Someone cashed a cheque I wrote 17 months ago - don't they expire after 6 months?

hoopsalot

Hi all,

I went to a craft workshop before the pandemic and the workshop holder was only taking cheques. I'd kept a note through 2020 up to 6 months after that it hadn't been cashed and then eventually forgot about it, thinking the workshop holder would reach out if they wanted payment again as I thought cheques were only valid for 6 months.

Now, 17 months later, the money has been debited from my account (they obviously found the cheque and cashed it). I phoned my bank to ask "what the hell?" and they said that cheques, once written, were available indefinitely and that it was up to individual receiving banks how and if they wanted to go ahead with the transaction. But out of courtesy, the person cashing the cheque should have made contact to check it was still ok to do so?

Has anyone ever heard of this before? Normally I wouldn't mind but it's been a very expensive month and it was not an expense I was budgeting for.

p3ncilsharpener

There is no hard and fast rule that banks are not allowed to pay out on cheques older than 6 months.  As a recipient, you should always expect them to expire after 6 months, as the writer of the cheque, expect it to be valid indefinitely unless cancelled.

Presumably, you owed them the money?  If so I don't see what the issue is.  If you don't, then ask them for it back.

Thrugelmir

hoopsalot said:

But out of courtesy, the person cashing the cheque should have made contact to check it was still ok to do so?

Were you hoping to get the goods for nothing?  You haven't bothered to go to the shop previously despite the months passing and point out the cheque hasn't been banked. 

hoopsalot

Thrugelmir said:

hoopsalot said:

But out of courtesy, the person cashing the cheque should have made contact to check it was still ok to do so?

Were you hoping to get the goods for nothing?  You haven't bothered to go to the shop previously despite the months passing and point out the cheque hasn't been banked. 

Goodness no! I will always pay. Certainly don't want their services for free when I know how much time, effort and resources go into these things. I did contact them after the workshop about the cheque but heard nothing subsequently. I'm just very surprised that it's been honoured after 17 months. I'm happy to pay, it's just a bit of a shock when I've only ever known about a 6 month cut off date and an expensive month. I wasn't aware you could cash them at any time.

p3ncilsharpener said:

There is no hard and fast rule that banks are not allowed to pay out on cheques older than 6 months.  As a recipient, you should always expect them to expire after 6 months, as the writer of the cheque, expect it to be valid indefinitely unless cancelled.

Presumably, you owed them the money?  If so I don't see what the issue is.  If you don't, then ask them for it back.

Just the length of time - happy to pay but goodness, 17 months was a bit of a surprise. I've only ever been aware of it being 6 months as a cut off.

Aylesbury_Duck

Courtesy works both ways, you might have contacted them at the 6 month point when you were still keeping a note that it hadn't been paid in by that point.  

Keep_pedalling

hoopsalot said:

Thrugelmir said:

hoopsalot said:

But out of courtesy, the person cashing the cheque should have made contact to check it was still ok to do so?

Were you hoping to get the goods for nothing?  You haven't bothered to go to the shop previously despite the months passing and point out the cheque hasn't been banked. 

Goodness no! I will always pay. Certainly don't want their services for free when I know how much time, effort and resources go into these things. I did contact them after the workshop about the cheque but heard nothing subsequently. I'm just very surprised that it's been honoured after 17 months. I'm happy to pay, it's just a bit of a shock when I've only ever known about a 6 month cut off date and an expensive month. I wasn't aware you could cash them at any time.

p3ncilsharpener said:

There is no hard and fast rule that banks are not allowed to pay out on cheques older than 6 months.  As a recipient, you should always expect them to expire after 6 months, as the writer of the cheque, expect it to be valid indefinitely unless cancelled.

Presumably, you owed them the money?  If so I don't see what the issue is.  If you don't, then ask them for it back.

Just the length of time - happy to pay but goodness, 17 months was a bit of a surprise. I've only ever been aware of it being 6 months as a cut off.

If you were happy to pay, why call the bank to say “what the hell”?

pbartlett

google 'cheque expiry' or similar for lots of info.

JJ_Egan

Dont believe their is a consumer right/ law  .

Its not a cut off as in no longer valid .

mattyprice4004

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Courtesy works both ways, you might have contacted them at the 6 month point when you were still keeping a note that it hadn't been paid in by that point.  

I think this is the most pertinent point in the thread - keeping quiet about payment when you knew it hadn't been cashed isn't particularly courteous; I'd have called them at the 6 month mark to see if they'd lost it and if I could arrange payment another way.

bris

Cheques don't actually expire, banks as a courtesy usually contact you to explain it's been presented.

A cheque is like a contract to pay that you can't get out of, It's a legally binding rock solid contract thats like cash as a promise to pay the bearer on demand.

Manxman_in_exile

p3ncilsharpener said:

... as the writer of the cheque, expect it to be valid indefinitely unless cancelled.

bris said:

Cheques don't actually expire, banks as a courtesy usually contact you to explain it's been presented.

A cheque is like a contract to pay that you can't get out of, It's a legally binding rock solid contract thats like cash as a promise to pay the bearer on demand.

Surely cheques aren't still valid and legally binding after six years, are they?