Under federal law, a bank is not required to make payment after that point. If you want to cash a check a few months after receiving it, consider giving the check writer or issuer a courtesy call. Let the person or entity know you plan to deposit the check, so they can make sure their account has the funds. Personal, business, and payroll checks are good for 6 months (180 days). Some businesses have “void after 90 days” pre-printed on their checks. Most banks will honor those checks for up to 180 days and the pre-printed language is meant to encourage people to deposit or cash a check sooner than later.
- Note that a nonrefundable service fee may be deducted from the principal amount if you don’t cash a money order within one to three years, depending on the state of purchase.
- If they still want to cash the check, offer to write them a new one — just make sure you get the old check back first, or put a stop payment order on it.
- Banks set their own policies and can decide at their discretion whether to process an old check.
- So in summary, banks are not obligated to honor outstanding checks older than six months, although they can potentially do so.
- Treasury checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, and traveler’s checks are different.
- Early action will help you avoid issues that might arise upon the check’s expiration, like banks refusing to honor the payment.
Many times the document is rejected and then resubmitted with the same check and when reviewed again, the check is “stale”. Please check the date of your check when resubmitting documents. With this in mind, it’s best to process a check as soon as possible to avoid complications or delays with processing, which also ensures avoiding stale-dated checks. If you wrote someone a check and you’ve been waiting an unusual amount of time for it to be cashed, you may want to contact them to make sure the check hasn’t been stolen or lost. The 6-month rule is a general rule, but that doesn’t apply to all types of checks and money orders.
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That said, it’s important to point out that stale dated checks are not the same as voided checks, which will have the word “VOID” written across the face. Instead, stale-dated checks are the same as unclaimed checks and dormant checks. Stale-dated checks refer to expired checks or checks that banks and credit unions will no longer process.
Any user can report a routing number missing, invalid, or provide details not included. We verify every submission and make notes or updates accordingly. The GlobalBanks editorial team comprises a group of subject-matter experts from across the banking world, including former bankers, analysts, investors, and entrepreneurs. All have in-depth knowledge and experience in various aspects of international banking.
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Wajiha is a Brampton-based CPA, CGA, and Controller with 17+ years of experience in the financial services industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University and is a Chartered Certified Accountant. Wajiha spearheads Monily as its Director and is a leader who excels in helping teams achieve excellence.
If you forgot to deposit a check and it’s been more than six months since you received it, it might be considered stale. You can try and deposit or cash it, but you risk the check being rejected by your bank or possibly returned from the issuing bank. Before trying to cash or deposit an outdated check, consider reaching out to the check writer and ask for a replacement check. If you’ve issued a check that has yet to be cashed, you can contact the recipient to see if they still have the check and intend to cash it. If they still want to cash the check, offer to write them a new one — just make sure you get the old check back first, or put a stop payment order on it.
How long are different types of checks good for?
RoutingTool™ is used by 90% of the Fortune 100 Companies for 2020. If a bank does elect to cash or deposit a check for you, this does not mean the balance stale dated checks of the check will be immediately available. Each bank has its own check hold policies, check endorsement requirements, and clearance period.
Keeping thorough records will go a long way toward ensuring business compliance. You should also keep diligent records of the attempts you made to contact the business owner. Businesses have so many checks flowing through them that depositing a check after this date may cause it to bounce. It could also cause problems with things like the balance sheet and cash flow statement.