Can I cash my school reimbursement check a year later????Please Help?

Question

Last year in september and october my school sent me 2 reimbersement checks...I didnt know I had them because my mother mistakely misplace them and just now found them.I didnt even know they owed me.Anyway the checks dont have any expiration date on them and my school is closed until monday but I just wanted to know if I could go to the bank and try to cash them now....please help

Answer 1

I would not recommend that you attempt to cash these checks without contacting the school - here's why:

Unless the check specifically has an expiration date, checks don't really "expire", but there's a banking term called "stale-dated" - this concept has been legally incorporated into most state's law by the adoption of the Uniform Commercial Code, which explicitly addressed "stale dated checks" in Section 4-404.

Generally, a bank has the right to ELECT to refuse OR honor a check that is more than 6 months old. This section of the UCC was written to be very bank friendly; the person who wants to cash the check can't complain if the bank refuses to honor it - and the person who wrote the check can't complain if the bank chooses to honor it (unless the issuer asked the bank to stop payment before the check was presented).

If you cash the checks and spend the money, you may get a letter in the mail from the bank telling you that they are returning the checks - you'll be responsible for returning the funds - and for any associated bank fees. You're better off requesting a new check from the school - it may take them a few days to verify that the original was not cashed, but they won't have any problem reissuing the checks.

Good luck to you. I hope that saved you a couple of bucks!