CitiBusiness Checking Bonus: Earn Up To $2,000 With No Direct Deposit

Citibank is quietly running one of the richest bank bonuses in the market right now: up to $2,000 cash when you open a new CitiBusiness checking account and keep money parked for 60 days.

You do have to apply in-branch, and you’ll need real balance to get the top tier, but there’s no direct deposit requirement and no early closure penalty. For people with idle cash or business reserves, this is easy money.

Below is exactly how it works, what to expect in-branch, and how to avoid monthly fees.

 

Offer Snapshot

• Bonus amount: $200–$2,000 
• Where to open: Citi branch (ask a business banker about current CitiBusiness checking promotions) 
• Expiration: currently extended through 1/6/26 
• Direct deposit required: No 
• Credit pull: Soft pull 
• ChexSystems: Unknown (varies by branch/underwriter) 
• Account closure penalty: None 
• Monthly fee: $15 on the easiest account, and that can be waived 

👉 Reader data points say you can just walk in and ask, “Do you have any CitiBusiness checking promo offers right now?” Some bankers even have a flyer ready.

 

How The Citibank Business Bonus Works

Your bonus is based on how much new money you bring in and leave in the account.

Current bonus tiers:

• $200 bonus when you deposit $5,000 
• $500 bonus when you deposit $15,000 
• $700 bonus when you deposit $25,000 
• $1,000 bonus when you deposit $50,000 
• $1,500 bonus when you deposit $100,000 
• $2,000 bonus when you deposit $200,000 

Timeline

1. Open an eligible CitiBusiness checking account in-branch. 
2. Bring in new-to-Citi funds (wires, ACH, or check) and deposit them. 
3. Keep the required balance in the account for 60 calendar days after you fund it. 
4. Citi pays the bonus. 

There is no listed clawback rule for closing the account after that, and there’s no stated early account termination fee.

Note: Citi has tweaked maintenance windows in the past (45 vs 60 days), and some branches show slightly different tier flyers. Get a copy of the current promo sheet from the banker for your records.

 

Which Account To Open

The easiest option for most people is:

CitiBusiness® Streamlined Checking

• Monthly fee: $15 
• How to waive it: Keep an average monthly balance of $5,000+ 

Strategy: park $5,000 in Streamlined Checking to waive the fee, and move the rest of your bonus funds into a linked CitiBusiness money market (IMMA) if your banker offers a promo rate. People have reported ~4% promo yields on the IMMA while the money sits for the bonus window.

That means you’re stacking:

• Cash interest on the parked money, plus 
• The bonus itself 

That’s why even the high tiers can make sense for short-term idle cash.

Math Check: Is $2,000 On $200K Worth It?

Let’s sanity check the return for each tier assuming a ~60 day hold:

• $5,000 deposit → $200 bonus 
  • $200 ÷ $5,000 = 4% return in ~2 months (annualized, that’s huge) 
• $15,000 deposit → $500 bonus 
  • $500 ÷ $15,000 = 3.33% 
• $25,000 deposit → $700 bonus 
  • $700 ÷ $25,000 = 2.8% 
• $50,000 deposit → $1,000 bonus 
  • $1,000 ÷ $50,000 = 2% 
• $100,000 deposit → $1,500 bonus 
  • $1,500 ÷ $100,000 = 1.5% 
• $200,000 deposit → $2,000 bonus 
  • $2,000 ÷ $200,000 = 1% 

So yeah, the percentage return drops as you go up the ladder, but two things to think about:

1. If you’re cycling $200K of working capital anyway (real estate float, inventory cash, retained earnings), grabbing $2,000 + interest for ~2 months is still solid. 
2. The smaller tiers are insanely efficient for regular side businesses and sole props. $5K in for ~60 days to earn $200 is one of the best low-friction bank plays around. 

 

What Documents You’ll Need

Data points from readers:

• Sole prop: Many branches will open a CitiBusiness Streamlined Checking for a sole proprietorship using just your SSN and driver’s license — even if you don’t have an LLC or DBA. Some bankers get confused and ask for “articles of incorporation,” which a sole prop doesn’t have. If your branch pushes back, try another location or ask them to submit the application to the back office anyway. 
• LLC / Corp: Expect to show formation docs (Articles of Organization/Incorporation), EIN letter, and ID. 
• Out of state: Some folks have opened while out-of-footprint or out-of-state. Others have been denied. It’s very banker-dependent. 

Pro tip: Ask the banker to also open the CitiBusiness IMMA (money market) under the same promo, and move everything above $5K into that for yield while you wait out the 60 days.

 

How To Fund The Account

You can usually:

• Wire money in (common for big balances) 
• Bring a cashier’s check 
• ACH/push from an external bank (some external banks cap daily amounts) 

Wires are popular for the $100K+ tiers because they settle fast, start the clock, and you’re not stuck pushing $25K/day for a week.

Important: Citi’s terms say the money has to be both deposited and available within the required funding window. Don’t cut it close.

 

Will Citi Do A Hard Pull?

Citi typically does a soft pull for business checking. That means no hit to your personal credit score.

ChexSystems usage is not consistent, and branches won’t always know. If you’ve gone wild on business bank bonuses lately, you could still get flagged. But most people report clean approvals.

 

Are The Bonuses Taxed?

Yes. Bank bonuses are considered interest/business income. Citi will issue a 1099, and you’ll owe taxes on whatever bonus you receive.

 

Why This Bonus Matters

You’re getting:

• Up to $2,000 cash 
• No direct deposit hoops 
• No debit swipe requirements 
• No transaction count requirement 
• No tied-in credit card relationship 

Just: open in-branch, park the cash, keep the balance steady for ~60 days, get paid.

And unlike a lot of personal checking bonuses, Citi isn’t forcing bill pay setups, payroll DD, or “10 debit transactions in 30 days” nonsense.

 

Should You Do It?

You should seriously consider this offer if:

• You have at least $5,000 you can lock up for ~2 months 
• You’re comfortable opening a business account (sole prop counts) 
• You’re okay parking $5K+ to waive the $15 monthly fee 

You probably skip it if:

• You don’t want to visit a branch 
• You can’t keep the balance stable for the full hold period 
• You’re chasing a higher APR in a different promo account and you’d lose more than the bonus 

But for a lot of small businesses and side hustles, this is easy, repeatable profit.

 

Action Step

Walk into a Citi branch and ask a business banker about the current CitiBusiness Streamlined Checking promo paying up to $2,000. Bring ID, proof of business (or be ready to state you’re operating as a sole prop under your own name), and funds you can move in quickly.

If they say no or ask for LLC docs you don’t have? Thank them, walk out, and try another Citi branch nearby.

Because $200 on $5,000 for basically parking cash is the definition of free money.