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Money & Insurance

How to Open a Bank Account for a Minor in Berks County

How to open a bank account for a child or teen in Berks County: joint or custodial, the ages banks and credit unions set, what to bring, and credit at 18.

Berks Connect Blog|Published October 9, 2026
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Each bank or credit union sets its own ages and decides whether an adult has to be on a child's account. On most of the teen checking accounts in the table below, you'll be on it too, until your teen is at least 16 and at some places until 18. For a teen who wants to spend money they earned, that means a joint teen checking account with a debit card and both your names on it; for gift money that should stay put, it's a custodial account that belongs to your child and turns over to them at 21.

Say your 14-year-old just started babysitting and wants a card, and a grandparent keeps handing them birthday checks. Those are two different jobs, and maybe two different accounts. You can start with the banks with branches in Berks County or credit unions in Berks County, and the one you already use is the easiest first call.

How old does a child have to be to open a bank account?

No federal law stops a minor from having a savings account. An account is a contract, though, and a child can generally undo a contract, so a bank can't count on holding a child to one. That's why each bank or credit union decides for itself whether a child's account needs an adult on it, and at what ages.

Savings accounts for young children start at birth at some places, like Ambler Savings Bank's Children's Savings, and Visions Federal Credit Union's First account is for kids 12 and under. Most of the teen accounts below start at 13, though Diamond Credit Union's starts at 12, Citizens' at 14, and Ambler's Teen Honors goes by grade, from 9th. Here's a sample of what they print on their own sites.

What each bank or credit union's own site said on September 30, 2026. It's a sample of the places with Berks County offices, not all of them.

Bank or credit union Account for kids or teens Ages its site gives The adult's role, in its words
Ambler Savings Bank Children's Savings Account; Teen Honors Banking Children's Savings: 0 up to 13. Teen Honors: 9th to 12th grade Children's Savings: "primary signer". Teen Honors: "joint account holder"
Chase Chase First Banking; Chase High School Checking First Banking: 6 to 17. High School: 13 to 17 at opening First Banking: the parent owns it. High School: "co-owner"
Citizens Student Checking 14 to 25 "Joint account with a parent or guardian" for owners 14 to 16
Diamond Credit Union Junior Member savings; Breakthrough Account Junior: 11 or younger. Breakthrough: 12 to 17 Junior: a parent on the account "as the guardian". Breakthrough: "joint owner"
Discovery Federal Credit Union Youth Accounts (savings); checking Checking: 13 and over "Joint ownership for parents, grandparents, or guardians"; checking: a "joint owner" 18 or older
Ephrata National Bank My Checking 101 13 to 17 Ask the branch
Fleetwood Bank Smart Savers; Student Checking Smart Savers: grades K to 12. Student Checking: 13 to 26 Smart Savers: "authorized signer". Student Checking: "secondary owner"
Fulton Bank Xpress Account 13 and up; 16 as the only owner Ages 13 to 15 need an "adult owner"
M&T Bank MyWay Banking; Starter Savings MyWay: 13 to 17. Starter Savings: under 18 MyWay: "joint owner". Starter Savings: joint, or held by "custodians"
Visions Federal Credit Union First Account; Focus Account First: 12 and under. Focus: 13 to 17 Focus: "Joint owners or parental permissions may be required"
Wells Fargo Clear Access Banking 13 and older "Adult co-owner" for teens 13 to 16

If the place you bank isn't on it, call the branch and ask what it offers a child your kid's age.

Custodial account vs joint account: which one fits?

A joint account is an account with both your names on it, where you're a co-owner. That's how most teen accounts work, and "parent" here includes a guardian: several of these places name one, and Discovery names grandparents too. The word for your role changes from place to place: M&T and Discovery Federal Credit Union say joint owner, and Chase and Wells Fargo say co-owner. Some savings accounts for kids work a third way. Fleetwood Bank's Smart Savers is held in your child's name, and you're an authorized signer, meaning you can sign on it without owning it. The account agreement spells out who can take money out, so ask what your role is called and what it lets you do.

Read that agreement for two more things. It can make the adult owner responsible for any overdraft or unpaid charge on the account, and it can say that a parent who isn't named on the account has no access to it.

A custodial account is an account that holds a gift for your child, run by one adult, often you, until the child turns 21. In Pennsylvania, that's what the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act sets up, and the account's title says so, with wording like "as custodian for (your child's name) under the Pennsylvania Uniform Transfers to Minors Act." Money that goes in is a gift that can't be taken back. It belongs to your child. The custodian, the adult running it, can spend it only for the child's benefit, and the law hands a gift over to your child at 21.

That makes it a good home for the birthday checks and the wrong spot for babysitting money your teen wants to spend, since a custodial account isn't meant to come with a debit or ATM card your child can use to take money out. If you're wondering how the money is protected at a bank or a credit union, here's how deposit insurance works.

Visions, Fulton Bank, Fleetwood Bank, M&T and Discovery name custodial accounts on their own sites or in their account agreements. If yours isn't one of them, ask. Visions is a credit union, so if you're not a member yet, start with how to join a credit union here.

What to bring when you open a bank account for your child.

Federal rules require four things from whoever opens the account: name, date of birth, a street address, and an ID number such as a Social Security number. When you open it for your child, that's you, and each bank or credit union adds its own list for your child. M&T asks for the teen's birth certificate or ID and Social Security number, plus your ID. Diamond wants both of you there for its teen account. For your own side, here's what you need to open an account.

Plan on going in person, with your child. Many teen accounts can only be opened at a branch, including the teen accounts at Chase, M&T, Citizens and Wells Fargo. At Chase, you'll need a Chase checking account of your own to open High School Checking. Where these banks and credit unions print an opening deposit for a youth account, it's $50 or less, as of 2026, and it's your child's money in the account, not a fee. When you're choosing where to go, look over the banks with branches in Berks County and pick one near home or school.

How to keep an eye on a teen's debit card.

Some teen accounts let you set limits. Chase First Banking lets the parent set spending and ATM limits, and on M&T's MyWay you can see the activity and lock or unlock your teen's debit card. Ask what limits and alerts an account has.

You might be thinking it's simpler to hand your teen your own debit card. You can, but then you're paying for whatever they buy: the bank treats it as purchases you allowed, until you tell the bank they no longer have your OK to use the card.

What happens to the account when your child turns 18?

It depends on the account, so ask the day you open it. Ephrata National Bank's My Checking 101 converts to another account at 18, Chase High School Checking at 19, Ambler's Teen Honors at 21, and Citizens Student Checking at 25. At Discovery, nothing changes unless all the owners ask for it in writing.

How can your teen start building credit at 18?

A debit card typically doesn't build a credit history, and neither does cash, because it isn't borrowed money. A credit card has its own age rule: a card company can't open one for someone under 21 unless they can show they're able to make the minimum payments on their own, or a cosigner 21 or older signs on. A cosigner is an adult who signs on and promises to pay if the young person doesn't.

So where does an 18-year-old start? A secured credit card is a credit card backed by cash you put down first, and because it's a credit card, the under-21 rule applies to it too. Put down $500 and you can spend up to $500, and paying the bill frees that room again.

A credit-builder loan is a small loan the bank holds as savings while you pay it off. Your teen makes small payments and at the end gets the full amount they paid. Ask whether the payments are reported to the credit reporting companies. Jonestown Bank & Trust offers a Credit Builder Loan, and your own bank or credit union can tell you what it has.

None of that has to happen while your teen is 14. For now, call the branch, ask for its list of papers and its hours, and bring your child and the papers.

Frequently asked questions.

What do I bring to open a bank account for my child?

Your own photo ID, your child's Social Security number for your child's side of the account, and whatever the branch lists for your child, often a birth certificate or a school ID. Call ahead for the list, and bring your child.

Is a custodial account a good place for birthday money?

It fits money meant to stay put. It's a gift that belongs to your child for good, and they get it at 21.

Does a debit card build credit?

Typically not, because it spends your teen's own money, not borrowed money. A secured credit card or a credit-builder loan is built for that job.

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