Checks do expire if not deposited, though the deadline depends on the type. Personal and business checks go stale after six months, federal government checks are void after one year, and USPS money orders never expire at all. Missing the deadline doesn’t erase the money owed to you, but the paper itself often becomes useless, and you’ll usually need to ask the issuer for a replacement before you can collect.
Personal and Business Checks Go Stale at Six Months
The Uniform Commercial Code gives banks the right to refuse any check (other than a certified check) presented more than six months after its date.1Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old Bankers call this “stale-dated.” The important word is right, not requirement. A bank can still choose to pay an older check if the account has funds and the transaction looks legitimate.
That discretion works both ways. A seven- or eight-month-old personal check might sail through your deposit, or it might bounce back with a returned-item fee attached. There’s no way to predict which will happen, and mobile deposit apps tend to be stricter than tellers — many flag stale dates automatically and reject the image before anyone reviews it.
The stale-date rule governs the bank’s obligation, not the underlying debt. If a check goes stale, the person who wrote it still owes you the money. Contract law treats a debt as unpaid until funds actually transfer, so an expired check is not a cancelled debt. You just lose the easy way to collect.
Watch for “Void After” Dates Printed on the Check
Business and payroll checks often carry text near the signature line reading “Void after 90 days” or “Void after 180 days.” That date is set by the issuing company, not by banking law, and it doesn’t formally override the UCC’s six-month window. In practice, though, many banks and automated systems treat the printed date as the real cutoff, especially since honoring it protects the business customer that issued the check.
Treat whatever date is printed on the check as your deadline. Assuming a bank will ignore that language is a gamble that usually ends with a returned-item fee and a trip back to the issuer for a fresh check.
Federal Government Checks Are Void After One Year
Federal government checks — tax refunds, Social Security payments, veterans’ benefits — expire exactly one year from their issue date. Every Treasury check is printed with a “Void After One Year” notice.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 240 – Indorsement and Payment of Checks Drawn on the United States Treasury Unlike personal checks, banks have no discretion here. After twelve months, the Treasury will not honor the payment.
If you find an expired federal check, contact the agency that authorized the original payment: the IRS for a tax refund, the Social Security Administration for benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs for VA payments.3Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Payment Integrity and Resolution Services – If You Want To That agency handles reissuance and any required claim forms. If you’re not sure who sent it, the authorizing agency is usually identified on the face of the check itself. Expect the replacement to take several weeks.
State and local government checks follow the issuing jurisdiction’s rules. Most stay valid somewhere between six months and one year, and nearly all print the specific expiration date on the front. If you’ve missed it, you’ll typically need to file a formal claim with the issuing agency to have the funds reauthorized.
Cashier’s Checks, Certified Checks, and Money Orders
Cashier’s checks and certified checks are different animals. When you buy a cashier’s check, the bank pulls the funds from your account and takes on the payment obligation itself. A certified check works similarly: the bank verifies the funds, sets them aside, and stamps the check as certified.
The UCC’s six-month stale-date rule does not apply to certified checks.1Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old Cashier’s checks also sit outside the normal personal-check framework because they’re drawn on the bank’s own funds. The issuing bank stays liable for the face value until the check is cashed or the money is turned over to the state.
Banks don’t hold those funds indefinitely. State unclaimed property laws require financial institutions to transfer uncashed cashier’s check funds to the state after a dormancy period, typically three to five years depending on the jurisdiction. Once that transfer happens, the physical check is worthless at the bank counter. You’d need to search your state’s unclaimed property database and file a claim to recover the money.
U.S. Postal Service money orders never expire. You can cash one regardless of how old it is, and no fees are deducted for age.4USPS. Money Orders Private money orders from issuers like Western Union are also valid indefinitely, but with a catch: depending on the state where you bought it, the issuer may begin deducting a monthly service charge after one to three years of inactivity.5Western Union. Money Orders – Purchase and Cash at a Western Union Near You The instrument never technically expires, but the amount you receive shrinks if you wait too long. Traveler’s checks from major issuers generally don’t expire either. Contact the issuer before trying to redeem an old one, since procedures vary by company.
Uncashed Paychecks Still Count as Taxable Income
This catches people off guard. Under federal tax law, income is taxable when it’s made available to you, not when you physically collect it.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 451 – General Rule for Taxable Year of Inclusion The principle is called constructive receipt. A paycheck counts as taxable income the moment your employer issues it, whether you cash it or not.
Employer obligations are identical regardless of what you do with the check. Your employer must withhold income tax, Social Security, and Medicare when the check is issued and report those wages on your W-2 for the year the check was written.7Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer’s Tax Guide Letting the check go stale doesn’t reduce your taxable income or refund the withholding.
If a payroll check goes uncashed, the employer can’t just void it and pocket the money. State unclaimed property laws require employers to turn uncashed wages over to the state where the employee last worked, typically after one to three years of dormancy. The wages remain yours; you’d just claim them through the state’s unclaimed property program instead of from your former employer.
Getting a Replacement Check
When a bank refuses a stale check, your first call is to the person or company that wrote it. They’ll need to issue a new one, and most will want to place a stop-payment order on the original first so both checks don’t end up clearing.8LII / Legal Information Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 4-403 – Customer’s Right to Stop Payment; Burden of Proof of Loss Banks typically charge $30 or more for that service, and the issuer may ask you to absorb the cost or deduct it from the replacement amount.
If you still have the old check, return it to the issuer. That proves the original was never cashed and gives them confidence to release a replacement. If you’ve lost the check entirely, the debt itself still exists. Losing the paper doesn’t eliminate the obligation to pay, and courts can enforce payment on a lost instrument, though the process requires showing adequate protection against the possibility that the check later surfaces and someone else tries to cash it.
For federal government checks, the replacement runs through the issuing agency rather than a bank. For state or local checks, contact the agency that sent the original and ask about their reissuance procedure. Budget extra time — government replacements often take several weeks longer than private ones.