How long are cheques valid for?

Westie983

In my post the envelope system and the deposit machine are two different methods of paying in.

Goldiegirl

realaledrinker wrote: »

The above assumes someone actually eyeballs the cheques. Unless the teller spots the date at the counter I would vouch that it will go through the system no bother.

I paid a cheque payable to daughter (full name on it) into my account by mistake the other week. Went through as easy as pie.

Don't be too sure - the paying bank might spot the cheque is out of date and bounce it.


My last job was with a very small bank, and they still did many things on a manual basis, including a person actually looking at all cheques in the daily clearing, to check for technicalities.


So an out of date cheque could well be returned unpaid

TheBanker

Westie983 wrote: »

Which bank is this, I would have thought that the machine needs to be emptied then the cheques sent to the clearing centre, what would stop someone from adding a few 00's to the end of a cheque that reads £10?

The cheques are checked at the clearing centre. They would detect someone adding a few 000s onto the end of a cheque. Although actually it is for the paying bank to detect fraudulent alterations and return the cheque unpaid if so.

TheBanker

Goldiegirl wrote: »

My last job was with a very small bank, and they still did many things on a manual basis, including a person actually looking at all cheques in the daily clearing, to check for technicalities.

That was one of my first jobs... cheque in date, words and figures match, alterations signed by the drawer, paper and print feel genuine....

Apart from small banks, I think these checks only happen for high value cheques these days.

Heck, we even used to ring the drawer if we had any queries about a cheque, I bet the modern way is just to return it unpaid.

Goldiegirl

TheBanker wrote: »

That was one of my first jobs... cheque in date, words and figures match, alterations signed by the drawer, paper and print feel genuine....

.

Me too..... It struck me as quite amusing that in my very last job they were still doing things that were commonplace in my first job in the 1970's!

Westie983

All cheques should be checked as part of the bank clearance and end of day duties not just the big cheques as you say, hence my posts asking which bank send the cheques straight to the clearance centre.

shortcrust

People often get my surname a bit wrong on cheques. I always pay them in and no one's ever noticed (or they have noticed and thought "ah, it's close enough").

emmb

I phoned my bank and they said six months normally but thatt if it got refused because of the date I would not get charged anything so worth trying anyway..so I assume as previous poster had put there must be some discretion on it. I did submit the cheque and it was paid no problem, no query. So always worth trying, just check bank won't charge you first.

I thought I had posted this before thus the delay but thought someone may find the info useful... :-)

Anthorn

A cheque is valid for as long as the debt exists up to a maximum of 6 years which is the time allowed by the Limitations Act 1980.

Banks apply a discretionary 6 months expiry to protect the Payer but that can be challenged by the payee.

http://www.chequeandcredit.co.uk/resources/faqs/cheques_and_cheque_clearing/