HMRC cheque cashing recommendation please

stanzelsa

Hello,
Today I received a £670 cheque from HMRC, for overpayment on a private pension lump sum, £500 is the most I can pay into Monzo via the app. I can post it in, but normal wait times for it to clear are up to 4 weeks, and we all know Royal Mail Tracked means absolutely nothing apart from proof you sent it at this time of year. I tried my credit union but the cheque would need to be payable to them, not me, for me to deposit it. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a cheque cashing store? H&T want £100, so I'm not thrilled. But I might just do it cos I need the money for Christmas, don't want the drama of dealing with UC freezing benefits until they've investigated it, and it maybe going missing and not getting re-sent and in my account until next tax year!

Veteransaver

Can you not open a basic bank account with a high street bank or at the post office?

Penguin_

Can you deposit the cheque at a post office?

PRAISETHESUN

Penguin_ said:

Can you deposit the cheque at a post office?

Doesn't look like it: https://www.postoffice.co.uk/monzo

stanzelsa said:

Hello,
Today I received a £670 cheque from HMRC, for overpayment on a private pension lump sum, £500 is the most I can pay into Monzo via the app. I can post it in, but normal wait times for it to clear are up to 4 weeks, and we all know Royal Mail Tracked means absolutely nothing apart from proof you sent it at this time of year. I tried my credit union but the cheque would need to be payable to them, not me, for me to deposit it. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a cheque cashing store? H&T want £100, so I'm not thrilled. But I might just do it cos I need the money for Christmas, don't want the drama of dealing with UC freezing benefits until they've investigated it, and it maybe going missing and not getting re-sent and in my account until next tax year!

What other accounts do you have access to? "Easiest" options seems to just be mailing it off and waiting for it to be processed after Christmas, as I don't think opening a new account just to bank a cheque would be significantly faster.

Penguin_

Taken from Paypal:

Cash a cheque at a post office

Many post office branches allow customers to cash cheques without a bank account. A valid form of ID with a photo is usually required, as well as the physical cheque that is to be cashed out.

However, a post office may limit this service to certain types of non-personal cheques, such as government cheques.

stanzelsa

PRAISETHESUN said:

Penguin_ said:

Can you deposit the cheque at a post office?

Doesn't look like it: https://www.postoffice.co.uk/monzo

stanzelsa said:

Hello,
Today I received a £670 cheque from HMRC, for overpayment on a private pension lump sum, £500 is the most I can pay into Monzo via the app. I can post it in, but normal wait times for it to clear are up to 4 weeks, and we all know Royal Mail Tracked means absolutely nothing apart from proof you sent it at this time of year. I tried my credit union but the cheque would need to be payable to them, not me, for me to deposit it. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a cheque cashing store? H&T want £100, so I'm not thrilled. But I might just do it cos I need the money for Christmas, don't want the drama of dealing with UC freezing benefits until they've investigated it, and it maybe going missing and not getting re-sent and in my account until next tax year!

What other accounts do you have access to? "Easiest" options seems to just be mailing it off and waiting for it to be processed after Christmas, as I don't think opening a new account just to bank a cheque would be significantly faster.

None. Just Monzo and credit union. I live alone on disability benefits, and have a dreadful credit score so opening a new account isn't an option sadly. I requested the refund because I need the money for Christmas, I didn't realise how difficult it was to pay your own money into your own account these days!

la531983

And this is why everyone should retain a "bricks and mortar" bank account, nothing wrong with the online only banks generally but its things like paying in cash and cheques where they generally fall down.

PRAISETHESUN

stanzelsa said:

PRAISETHESUN said:

Penguin_ said:

Can you deposit the cheque at a post office?

Doesn't look like it: https://www.postoffice.co.uk/monzo

stanzelsa said:

Hello,
Today I received a £670 cheque from HMRC, for overpayment on a private pension lump sum, £500 is the most I can pay into Monzo via the app. I can post it in, but normal wait times for it to clear are up to 4 weeks, and we all know Royal Mail Tracked means absolutely nothing apart from proof you sent it at this time of year. I tried my credit union but the cheque would need to be payable to them, not me, for me to deposit it. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a cheque cashing store? H&T want £100, so I'm not thrilled. But I might just do it cos I need the money for Christmas, don't want the drama of dealing with UC freezing benefits until they've investigated it, and it maybe going missing and not getting re-sent and in my account until next tax year!

What other accounts do you have access to? "Easiest" options seems to just be mailing it off and waiting for it to be processed after Christmas, as I don't think opening a new account just to bank a cheque would be significantly faster.

None. Just Monzo and credit union. I live alone on disability benefits, and have a dreadful credit score so opening a new account isn't an option sadly. I requested the refund because I need the money for Christmas, I didn't realise how difficult it was to pay your own money into your own account these days!

Did HMRC ever give you an option to have the money transferred to your account electronically? Could you ask them to cancel the cheque and do that instead?

PRAISETHESUN

Another potential option, open a current account with Starling? No hard credit checks if you don't apply for an overdraft and looks to be a £1000 limit for in-app cheque deposits: https://www.starlingbank.com/features/deposit-cheques-from-mobile

Rob5342

They should really be doing bank transfers in this day and age,  for lots of people it can be quite difficult to deposit a cheque. 

The suggestion to try opening a Starling account is a good one as they allow chewue deposits up to £1000.it only takes 10 minutes to try and if they say no you've lost nothing. 

born_again

Rob5342 said:

They should really be doing bank transfers in this day and age,  for lots of people it can be quite difficult to deposit a cheque. 

The suggestion to try opening a Starling account is a good one as they allow chewue deposits up to £1000.it only takes 10 minutes to try and if they say no you've lost nothing. 

They do.
All tax refunds I have had in the last 6 years have been online.
Might need to have a personal tax acc set up

https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account