First Republic Bank.
- Follow the instructions provided on the page to enroll and receive your money. Pay attention to the email address or U.S. mobile number listed in the payment notification — you should enroll with Zelle® using the email address or U.S. mobile number provided to ensure you receive your money.
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Can I receive money with Zelle® using more than one First Republic Bank account?
Yes. You can associate a different receiving account for each of your email addresses or U.S. mobile numbers enrolled with Zelle®. You can view and update the associated account numbers in the Zelle® settings.
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Is there a fee for requesting money with Zelle®?3
No. Zelle® does not charge a fee for requesting money. However, there may be scenarios where using Zelle® may incur charges:
- First Republic excess activity fees may apply.
- Mobile carrier fees may apply.
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Can I request money from multiple people at once with Zelle®?
Yes. You can request money from up to five contacts at once by selecting the “Split”2 feature from the menu. You can choose a request amount that will be shared between the selected contacts, including you.2 The Split feature is available on desktop only.
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Can I cancel a Zelle® request for money?
Yes. Your contact will be notified if you cancel a request for money. To cancel your request for money, go to your activity page and look for the payment you want to edit or cancel under pending transactions. Tap the pending request and select “Cancel.”
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Do you offer Zelle® for my First Republic Bank business account(s)?
Yes, First Republic offers Zelle® for eligible business accounts. Learn more.
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Is my First Republic Bank business account eligible to use Zelle®?
Reach out to your banker to find out if your business checking or savings account is eligible to use Zelle®.
Zelle® and the Zelle®-related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC, and are used herein under license.
1 U.S. checking or savings account required to use Zelle®. Transactions between enrolled consumers typically occur in minutes and generally do not incur transaction fees.
2 Payment requests to persons not already enrolled with Zelle® must be sent to an email address.
3 Zelle® does not charge any fees to send, receive and/or request money. However, there may be scenarios where using Zelle® may incur charges. Certain types of withdrawals and transfers are limited to a combined total of six per monthly statement period from your First Republic savings or money market accounts. First Republic fees will apply if limit is exceeded and your account could be converted to another type of account that may no longer earn interest. Mobile carrier fees may apply.