Just found an old cheque – will I get the money?

Not a life changing amount of money – only a hundred quid – issued as a Building Society cheque – i.e. I don't even know who made it out to me – it's just from the BS. I think a client made it out as part payment along with another bank cheque, which obviously got lodged. It's dated 02/08/2007 – one assumes it'll still get paid?

I thought it was 6months on cheques then at discretion of the issuing bank.

it'd be stale wouldn't it?

A normal cheque has to be cashed within a year but a BS cheque which is cleared funds may be different. I would imagine it is in a BS clearing or suspense account, not with who sent it to you so it might be at least trying to cash it. If it fails, get in touch with the BS.

Bradford and Bingley?

bang it in mate .

Banks don't even check the details (dates, amount in words/figures, or even signatures) on cheques of that little value, they're just cleared. So your problem is more likely to be whether or not the bank you pay it into will accept it, rather than whether it gets paid at the drawing bank…

Banks don't even check the details (dates, amount in words/figures, or even signatures) on cheques of that little value, they're just cleared. So your problem is more likely to be whether or not the bank you pay it into will accept it, rather than whether it gets paid at the drawing bank…

They do, once had a cheque for £35 but words and numbers were different by a few quid, the lower amount of the two was credite but letter also sent, checking that the cheque was kosher.

Should have qualified. I've worked for 3 different clearing banks over a 22 year career and, in that limited experience I know that the volume of cheque transactions is such that those under a financial limit (£1000 in two cases, and £500 in the third) are not routinely checked for correct completion or for signature. I can't speak for the other banks, though.

Cheques don't have an expirey date so it will still be valid unless they have cancelled it.

As ComradeD states a cheque doesn't expire and as it's a BS one you should be able to get the money fairly easily. Either pay it into your account and see if it doesn't get picked up as too out of date. Or go into a B&B branch and get them to cash it for you; if this fails get them to give you the address for the head office and if you send the cheque into them they will issue a new one.

Cheques don't have an expirey date so it will still be valid unless they have cancelled it.

so our bank HSBC routinely refuses cheques more than 3 months old as they have most likely been cancelled by the issuer which means more admin costs for the bank
– remembers to go and rummage thru mrs antigee's vast collection of possible places has put odd chqs

tell HSBC to bugger off and get them to cash it.

I work for a bank and we'll cash any cheque.

A cheque may not be honoured after 6 months. I'm pretty sure that's the rule.

If you are unsure, ask your bank!

If it was a personal cheque, I wouldn't even think about lodging it. I'd be pretty peeved if someone held onto a cheque of mine for 2 and a half years and then lodged it. However, it's a BS (Nationwide) cheque which means my client (whoever it was) would have had to "pay" the BS to issue the cheque wouldn't they? Therefore, the client has already "paid" and it's sat in a fund somewhere in the BS waiting to be drawn surely?

Of course I'll be lodging it anyway, but nothing like getting a few urban myths out on STW is there…

i was told 6months only on an old personal cheque i tried to bank (£10 value – Natwest – 8 month old cheque found in the 'useful' drawer)