Validity of Cheques

[natweststaffmember]

Interesting that APACS say this:

Is it true that cheques are only valid for six months?

It is common banking practice to reject cheques that are over six months old to protect the payer, on the basis that payment may already have been made by some other means or the cheque may have been lost or stolen. However, this is at the discretion of individual banks. It should not be assumed that cheques in excess of six months old would automatically be rejected — the only certain way to cancel a cheque is to request that a stop be placed on it (although cheques backed by a Cheque Guarantee Card cannot be stopped). It is recommended that, if possible, customers in possession of cheques that are over six months old obtain a replacement. A cheque remains legally valid for six years.

Can I ask if there is any legality when we are told in the bank that it is valid for 6 calender months unless otherwise stated, ie Dividend cheques and some DWP cheques that have a shorter validity.
Are APACS talking out of their posterior legally speaking?

[natweststaffmember]

Re: Validity of Cheques

Still looking for the information on this thread, but found something interesting(don't I always!!)
http://www.chequeandcredit.co.uk/fil...e_12_sep08.pdf
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Ok, the business leaflet tells us that the number of cheques returned each day is around 0.5% so cross reference with the newsletter above and you will have a rough figure how many cheques are returned.
http://www.apacs.org.uk/payment_opti...afletfinal.pdf
This is the business leaflet on cheques 2-4-6 rule but doesn't answer my question.
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I finally found the information I wanted. It is page 33 of the APACS guide to cheques. Anyone seen it in the terms and conditions of the account??
http://www.apacs.org.uk/payment_opti...s2007FINAL.pdf

[Quinlan125]

Re: Validity of Cheques

Yes, it would be better if the customers replace the cheques that are over six months old. Even though a cheque remains valid for six years, for better results customers should obtain a replacement.