Institution profile · Cooperative financial group
Desjardins
ActiveDesjardins Group (Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec and member caisses)Provincial insurer
Desjardins Group is a cooperative financial group of caisses in Quebec and Ontario, headquartered in Lévis. Its Quebec deposits are insured by Quebec’s AMF, not CDIC.
Profile facts checked October 30, 2026
Mitey files the Desjardins index card: cheapest everyday account $191 a year.
Is Desjardins a good bank for everyday banking?
Desjardins’s cheapest chequing account open to anyone, Everyday account - Unlimited plan, costs $191 a year for a typical household (25 debit purchases, 6 bills and 5 e-Transfers a month), $168 below the national median of $359. Its best posted savings rate is 0.55% on $10,000. A provincial insurer, not CDIC, protects its deposits.
At a glance
- Legal name
- Desjardins Group (Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec and member caisses)
- Type
- Cooperative financial group
- Head office
- Lévis, QC
- Founded
- 1900 — Desjardins dates its founding to 1900.
- Regulator
- Autorité des marchés financiers (Quebec); Ontario caisses by FSRA
- Cheapest everyday account
- Everyday account - Unlimited plan — $191 a year for the Everyday example
- Best posted savings rate
- 0.55% on $10,000 (Non-registered savings account)
- Website
- www.desjardins.com
Is my money safe at Desjardins?
Deposits at Quebec Desjardins caisses and the Fédération are insured by the AMF up to $100,000 per person, per category. Caisse Desjardins Ontario Credit Union is covered by Ontario’s FSRA. Desjardins Trust Inc. is a CDIC member.
Provincial rules: Quebec — $100,000.
Names CDIC lists for this member: Desjardins Trust, Desjardins Wealth Management Investments.
What do Desjardins’s chequing accounts cost?
Desjardins lists 8 chequing accounts with FCAC. For our “Everyday” example (25 debit purchases, 6 bills, 5 e-Transfers and a $1,000 low balance a month), the cheapest account open to anyone is Everyday account - Unlimited plan at $191 a year. Accounts limited to a group are marked.
| Account | Monthly fee and waiver | Included | Fees a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desjardins Youth Profit AccountYouth (18 and under) | No monthly fee | Unlimited | $0 |
| Everyday account - Unlimited plan | $15.95/mo, or $0 with a $4,000 minimum balance | Unlimited | $191 |
| Everyday account - Unlimited Plus plan | $21.95/mo, or $0 with a $5,000 minimum balance | Unlimited | $263 |
| Everyday account - Intermediate plan | $10.95/mo, or $0 with a $3,000 minimum balance | 30 a month | $341 |
| Everyday account - Basic plan | $3.95/mo, or $0 with a $1,500 minimum balance | 12 a month | $527 |
| Desjardins Merit Service (60 years and over)Seniors | No monthly fee | None included (each one is charged) | $660 |
| Everyday Account (without a transaction plan) | No monthly fee | None included (each one is charged) | $660 |
| School caisse (6 to 11 years old)Youth (18 and under) | No monthly fee | Unlimited | n/a |
- Desjardins Youth Profit Account · youth only$0
- Everyday account - Unlimited plan$191
- Everyday account - Unlimited Plus plan$263
- Everyday account - Intermediate plan$341
- Everyday account - Basic plan$527
- Desjardins Merit Service (60 years and over) · senior only$660
- Everyday Account (without a transaction plan)$660
- Cheapest in Canada: Personal Account · EQ Bank$0
- Median nationwide account$359
What would Desjardins cost a typical household?
The cheapest Desjardins account open to anyone for each of our four usage profiles, against the cheapest account in Canada for the same banking. Profiles are defined in the finder.
| Profile | Cheapest at Desjardins | Fees/yr | Cheapest in Canada | Fees/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light Mostly card and app, small balance | Everyday account - Intermediate plan | $131 | PC Money Account PC Financial | $0 |
| Everyday Household account, a few e-Transfers | Everyday account - Unlimited plan | $191 | Personal Account EQ Bank | $0 |
| Heavy Lots of card, bill and e-Transfer payments | Everyday account - Unlimited plan | $191 | Personal Account EQ Bank | $0 |
| Branch and cheques Teller visits, cheques, paper statement | Everyday account - Intermediate plan | $158 | Basic Bank Account Scotiabank | $134 |
Worked example — Everyday account - Unlimited plan (Desjardins), Everyday profile
| Monthly fee (not waived: needs $4,000, $3,000 more than the $1,000 low balance) × 12 | $191.40 |
| Transactions beyond the included number (0 a month) × 12 | $0 |
| Other-bank ATM access fees (1 a month) × 12 | $0 |
| Paper statements × 12 | $0 |
| Fees a year | $191.40 |
Our take
Desjardins is competitive: its cheapest open account costs less than the median Canadian account for everyday use. The cheapest account in Canada would save another $191 a year.
What savings rates does Desjardins pay?
| Account | Rate at $10,000 | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|
| Non-registered savings account | 0.55% | No monthly fee |
| Regular Savings Account | 0.05% | No monthly fee |
Is Desjardins on the official lists?
| Legal entity | OSFI list | CDIC member |
|---|---|---|
| Desjardins Trust Inc. | OSFI — trust company | Yes |
What else should you know about Desjardins?
- Describes itself as the largest cooperative financial group in Canada, with caisses in Quebec and Ontario.Source: desjardins.com
- Each Desjardins caisse in Quebec and the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec are authorized deposit institutions under the AMF’s deposit insurance regime.Source: desjardins.com
- The Fédération’s head office is at 100, rue des Commandeurs, Lévis.Source: desjardins.com
- Desjardins Trust Inc. is listed as a CDIC member.Source: cdic.ca
Your own pattern can change the order. Put your numbers into the true-cost finder to rank Desjardins’s accounts against everyone else’s.
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