Do cheques have en expiry date

monkey_123

Just found a 9 month old cheque in the bottom of my draw and wondered if it's still possible to cash it?

Quiet_Life

It usually tells you on the front of the cheque how long it is valid for, if it's from s business, personal cheques I'm not sure about. Phone the bank that issued the cheque, to check [sorry if that sounds like a pun]

mjm3346

RBS quote 6 months

. Cheques are valid for 6 months from the date written on the cheque

http://www.rbsmoneysense.co.uk/rbs/info/glossary.asp

luci

I think most cheques have to be presented for payment within 6 months.

If it is over that, you need to contact the issuer to have a new one issued.

dzug1

If you pay it in the chances are it will get paid with no-one noticing.

But there's no guarantee of that - and you or the person issuing it might get charged in the process.

henm2

UK Payments Administration Ltd. (UKPA), (previously the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS)) which is a trade organisation for the banks advise the following:
'It is common banking practice to reject cheques that are over six months old to protect the payer, on the basis that payment may already have been made by some other means or the cheque may have been lost or stolen. However, this is at the discretion of individual banks. It should not be assumed that cheques in excess of six months old would automatically be rejected - the only certain way to cancel a cheque is to request that a stop be placed on it.
Cheques backed by a Cheque Guarantee Card cannot be stopped.
It is recommended that, if possible, customers in possession of cheques that are over six months old obtain a replacement. In case of disputes, a cheque remains legally valid to use to prove a debt for six years.l]'

MoneySavingUser

Premium bond cheques usually say 'within 3 months' - you can write to them to get a replacement
For others generally 6 months

If you try using a cheque deposit machine it might slip through

someone

If it's a company cheque try to bank it. If they say no then just contact the company that issued it

If it's a personal cheque then you should contact the person who wrote it (they may have forgot about it)

Casiopeia_2

I always thought it was three months, six months sounds great as I've found a mislaid cheque that is four months old. I've been dreading asking the company for a new one.

Catspajamas

I think it depends on the cheque. Some have a specific expiry date on, otherwise its usually 6 months. Most banks and building societies double check cheques (at the point of paying in and then the point of processing) and so you many not get away with paying in one older.

DizzleUK

If the cheque comes from a company, contact them and explain the situation and they will send you a new one. You should return the old one to them.

Cheques expire after 6 months, your entitlement to the money owed by the company that issued the cheque doesn't, well, apart from the 6 years of statute limitations which may or may not apply in this case.

Either way, it's your money- go get it.