How long a dated check valid till?

[crow]

Say, a personal check is dated today. If I take the check to a bank or institution after 1 year , will the bank take it(assuming there are sufficient funds in the account & no mention of the check being voided after certain period(s) of time)?

[qster]

That was depends on the bank that issuer is with.

I think the standard is either 90-120 days from the date it was signed

[Octavius]

90 days would be the safe bet. Any longer then that and I would recommend you get them to re-issue you a new check.

[oeketer]

6 months. You can deposit a chq 6 months from the date it was dated. after that you would need a new one.

[Trooper8111]

6 months

[jm1]

This is called being "stale-dated". Banks differ with their policies, so you'll need to check both with the deposit bank (they may refuse to deposit it) and the payor's bank (they may refuse to honour it) for their time limits. It used to be six months everywhere years ago, but some banks have tightened up their policies.

[Jin-n-Juice]

CPA considers cheques to be stale-dated after six months
http://www.cdnpay.ca/faqs/cheques.asp#7

When is a cheque considered stale-dated, and is it no longer valid after that point?

Under CPA Rule A4, Section 21, a cheque is considered stale-dated after six months, unless it has been certified. Although it may be returned through the clearing for that reason, there is no obligation to do so, and the payor’s financial institution may still accept it as a valid payment item. An institution accepting a cheque that is dated more than six months earlier may choose to contact the payor’s financial institution to confirm whether the cheque will still be accepted.

[number84]

i've always known it to be: personal/company checks 6 months...gov't checks 1 year.

but i doubt if you deposit it to an ATM, they would be that picky.

[Psycho44]

i've always known it to be: personal/company checks 6 months...gov't checks 1 year.

but i doubt if you deposit it to an ATM, they would be that picky.

yep gov't check is 1 year. I found my gst cheque just few days before the 1 year was up and cashed it in with no problem.

[Capt.]

Personal cheques are 180 days but you can sometimes get away with depositing stale-dated cheques. If you put them in at a machine or send a large bundle of cheques it can sometimes get by. I know at work I've seen people cash our cheques that were well past their stale date and I'm pretty sure I've deposited a couple after too.

One cheque said void after 90 days, trying to make up their own rule I guess, and I put that in after 90 without a problem.

[tkyoshi]

Personal cheques are 180 days but you can sometimes get away with depositing stale-dated cheques. If you put them in at a machine or send a large bundle of cheques it can sometimes get by. I know at work I've seen people cash our cheques that were well past their stale date and I'm pretty sure I've deposited a couple after too.

One cheque said void after 90 days, trying to make up their own rule I guess, and I put that in after 90 without a problem.

I think with the 90 days, basically the company doesn't guarantee the funds after that. Typically with things like Rebates, after the 90 Day period the account may be closed but usually they'll leave it open for a bit longer.

[qster]

Why would you be saving or holding onto a cheque for that long?
Or did you forget all about it and just found the cheque again?

Once I get a cheque, the longest I'd hold it for is 2 weeks MAX.
I never take cheques from friends...let alone lend them money (rule #4)

[bellboy26]

6 months for a personal or business cheque(unless otherwise stated on cheque itself) Gov't Chq or bank draft do not stale date.