How to cancel a cheque?

It depends on the bank really, some banks will charge up to £10 to cancel a cheque, for example, if you have merely changed your mind about a product you purchased. However, if it has been lost in the post and you wish to re-send the cheque then they will probably not charge you. I advise you ring your bank in the morning though and find out what their policy is.

EDIT: Also, cheques can be cashed by the recipient up to 6 months after they have been issued, so during this time you should no longer consider it as your money, if you cancel the cheques while the recipient has not yet cashed them you can be sued for fraud.

Reply 2

OP

RNBen

It depends on the bank really, some banks will charge up to £10 to cancel a cheque, for example, if you have merely changed your mind about a product you purchased. However, if it has been lost in the post and you wish to re-send the cheque then they will probably not charge you. I advise you ring your bank in the morning though and find out what their policy is.

EDIT: Also, cheques can be cashed by the recipient up to 6 months after they have been issued, so during this time you should no longer consider it as your money, if you cancel the cheques while the recipient has not yet cashed them you can be sued for fraud.

Even if you cancel it within the 6 months? I only wrote out the cheque last week at a job interview (I had to issue them it in order to apply for a CRB check), but I want to cancel the job application thus I have to cancel the cheque too otherwise I'll lose my money for nothing. This is legal right??

Reply 3

laser

10

IANAL but it doesn't sound legal to me. Stopped cheques are more normally used if you lose a cheque book or something.

My bank, HSBC, have a "Cancel a Cheque" option on the Internet Banking pages, perhaps yours is similar?

Reply 4

You have to check with your bank, if you wrote the cheque out to the person they have every right to cash it, if you use a Cheque Guarantee Card - such as a Maestro with £100 guarantee then you cannot cancel the cheque under any circumstances, this is in the little book you get with it though so you can read up on that.

Canceling within the 6 months is fraud if you have not lost your chequebook or had it(or the cheque) stolen. I do not recommend you lie to the bank either, as this too is fraud, and you will probably be made to make the payment once you get a new chequebook anyway.

I suggest you ring the company, speak to someone there and get a mutual cancellation of the cheque.

Reply 5

OP

RNBen

You have to check with your bank, if you wrote the cheque out to the person they have every right to cash it, if you use a Cheque Guarantee Card - such as a Maestro with £100 guarantee then you cannot cancel the cheque under any circumstances, this is in the little book you get with it though so you can read up on that.

Canceling within the 6 months is fraud if you have not lost your chequebook or had it(or the cheque) stolen.

But I could easily claim to have lost it right? It's my money so I don't understand why I can't just cancel it, thought it would be much more straightforward than this :s-smilie:

Reply 6

No, if you lie to them this is fraud too. You have to ring the company and try and get a mutual cancellation, apologise for the misunderstanding and hope it goes away. If they try to cash the cheque after you tell the bank you lost it then you will have to pay them anyway once you get your new chequebook.

It is no longer your money once you hand over the cheque.

Reply 7

RightSaidJames

16

How about you don't withdraw the job application, but if/when you get offered the job you refuse it and ask for the money back? Unless I've misunderstood you and the cheque is to pay for the CRB check?

Reply 8

OP

RightSaidJames

How about you don't withdraw the job application, but if/when you get offered the job you refuse it and ask for the money back? Unless I've misunderstood you and the cheque is to pay for the CRB check?

Yeah the cheque is to pay for the CRB check. Oh god, I'm in a proper kerfuffle :frown:

Reply 9

lollapalooza

Yeah the cheque is to pay for the CRB check. Oh god, I'm in a proper kerfuffle :frown:

Check to see if the cheque has been cashed - you can do this online by checking your balance or asking at your branch/over the phone. If not then you may be alright, as then you can ring up the company/CRB people/whoever the cheque is for and ask for a mutual cancellation, if it has then you may as well just accept the money is gone and move on.

Reply 10

OP

RNBen

Check to see if the cheque has been cashed - you can do this online by checking your balance or asking at your branch/over the phone. If not then you may be alright, as then you can ring up the company/CRB people/whoever the cheque is for and ask for a mutual cancellation, if it has then you may as well just accept the money is gone and move on.

I've checked and it hasn't been cashed yet so think I'll take your advice and ring them tomorrow. Thanks v much anyway, appreciate it :smile:

Reply 11

lollapalooza

I've checked and it hasn't been cashed yet so think I'll take your advice and ring them tomorrow. Thanks v much anyway, appreciate it :smile:

One last thing, its a Sunday, it won't go through now until 9am tomorrow earliest, so check again tomorrow morning. :yep:

EDIT: It is much easier to talk to the company than lie to the bank, if you give them a reasonable reason why you can't take the job you are more likely to get the money back.

Reply 12