Do cheques expire?

Van Hellseek · 24 Jun 2010 at 23:31

Silly question perhaps, but I rarely use them.

Basically I found some old unopened mail today (which had been delivered to the wrong letterbox) and there are a few cheques - the oldest of which dates back to early May.

Can I still take them in to be cashed, or do cheques have some sort of expiry date?

meghatronic · 24 Jun 2010 at 23:35

Technically, no expiry date. Most banks have a grace period of 6 months. I have cashed much older cheques though.

Van Hellseek · 24 Jun 2010 at 23:47

Great news! That's my plane ticket sorted for my next holiday then.

Pawnless Endgame · 24 Jun 2010 at 23:52

Yeah, I have always known it to be 6 months from the date written on the cheque. I once found a £50 cheque from my nan in a birthday card for me, which I lost but found again years later. I was gutted, but it was my fault for losing it.

unwashed potato! · 24 Jun 2010 at 23:52

how much was it for seek?

Monserrat: keep it and then when she's gone it'll be worth a lot more

Van Hellseek · 25 Jun 2010 at 00:00

Mammalian said:
how much was it for seek?

£400. Not a huge amount, but a nice unexpected bonus.

FatBoyObese · 25 Jun 2010 at 00:23

It's only any good if the person who wrote it has the money in the bank.....they may well have assumed you'd cashed the cheque and thought they had more money than they thought and promptly spent it LOL

Bhoya · 25 Jun 2010 at 06:39

I was always under the impression that a signature is only valid for six months, invalid signature after six months = invalid cheque.

House · 25 Jun 2010 at 07:00

HSBC wouldnt take a check older than 6 months when i tried to put it into my account.

semi-pro waster · 25 Jun 2010 at 07:01

Bhoya said:
I was always under the impression that a signature is only valid for six months, invalid signature after six months = invalid cheque.

It's as meghatronic says above, banks tend to allow a six month grace period on cheques, although there is no legislation to state that this is necessary it is a convention that has arisen. Legally speaking a cheque is valid for up to six years as confirmed by the information from the Cheque & Credit Clearing Company but it's not for reasons of signature - if you think about it though a signature cannot have a validity period or else the autograph business would be pretty scuppered.