How long is a cheque valid for in UK? 

The validity of Personal cheques is normally six months from the date of issue. Once this date has passed the cheque would normally be rejected by the bank. However, there is no cheque expiry date for banks. Therefore a cheque issued by a bank is still valid after 6 months so it does not expire after this date. 
 

How long before a cheque expires in UK? 

The cheque validity is for as long as there is a debt between the two parties. This means, there is no cheque expiry date. Nonetheless, it is common banking practice to reject cheques, which are more than 6 months old. This practice is to safeguard the person who has written the cheque, as there are chances that the payment would have been made through some different means or the cheque might have been lost or stolen. If the cheque is over 6 months, it is up to the discretion of the bank to decide for how long the cheque is valid for. The bank has the option to contact the account holder for approval before accepting the cheque. The bank can also, at its discretion, simply reject the cheque without contacting the account holder. 
 
This cheque validity timeframe is at the discretion of individual banks. However, it is not correct to believe that a cheque validity is only for 6 months. It should be understood that the cheque will not be simply rejected and the cheque can be cancelled only when the person who has written it requests to stop the transaction. 
 
 
 
Do cheques expire? If yes, when do cheques expire? 
 
In the end, even if banks are only legitimately needed to honor cheque validity for 6 months, you should make it a point to deposit checks as you receive them, so as to avoid any possible issues. It is because the cheque expiry date is not in 6 months but actually the cheque expiry date is still 6 years. 
 
Are you a Victim of a bounced or dishonoured cheque? 
 
If you have been paid by a cheque which bounced or was dishonoured please contact us or call on +44 121 442 5330. 
 
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