She currently works full-time as a senior editor at a major book publisher and resides in Nashville, Tennessee. With $0 minimum to open online and Low Cash Mode® to help avoid overdrafts. A lawyer can help you understand your rights and what actions you can take to protect yourself.

Is it okay to use old checks?

• But it may help to keep in mind that if there aren’t enough funds to cover the check, you could run into issues with a bounced check and related fees.
• If a check you wrote is approaching the six-month mark but still hasn’t been cashed, you’ll be able to spot it so that you can get in touch with the recipient.
• Being proactive can help you avoid having to deal with stale-dated checks.
• Offers that appear on this site are from third-party advertisers from which Credit Karma typically receives compensation.
• While the Federal Reserve considers those notices to be guidelines, some banks are very conservative and won’t budge.
• If there are no further instructions on the check, then the bank can choose not to honor it if it’s older than six months.
• The rule for the validity of checks issued by the state government can vary according to the state legislature in America.

Checks can be a convenient way to make and receive payments. However, if you’ve ever found a check several months after it was issued, you may have wondered, “Do checks expire? ” It’s a good question to ask, and the answer will likely depend on the type of check. Make sure your bank accounts are reconciled on a monthly basis and contact owners when need be.

Is There Anything I Can Do to Prevent a Stale Check From Being Honored?

Since you owe that money to either the state or the property owner, uncashed checks should never be voided. Instead, they should be monitored, and the owner should be contacted periodically. As a business owner, you should take time to clearly outline how your company is going to handle stale checks. If you’re receiving a check, your company policy should be to deposit it within one month to ensure you do not lose it.

• The fees will depend on whether you were the issuer of the check or the recipient.
• Before trying to cash or deposit an outdated check, consider reaching out to the check writer and ask for a replacement check.
• Doing so prevents confusion at the bank and lets the check writer know that you’re ready to collect your money.
• However, bank routing numbers or account numbers may change if your bank merges with another bank.
• An important point here to note is even if these checks become stale, it does not imply they have become void and cannot be encashed.

Traveler’s checks

Because the paying bank receives funds upfront, the recipient doesn’t have to worry about dealing with a bad check. As mentioned, personal checks are usually valid for up to six months after the date they were issued, but you shouldn’t count on the bank to pay attention to the dates. If somebody worries that a check got lost, they may decide to stop payment—an order not to pay a check that has been issued, but not cashed—on that check. The bank will then reject your deposit, and it’ll bounce back to your bank unpaid.

The Bankrate promise

A bank will, in good faith, do all it can to stop payment on a check, but a bank will not guarantee that the check will not be processed. If the stale check is returned for any reason, then a person’s bank may charge a fee for returning the check to the person. They may then reverse the deposit if the funds were not placed on hold.

What types of checks can ‘go stale’?

If you miss this deadline, you may contact the relevant government agency to request the check be re-issued. If you’re cashing older checks, it may make sense to contact the issuer first. Perhaps they could re-issue the check or confirm they can still honor it. Use this information to create a policy on owner contact and state remittance for different categories of uncashed checks.

State and local government checks

Being proactive can help you avoid having to deal with stale-dated checks. A stop payment informs your bank that you do not want the check cashed. A stop order prevents the other business owner from cashing both the original and new checks. Even if the payee never cashes the stale check, this doesn’t mean that your business receives extra cash. Certified checks are personal checks from a bank account owner who has drawn on the account and had the bank guarantee the check.

If you have old checks, be sure the routing number and account number are still valid. With Chase for Business you’ll receive guidance from a team of business professionals who specialize in check stale dated helping improve cash flow, providing credit solutions, and managing payroll. Choose from business checking, business credit cards, merchant services or visit our business resource center.

• We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.
• Typically, personal checks are good for six months (or 180 days) from when they’re dated.
• A stale check is also referred to as a “stale-dated check” or an “expired check.” The length of time that a check is considered to be valid may vary from state to state.
• Cashier’s checks can be a little confusing with regards to expiration dates, which can vary based on local laws.
• Some checks can become stale-dated as early as 60 days, while others may be 90 to 180 days.
• The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced.

Other Products & Services: