How long is a cheque valid in Canada? The six-month stale-date rule explained
You find a cheque in a coat pocket, a birthday card or a drawer, and it is dated eight months ago. Is it worthless? Usually not, but the answer depends on who issued it and how your bank treats it. Below is the six-month rule in plain English, what it means for cheques you hold and cheques you wrote, how it differs from post-dated cheques and 'void after 30 days' notes, and what to do next.
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The six-month rule
Payments Canada, which runs the country's payment clearing systems, explains in its guide to issuing or receiving cheques that a cheque becomes stale-dated after six months, unless it is a certified cheque. Count from the date written on the cheque, not from the day you received it.
The same page makes a point that most people miss: a stale-dated cheque is old, and not necessarily invalid. Financial institutions may still honour these items, but there is no obligation to do so. So there is no single day when a cheque turns into scrap paper. What changes at six months is that the bank can refuse it without breaking any rule, and the funds access rules that normally protect you also change (more on that below).
In practice, treat six months as the point where your odds drop and your effort goes up. A cheque that is three weeks old goes through like any other. One that is nine months old may be refused, or accepted by one branch and refused by another.
Which cheques go stale and which do not
Not every item that looks like a cheque follows the same rule. Here is what Payments Canada's guide says about the main types.
| Type of item | What Payments Canada says |
|---|---|
| Personal or business cheque | Stale-dated after six months. The bank may still honour it but is not obliged to. |
| Certified cheque | Exception to the six-month rule. |
| Government of Canada cheque, money order or bank draft | These do not stale-date. |
| Provincial government cheque | Treated as a regular cheque and may be considered stale after six months. |
That last row surprises people. A federal cheque, such as a refund, does not stale-date, but a provincial one can. If a government cheque is old, check the issuing office first, then talk to your bank.
What happens when you deposit a stale-dated cheque
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) lists the standard hold limits for cheques deposited at federally regulated institutions. Those maximums do not apply to a cheque deposited six months or more after it was dated. In other words, once a cheque is stale-dated, your bank can hold the funds for longer than the usual schedule below, or decline it.
| Cheque amount (Canadian dollars, Canadian institution) | Deposited in person | ATM, mobile or other method |
|---|---|---|
| $1,500 or less | 4 business days | 5 business days |
| More than $1,500 | 7 business days | 8 business days |
FCAC also says that financial institutions must make the first $100 of any cheque deposit available right away when you deposit in person, or the next business day by other methods. Foreign cheques are often held for 30 days. For the full picture on holds, see our guide on how long a bank can hold a cheque in Canada.
Holds exist so the bank can confirm that the money is there, check for stop payments, verify the cheque has not been altered and confirm the account is open. A stale-dated cheque gives the bank more reason to look closely.
Post-dated cheques are a different problem
A stale-dated cheque is too old. A post-dated cheque is dated in the future. Payments Canada says cheques should not be deposited before their due date. If one is deposited early, the person who wrote it should contact their institution, which can return the cheque up to and including the day before the due date. The payee then has to make other arrangements, because a returned cheque cannot be deposited again.
If you hold a post-dated cheque, wait for the date on it. Depositing early can turn a good cheque into a returned one, and a returned cheque cannot be re-processed.
'Void after 30 days' and other notes on the cheque
Some payers print or write 'void after 30 days' or 'valid for 90 days' on a cheque. It sounds official, but Payments Canada says financial institutions are not obligated to follow conditional statements on cheques. The note may express what the payer wants, and the payer can ask their own bank about options, but your bank does not have to check it when you deposit.
The practical lesson: do not rely on a note to protect you or to rule a cheque out. If you are the payer and you want a hard stop, talk to your institution rather than writing a deadline on the cheque and hoping.
If you are holding an old cheque
Here is a sensible order of operations. It is general information, not advice for your situation.
- Check the date and the type. Under six months and a normal cheque: deposit it. Federal cheque, money order or bank draft: it does not stale-date, so ask your bank how to deposit it.
- Contact the payer if it is stale-dated. The simplest fix is a replacement cheque or an e-Transfer. Many payers would rather reissue than have you chase the bank.
- Ask your bank before you deposit. Because the bank has no obligation to honour a stale-dated cheque, ask whether it will accept it and how long it would hold the funds.
- Do not deposit it twice. Payments Canada says an item that is returned cannot be re-deposited and re-processed.
- Know the cost of a bounce. If a cheque you deposit is returned, the bank will generally withdraw the amount from your account as soon as possible. If that leaves your account short, read our guides on overdraft vs NSF and the $10 NSF fee cap.
If you wrote the cheque
An uncashed cheque you wrote is still money you owe, and it can come back later. Keep a record of every cheque you issue, and if one has been sitting outstanding for months, contact the payee. If you want to cancel it, ask your institution what options and fees apply. Do not assume that writing 'void' in your own records ends your obligation, because the bank may still honour the cheque if it arrives.
For regular payments, many people have moved to pre-authorized debits or e-Transfers, which avoid stale-dating altogether. Our e-Transfer limits guide covers what those can and cannot do.
A short worked example
The following is illustrative and the dates are made up; the rules come from the sources below. Suppose you receive a $2,000 personal cheque dated March 1. On September 1, it is six months old. If you deposit it on August 15 at a branch, the FCAC schedule above applies and a hold of up to 7 business days is allowed. If you find it on October 10 and deposit it by mobile, the maximum hold schedule no longer applies and the bank is not obliged to accept it. Your cleanest move on October 10 is to ask the payer for a replacement.
The arithmetic here is just counting months, but it shows why time matters: the same cheque is routine in August and uncertain in October.
Questions people ask
How long is a cheque valid in Canada?
Payments Canada says a cheque is stale-dated after six months, unless it is a certified cheque. A stale-dated cheque is old but not necessarily invalid: financial institutions may still honour it, but have no obligation to.
Can I deposit a cheque that is more than six months old?
You can try, but the bank is not required to accept it. FCAC also says the maximum hold periods do not apply to a cheque deposited six months or more after it was dated, so expect a longer hold or a refusal. Asking the payer for a replacement is usually faster.
Do government cheques expire?
Payments Canada says Government of Canada cheques, money orders and bank drafts do not stale-date. Cheques issued by provincial governments are treated as regular cheques and may be considered stale after six months.
What if my cheque says void after 30 days?
Payments Canada says financial institutions are not obligated to follow conditional statements on cheques. The note does not bind your bank.
Can I deposit a post-dated cheque early?
You should not. Payments Canada says cheques should not be deposited before their due date, and an early deposit can be returned up to the day before the due date. A returned cheque cannot be deposited again.
How long can a bank hold a cheque?
For Canadian-dollar cheques from Canadian institutions, FCAC lists 4 business days in person and 5 by other methods for $1,500 or less, and 7 and 8 business days for more than $1,500. The first $100 must be available right away in person or the next business day otherwise.
Returned items, NSF fees and hold-related overdrafts add up. Looni is built to find fees and subscriptions leaking from your statements. Read-only, no advice.
Sources
Payments Canada, Issuing or receiving cheques (stale-dated after six months unless certified; stale-dated is not necessarily invalid; no obligation to honour; federal cheques, money orders and bank drafts do not stale-date; provincial cheques; post-dated cheques; conditional statements; returned cheques cannot be re-deposited) and Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Cashing a cheque (last modified October 17, 2025: first $100 rule, hold table, 30 days for foreign cheques, exceptions including cheques deposited six months or more after being dated). The worked example is illustrative; the arithmetic is ours.