Interac e-Transfer auto-deposit

For Canadian bank account holders. Auto-deposit makes Interac e-Transfers (refunds, payouts, friend-to-friend transfers) deposit straight into your account — no email link to click, no security question to remember.

Why it's worth setting up

Interac e-Transfer is the standard way to send money between Canadian bank accounts. Without auto-deposit, when someone sends you money you get an email or text, click a link, pick your bank, sign in, and answer a security question — every time.

With auto-deposit on, your bank simply receives the money and credits your account. You get a notification, but no clicking required.

This matters for Manifold services in two ways:

Refunds: some refund types may be sent by Interac e-Transfer (especially when the original payment can't be reversed).
Future payment flows: Interac e-Transfer may become a payment option for tournament fees, donations, and meetup contributions. Auto-deposit makes the receiving side frictionless on either end.

Security note. Set up auto-deposit only on accounts you personally control, and use an email address protected by a strong password and two-factor authentication. The email address itself becomes the "address" for receiving money — protect it the way you protect your bank login.

The general flow

Every Canadian bank has slightly different menu paths, but the steps are always:

Sign in to online banking or the bank's mobile app.
Find the Interac e-Transfer section.
Find Auto-Deposit (sometimes under "Settings," "Preferences," or "Profile").
Tap Register or Add.
Enter the email address you want money sent to.
Pick the account (chequing or savings) where deposits should go.
Confirm — your bank sends a verification email to that address.
Click the verification link in the email within 24 hours.
Done. From now on, any Interac e-Transfer sent to that email arrives automatically.

Bank-specific paths

RBC Royal Bank

Mobile app: More → Interac e-Transfer → Settings → Autodeposit → Register Autodeposit.
Online banking: Transfers → Interac e-Transfer → Autodeposit Settings.

TD Canada Trust

Mobile app: Menu → Transfers → Interac e-Transfer → Settings → Autodeposit.
EasyWeb: Interac e-Transfer → Manage Auto-Deposit Settings.

BMO Bank of Montreal

Mobile app: Menu → My Profile → Interac e-Transfer Profile → Manage Autodeposit.
Online banking: My Services → Manage Interac e-Transfer Auto-Deposit.

Scotiabank

Mobile app: More → Manage my Interac e-Transfer profile → Auto-Deposit.
Online banking: Transfers → Interac e-Transfer → Manage my Profile.

CIBC

Mobile app: Menu → Interac e-Transfer → Settings → Auto-Deposit.
Online banking: Customer Services → Interac e-Transfer → Manage Auto-Deposit.

National Bank

Mobile app: Transfers → Interac e-Transfer → Auto-deposit.
Online banking: Transfers and payments → Interac e-Transfer → Auto-deposit.

Credit unions (general)

Most Canadian credit unions support Interac e-Transfer through the Interac or Transfer Funds section of online banking and have an Auto-Deposit sub-section. Vancity, Coast Capital, Servus, and Meridian all support it. If you can't find it, ask your branch — every credit union with Interac access can set this up.

Tangerine

Mobile app: Menu → Profile and Settings → Interac e-Transfer Autodeposit.
Online banking: Profile → Interac e-Transfer Settings.

Simplii Financial

Mobile app: Menu → My Accounts → Interac e-Transfer → Auto-Deposit.
Online banking: My Accounts → Interac e-Transfer → Auto-Deposit Settings.

Verifying the email

After you register, your bank sends a verification email — sometimes immediately, sometimes within a few minutes. The email comes from your bank's official domain (not from interac.ca). Click the verification link to activate.

If you don't get the email: check spam/junk, then re-trigger the verification email from the bank's auto-deposit settings page.

Multiple email addresses

Most banks let you register up to 5 email addresses (and in some cases phone numbers) for auto-deposit, each routing to a different account (chequing, savings, etc.). This is useful if you have separate accounts for separate purposes — for example, one email routing tournament refunds to your personal chequing, another routing business refunds to your business account.

Common issues

"This email is already registered for auto-deposit"

Each email address can only be registered with one bank account at a time, anywhere in Canada. If you've previously registered the email with a bank you no longer use, sign in there and remove it first.

The verification email never arrives

Check spam first. If still missing, your bank's settings page will have a Resend verification button. As a last resort, deregister the email from auto-deposit and start over.

I have auto-deposit set up but the transfer still asked for a security question

Means the sender used a different email (or a phone number) than the one you registered for auto-deposit. Either ask them to resend to the registered email, or accept the transfer manually this time.

Can I auto-deposit to a joint account?

Yes. Auto-deposit can target any account you have signing authority on, including joint accounts. Either party can register the joint account against an email they control.

Once it's done, it's done. Auto-deposit doesn't expire. You set it up once and benefit indefinitely. Years of Interac transfers later, you'll just receive money instead of clicking deposit links.

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