How Long Are Checks Good For? Expiration Rules by Type

Most checks don’t truly expire. After six months, though, a bank no longer has to honor a personal or business check, and U.S. Treasury checks stop being payable after one year. Other checks follow the rules of whoever issued them, so the date on the check and the type of check both matter.

How long are checks good for?

Banks can refuse most personal and business checks after six months. U.S. Treasury checks, such as federal tax refunds, can’t be paid after one year.

Personal checks

A personal check becomes “stale” six months after the date written on it. At that point, a bank doesn’t have to pay it, but it’s allowed to.

Business checks

Business checks follow the same six-month rule as personal checks. Some business checks print “void after 90 days.” Whether your bank will still take one after that date is the bank’s call, so ask before you deposit it.

Cashier's checks

There’s no single rule for cashier’s checks. Some banks print a ‘void after’ date on them and some don’t. If yours has a date, deposit it before then. If it’s past the date or you’re unsure, call the bank that issued it.

Government and tax refund checks

U.S. Treasury checks, such as federal tax refunds or Social Security payments, must be deposited within 12 months of the issue date. After that, the Treasury cancels the check.

The money isn’t gone, though. Contact the agency that sent it, such as the IRS or SSA, to ask for a replacement.

State and local government checks set their own deadlines. Look for a void date printed on the check. If it’s passed, ask the agency that wrote it to reissue it.

Read more >> How Long Does It Take for a Check to Clear?

What happens if you try to cash an expired check?

What happens when you try to cash a check that’s already expired depends on where you are and the type of check you have. Banks also often have some discretion as to whether they want to cash the check or not.

Here are a few different scenarios that can happen if you try to cash an expired check:

The transaction might go through

Sometimes, you can successfully cash a check even if it’s expired. Your bank has to accept it, and the check writer’s bank has to pay it.

The transaction might be declined

If either involved bank refuses to honor the check, you won’t be able to cash it. Get in touch with the person or organization who sent you the check and request another.

The check might bounce

A check can also bounce, meaning the writer’s bank sends it back unpaid, if:

• The check writer doesn’t have enough money in their account to cover it.
• The account the check was written from is closed.

If that happens after your bank has already credited the money, your bank takes it back out of your account and may charge a returned-deposit fee. That’s why it’s worth calling your bank before depositing a check that’s more than six months old.

Someone who writes a check can ask their bank to cancel it before it’s cashed. This is called a stop payment order. If the writer has done this, you typically won’t be able to cash the check.

The longer a check goes uncashed, the more likely this becomes. The writer might stop payment so the money can’t leave their account by surprise months or years later.

A check going stale doesn’t cancel what you were owed. The writer still owes the money. Ask them for a new check.

Read more >> What Happens When Your Bank Account Goes Negative?

Bottom line

Personal and business checks can be refused after six months, and Treasury checks after one year. Before you deposit an old check, ask your bank whether it’ll take it, or ask the writer for a new one.

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