How important is the date on a check?

Whenever you get a check to cash or deposit, you’ll see listed on it the check date, meaning the date when the person wrote it out to you. This date on a personal or business check is crucial since it can dictate the last opportunity the payee has to deposit or cash it.

Can I cash a check with the wrong date?

Yes. Banks and credit unions generally don’t have to wait until the date you put on a check to cash it. However, state law may require the bank or credit union to wait to cash the check if you give it reasonable notice.

Can you use a check with an old date?

Personal, business, and payroll checks are good for 6 months (180 days). Some businesses have “void after 90 days” pre-printed on their checks. Most banks will honor those checks for up to 180 days and the pre-printed language is meant to encourage people to deposit or cash a check sooner than later.

What if you write the wrong date on a check?

Use a blue or black pen to neatly cross out your mistake, such as a misspelled name, wrong date, or wrong numerical check amount, with one simple line. Write the correction above the mistake neatly. Avoid scribbling out the mistake—just one solid line will do.

What happens if you don’t date a check?

In fact, if a check has no date on it at all, it’s assumed that it was written on the day that you attempt to cash it or deposit it. You can then cash it or deposit it as long as the check writer signed it and properly filled out the amount and the payee line.

Do banks look at dates on checks?

Can You Cash a Postdated Check Before Date Shown? A signed check immediately becomes legal tender that a bank can deposit or cash before the indicated date on the check. Therefore, a bank will be able to accept a check if it is dated and signed.

What is the law on stale dated checks?

What is a stale-dated check? The UCC states, “A bank is under no obligation to a customer having a checking account to pay a check, other than a certified check, which is presented more than six months after its date, but it may charge its customer’s account for a payment made thereafter in good faith.”

How long are uncashed checks good for?

six months
An uncashed check can be good for a very long time, but it will depend on the type of check and the bank involved. The legal obligation of a bank is to cash a check that has been sent out within six months; beyond that, there is no reason for the bank to do so.

Is it illegal to change the date on a check?

Changing a date on a check is not illegal if you are the person who wrote and signed the check. It is illegal for the party who recieved a check to change the date. Only the person who wrote the check and change any of the items on the check.

What date to put on the check?

In the upper right corner of your check there’s a place where you’ll input the date you’re writing the check. You’ll write in the date next to or above the word “DATE” on most checks. Make sure it’s the correct date (and year), this is often easy to mess up when we’re not thinking about it.

Does a check have to be dated at all?

There isn’t anything in the Uniform Commercial Code saying a check has to be dated. In fact, if a check has no date on it at all, it’s assumed that it was written on the day that you attempt to cash it or deposit it. If you receive an undated check you can fill in the date yourself.

Can I cash a check that isn’t dated?

You can cash a check that isn’t dated thanks to the Uniform Commercial Code. Cashing an Undated Check Financial institutions follow the Uniform Commercial Code, which governs all commercial transactions in the United States.