ATM gave less cash than it debited? The T+5 rule gets it back

Reviewed on: 2026-06-12.

Direct answer. If an ATM debited your account but dispensed less cash than you asked for, or no cash at all, your card-issuing bank has to reverse the failed amount on its own within five days of the transaction date. RBI calls this T+5. If the credit comes later than T+5, the bank has to pay you Rs 100 for every day of delay, and it has to pay this without you asking for it. Complain to the bank that issued your card, even if the ATM belonged to another bank. If your bank does not set it right within 30 days of your written complaint, you can file a free complaint with the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in.

The Reserve Bank of India issued a circular in September 2019 on harmonisation of turnaround time for failed transactions. For an ATM cash withdrawal where the account is debited but cash is not dispensed, the circular fixes two things:

• Auto-reversal deadline: the bank must re-credit the failed amount within T+5 days, where T is the transaction date.
• Compensation: Rs 100 per day of delay beyond T+5, credited automatically to your account.

The same timeline applies when the ATM dispenses part of the amount. The shortfall is treated as the failed portion. You do not need to prove the machine's fault. The bank checks the ATM's electronic journal and cash balancing record, which show exactly how many notes left the machine.

Ramesh withdraws Rs 10,000 from another bank's ATM in Lucknow on Tuesday, 3 June. The machine dispenses Rs 5,000 and his account shows a debit of Rs 10,000. The failed portion is Rs 5,000.

• T+5 falls on 8 June. The Rs 5,000 should return by then with no action from Ramesh.
• The credit actually arrives on 16 June, eight days late.
• Compensation due: 8 days x Rs 100 = Rs 800, paid by his card-issuing bank.

If the Rs 800 does not appear, Ramesh quotes the September 2019 RBI circular in his written complaint and asks for the compensation as a separate, specific demand. Banks often reverse the principal and quietly skip the Rs 100 a day. Ask for it by name.

1. Note the ATM ID, the location, and the bank that owns the machine. The ATM ID is printed on the machine or on the slip.
2. Keep the transaction slip if one printed, even a failed-transaction slip.
3. Screenshot the debit SMS and note the exact time.
4. Write down the amount requested and the amount actually received.

These four details let the issuing bank trace the transaction in one attempt instead of three.

Complain to your card-issuing bank, not the ATM-owning bank. Your bank is responsible for chasing the other bank through the settlement system. Use the bank's app, net banking dispute option, or a written complaint at the branch. Quote the date, time, ATM ID, RRN from your statement, amount requested, amount received, and the shortfall. Save the complaint number.

A short format you can adapt:

To: The Branch Manager / Grievance Cell, [Your Bank]

Subject: Failed ATM withdrawal on [date], shortfall not reversed within T+5

I hold account [number]. On [date] at [time] I requested Rs [amount] at ATM
[ATM ID, location, owning bank]. The machine dispensed Rs [amount received].
My account was debited Rs [amount debited]. RRN: [from statement].

Under the RBI circular of September 2019 on turnaround time for failed
transactions, the shortfall of Rs [X] was due back in my account by [T+5 date].
I request: (1) immediate re-credit of Rs [X], (2) compensation of Rs 100 per
day from [T+5 date] till the date of credit, and (3) a written reply with the
complaint number.

[Name, account number, mobile, date]

1. Escalate to the bank's principal nodal officer, listed on its grievance redressal page. Quote your first complaint number.
2. After 30 days from your written complaint, or earlier if the bank rejects it, file with the RBI Ombudsman under the Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 at cms.rbi.org.in. There is no fee. The helpline is 14448.
3. For a proven loss beyond the shortfall, the consumer route through e-Daakhil remains open.

If your card was issued by a public-sector bank such as SBI, PNB or Canara Bank, the bank is a public authority. Once your dispute is on record, you can file an RTI with its Public Information Officer asking for the status of your dispute, the electronic journal extract for your transaction, and the compensation calculated for the delay. See how to file RTI online.

Private banks such as HDFC, ICICI, Axis and Kotak are not under the RTI Act. For a private bank, the working route is the bank's grievance cell and then the RBI Ombudsman, which covers all banks. RTI also cannot order a refund by itself, even from a public-sector bank. It fetches the records that make your Ombudsman complaint hard to ignore.

• Complaining only to the bank that owns the ATM. The issuing bank owns the dispute.
• Filing with the Ombudsman before giving your own bank a written complaint.
• Accepting the principal without the Rs 100 a day compensation.
• Losing the debit SMS and slip, which date-stamp your claim.

Yes. The timeline and compensation apply regardless of which bank owns the machine. Your card-issuing bank handles the reversal and pays the compensation.

No. The RBI circular requires the bank to pay it on its own for delay beyond T+5. In practice banks often skip it, so name it in your complaint and again before the Ombudsman.

Ask for the electronic journal extract and the cash balancing report for that day in writing. If the bank refuses and it is a public-sector bank, an RTI can fetch them. Then escalate to the RBI Ombudsman with both your complaint trail and the bank's reply.

T is the date of the failed transaction. The reversal is due within five days from that date. Count the days on your statement and compute the delay from the day after the deadline.

File within one year of the bank's reply, or within one year and 30 days of your complaint if the bank never replied. Do not sit on a rejection.

The Rs 100 a day covers the delayed reversal. For consequential losses, raise them in the Ombudsman complaint with proof, or use the consumer forum through e-Daakhil.

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• All practical guides
• How to file RTI online

Download the ATM short-dispense dispute checklist (PDF).