When you write a check, the payee deposits the check to his or her bank, which then sends it to a clearing unit such as a Federal Reserve Bank. The clearing unit then debits your bank's account and credits the payee's. From there, the check returns to your bank and is stored until it's destroyed.
Banks keep copies of customers' cleared checks and comply with customers' requests for copies of checks up to seven years after the receipt of the items. This is to give customers sufficient information to identify the items paid through their accounts.
Many office supply stores offer shredding as a service at their in-store print shops, and will shred your old checks as you watch. Banks and credit unions have powerful shredders for their own use, and most will shred checks for their customers on an on-demand basis, or on designated dates throughout the year.
Usually your monthly statement will include the check number, amount, and date of payment for each check you wrote. State laws also generally require banks and credit unions to keep a copy of all checks for seven years.
If a check deposited clears, it technically cannot be reversed. Once the recipient cashes the check, there is little a payer can do to reverse the funds being transferred.
Cleared funds are the cash balances in an account that are able to be immediately withdrawn or used in financial transactions. Until funds are considered to be cleared funds they are considered to be pending, and investors or customers will be unable to conduct transactions with them.
Cash a Check
To deposit a check at a bank other institution and to receive cash in exchange. For example, suppose Joe writes Bob a check for $10. Rather than place the check in the bank, Bob may go to his bank, present the check, and receive $10 in cash.
Cashed checks are traceable. If you are paid with a check for a job and you cash that check, the bank will have a record of it. The person who wrote you the check will not be able to tell if you deposited or cashed your check.
Note that under a separate reporting requirement, banks and other financial institutions report cash purchases of cashier's checks, treasurer's checks and/or bank checks, bank drafts, traveler's checks and money orders with a face value of more than $10,000 by filing currency transaction reports.
The IRS agent can review checks cashed and single out any transactions that seem suspicious. If they see a deposit or transfer from an account you haven't already provided, you'll be obligated to provide information on that bank account as well.
Banks have to protect themselves against check fraud. Without proper proof of identity, a bank can legally refuse to cash a check made out to your name. Always carry proper government-issued identification such as a driver's license or passport when you intend to cash a check.
Some businesses have “void after 90 days” pre-printed on their checks. Most banks will honor those checks for up to 180 days and the pre-printed language is meant to encourage people to deposit or cash a check sooner than later. If you've been given a check, it's best to cash or deposit it as soon as feasible.
Banks don't have to accept checks that are more than 6 months (180 days) old. That's according to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), a set of laws governing commercial exchanges, including checks.
The period requiring record documentation could go back many years, and banks typically only retain records for seven years (as little as two years for certain items).
In most cases, the recipient (or payee) submits the check to their bank, and the bank collects funds from the check writer's bank. That process often takes two to three business days, but it can take longer—especially for international payments and other unusual circumstances.
The Short Answer: Yes. The IRS probably already knows about many of your financial accounts, and the IRS can get information on how much is there. But, in reality, the IRS rarely digs deeper into your bank and financial accounts unless you're being audited or the IRS is collecting back taxes from you.
Under the Bank Secrecy Act, banks and other financial institutions must report cash deposits greater than $10,000. But since many criminals are aware of that requirement, banks also are supposed to report any suspicious transactions, including deposit patterns below $10,000.
The Law Behind Bank Deposits Over $10,000
The Bank Secrecy Act is officially called the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act, started in 1970. It states that banks must report any deposits (and withdrawals, for that matter) that they receive over $10,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.
The quickest way to see if a check has been cashed is to call your bank. Use the phone number on the back of your debit card or on your monthly bank statement. You'll need to provide your bank account number and the check number, along with some personal identification, such as your Social Security number or PIN.
There are local retailers and grocery stores that cash checks and may not ask for this personal information. It may also be possible to deposit a check into an ATM and to have the money put onto a prepaid debit card.
3 Back of the Check
The back of the check will show the bank that deposited or cashed the check by ABA number, along with the check recipient's account number. It will also show the date and the time of the deposit and the bank's name.
Cost Check-cashing services tend to charge very clear fees for their services and those fees often seem really high compared to traditional banking services. Quite often, that's where the comparison stops – check-cashing services appear to be a ripoff. The thing is, banks will often drain your money, too.
When you write a check, the payee deposits the check to his or her bank, which then sends it to a clearing unit such as a Federal Reserve Bank. The clearing unit then debits your bank's account and credits the payee's. From there, the check returns to your bank and is stored until it's destroyed.
Yes, you can cash a 2-year-old check in theory, but the bank won't be legally obligated to process it for you. If you have a 2-year-old check lying around, your best bet is to take up the matter with your bank, the payer, or perhaps even get the state involved.
Most checks take two business days to clear. Checks may take longer to clear based on the amount of the check, your relationship with the bank, or if it's not a regular deposit. A receipt from the teller or ATM tells you when the funds become available.