A check becomes void, in the sense that a bank no longer has to honor it, six months after the date written on its face for personal and business checks, and one year after issuance for federal government checks. Cashier’s checks, certified checks, money orders, and traveler’s checks don’t technically expire, but they can lose value or get swept into a state’s unclaimed property fund if you sit on them too long. Knowing which rule applies to the check in your hand decides whether you can still deposit it, whether you need a replacement, or whether you need to chase the money through a state agency.
The Six-Month Rule for Personal and Business Checks
Under the Uniform Commercial Code, a bank is not required to pay a check presented more than six months after its date, unless it’s a certified check.1Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old At that six-month mark the check becomes what banks call “stale-dated.” The rule covers both personal checks and standard business checks.
A stale check doesn’t bounce the way an insufficient-funds check does. The bank simply has the legal right to refuse it. Deposit a personal check seven months after its date and your bank may reject it outright, or accept it and have it returned unpaid by the issuing bank. Either way, you’ll be contacting the person who wrote it and asking for a replacement.
One point that catches people off guard: a stale check does not erase the underlying debt. If someone owed you $2,000 and wrote you a check you never cashed, that person still owes you $2,000. The check expired. The obligation behind it didn’t. The statute addresses only the bank’s duty to process the payment, not the validity of the debt between the two parties.1Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old
Post-Dated Checks
Writing a future date on a check doesn’t automatically stop a bank from cashing it early. Under UCC Section 4-401, a bank can charge a customer’s account for a post-dated check even before the date written on it, unless the customer has given the bank advance notice not to.2Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-401 – When Bank May Charge Customer’s Account
For the six-month stale-date window, the clock runs from whatever date appears on the face of the check. A check dated January 15 becomes stale around July 15, regardless of when it was handed over. Post-date a check for three months out and you’ve effectively given the recipient a nine-month window from the day you wrote it.
Preprinted “Void After” Dates
Payroll and business checks often carry a printed notice such as “void after 90 days” or “void after 180 days.” These legends are mostly a nudge to deposit quickly rather than an enforceable deadline. The UCC’s six-month standard still governs the bank’s obligation, so a bank can honor a check after 90 days if it appears legitimate and the account has funds.1Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old A business that genuinely wants to enforce a shorter deadline has to place a stop-payment order with its bank after the printed date passes.3HelpWithMyBank.gov. Can the Bank Pay a Check After I Place a Stop Payment on It?
Federal Government Checks
Federal Treasury checks, including tax refunds and Social Security payments, are valid for one year from the date of issuance. After that, the Treasury is no longer required to honor them.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 3328 – Paying Checks and Drafts Find an 18-month-old refund check in a drawer and you can’t just walk it into your bank. The check is dead.
The money isn’t. The statute explicitly states that the expiration of a Treasury check does not affect the underlying obligation of the United States.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 3328 – Paying Checks and Drafts For an expired tax refund, the IRS directs taxpayers to initiate a refund trace through the “Where’s My Refund?” tool or by calling 800-829-1954.5Internal Revenue Service. Refund Inquiries If you still have the expired check in hand, the IRS instructs you to contact them for instructions on returning it before a replacement is issued.6Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund For Social Security, veteran’s benefits, or other federal payments, contact the Bureau of the Fiscal Service to request reissuance.
State Government Checks
State-issued checks follow their own rules, and the expiration period varies by state and by the agency that issued the payment. Some state checks expire in six months, others in a year. Miss the window and the funds typically go back to the issuing agency or into the state’s unclaimed property fund. Recovering the money usually means contacting the specific state agency that issued the check or filing a claim through the state’s unclaimed property program.
Cashier’s Checks, Certified Checks, and Money Orders
These instruments work differently from personal checks because the money has already been set aside. With a cashier’s check, the bank withdraws the funds from the purchaser’s account at the time of purchase and becomes directly responsible for payment. Certified checks work similarly: the bank verifies the funds exist and guarantees the check, making the bank primarily liable. UCC Section 4-404 specifically excludes certified checks from the six-month stale-date rule.1Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old
Neither cashier’s checks nor certified checks technically expire the way personal checks do, but they don’t live forever. If left uncashed long enough, the funds become subject to state unclaimed property laws. The dormancy period before a state claims the money typically falls between one and five years depending on the state. Once the bank remits the funds to the state, the physical check becomes worthless and you’ll need to file a claim with the state’s unclaimed property office to get your money back.
Money Orders
Money orders don’t expire, but they can lose value. Western Union confirms its money orders have no expiration date but warns that after one to three years of inactivity, depending on the state of purchase, a non-refundable service charge starts being deducted from the face amount.7Western Union. Money Orders – Purchase and Cash at a Western Union Near You USPS money orders follow similar patterns. The money order remains technically valid, but its value shrinks the longer it sits. Left unclaimed long enough, the remaining balance goes to the state.
Traveler’s Checks
Traveler’s checks generally do not expire. Major issuers have historically honored them indefinitely, though it’s worth confirming with the specific issuer if you’re holding old ones. Like other prepaid instruments, traveler’s checks left uncashed for an extended period can eventually fall under state unclaimed property laws.
Payroll Checks
A payroll check that goes stale doesn’t let your employer off the hook. The wages behind it are still owed. Employers cannot void an uncashed paycheck and return the funds to their operating account. State wage laws require them to either reissue payment or, after a dormancy period, remit the unclaimed wages to the state.8U.S. Department of Labor. Last Paycheck
The dormancy period before escheatment ranges from one to five years depending on the state. If you discover an old uncashed payroll check, contact your former employer first and ask for a replacement. If the company no longer exists or has already turned the money over to the state, search your state’s unclaimed property database.
What Your Bank Will Actually Do
Here’s where things get less predictable. While the UCC relieves a bank of the obligation to pay a stale check, it also allows the bank to process one “in good faith.”1Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old In practice, some banks will cash a check that’s seven or eight months old if the account has sufficient funds and nothing looks suspicious. Others reject anything past six months automatically. There’s no universal policy.
Larger amounts draw more scrutiny. Under Regulation CC, a check dated more than six months ago qualifies as a reason to doubt collectibility, which lets the bank place an extended hold on the deposit. Deposits over $6,725 trigger a separate large-deposit exception, letting the bank hold the excess for additional time while it verifies the check.9Federal Reserve. A Guide to Regulation CC Compliance
Trying to deposit a stale check that ultimately gets returned can cost you money. Many banks charge a “deposit item returned” fee when a check you deposited comes back unpaid, and these fees can run up to $35 at some major institutions. The person who wrote the check could also face a returned-item fee on their end. Before depositing any check approaching six months old, call the issuer’s bank or ask the check writer to confirm the payment is still authorized.
What To Do With a Stale Check
If you’re holding a check that’s past its window, the next step depends on who issued it:
- Personal or business check: contact the person or company that wrote it and ask for a replacement. The debt still exists, so they’re generally obligated to reissue.
- Federal tax refund: use the IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool or call 800-829-1954 to start a refund trace. Don’t try to deposit the expired check.
- Other federal payment: contact the Bureau of the Fiscal Service to request reissuance.
- State government check: call the issuing agency directly. If the funds have already been escheated, search your state’s unclaimed property database.
- Cashier’s check or money order: contact the issuing bank or company. If the funds have been turned over to the state, file an unclaimed property claim.
- Payroll check: contact your employer or former employer for a replacement. If the company has closed, check your state’s unclaimed property office.
In every one of these situations, the worst move is doing nothing. Unclaimed funds eventually get absorbed into state coffers. You can still recover them through a claims process, but that process takes time and paperwork a simple phone call today could avoid.