What should I do if a check that I wrote hasn’t been cashed yet?įederal law doesn’t require banks to honor checks that are more than six months old.

What should I do if a check I received goes stale?.

How long are different types of checks good for?.

Get rewarded for checking and saving with Credit Karma Money™ Follow this guide to learn why that is and what options you may have if you’re hanging onto an old check you want to cash.

So, how long is a check good for? It can vary, but generally, checks older than six months may be difficult to cash or deposit. If you delay cashing or depositing the check for too long, it could “go stale,” and you might be scrambling to cash it months later. Maybe you tucked that check into a pocket and forgot about it, or you’ve been stuck at home for months - you know, because of a worldwide health crisis - and couldn’t figure out your bank’s mobile deposit process. If someone’s paid you with a check, you only have so long to cash or deposit it before you could run into problems getting the bank to honor it. Of course, the offers on our platform don't represent all financial products out there, but our goal is to show you as many great options as we can. That's why we provide features like your Approval Odds and savings estimates. But since we generally make money when you find an offer you like and get, we try to show you offers we think are a good match for you.

The money we make helps us give you access to free credit scores and reports and helps us create our other great tools and educational materials.Ĭompensation may factor into how and where products appear on our platform (and in what order). The offers for financial products you see on our platform come from companies who pay us. We think it's important for you to understand how we make money.

How long do checks last before expiring