Here is how the six-month rule works, which cheques it skips, what changes for post-dated cheques and what to do with an old one.

The short answer

A personal or business cheque does not legally expire in Canada, but financial institutions usually consider it stale-dated six months after the date written on it, and they do not have to cash it after that. Certified cheques, bank drafts, money orders and Government of Canada cheques do not go stale.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) and Payments Canada, which runs the cheque clearing system, both describe the six-month rule. Payments Canada adds that a stale-dated cheque is old, not necessarily invalid. A bank may still honour it, but there is no obligation to do so.

A worked example: a cheque found in a drawer

Say a friend gave you a $300 personal cheque dated March 15, 2026, and you find it on November 10, 2026. It is 240 days old. It reached six months on September 15, 2026, so it is now stale-dated and your bank can refuse it.

Two different six-month rules meet on that date. The clearing rule lets the writer’s bank return a cheque dated more than six months before it is presented. The federal hold limits stop applying to a cheque deposited at least six months after its date. To stay clear of both, deposit a cheque before the six-month date, which in this example means by September 14, 2026.

Hypothetical example. Banks set their own exact cut-off, so treat the six-month date as a deadline, not a target.

Which cheques go stale and which do not

Sources checked November 10, 2026. Rule A4 section 22 also exempts Receiver General warrants. Your bank can still ask to confirm any old cheque before cashing it.

What actually happens after six months

Nothing happens to the cheque itself. What changes is what the banks are allowed to do with it.

• Your bank can refuse to accept it. The FCAC says financial institutions do not have to cash a stale-dated cheque.
• The writer’s bank can send it back. Under section 22 of Payments Canada Rule A4, a cheque dated more than six months before it is presented may be returned unpaid for the reason “Stale Dated.”
• The federal hold limits no longer protect you. Section 6(1)(d) of the Access to Funds Regulations removes the usual maximum hold for a cheque deposited at least six months after its date. Your bank can hold it longer than the normal 4 to 8 business days explained in our cheque hold guide.

Rule A4 notes that a bank can confirm an old cheque is still acceptable by phone or fax, or by sending it on collection. Some banks will do this. Others will simply ask you to get a new cheque.

“Void after 30 days” is not binding on banks

Some businesses print a short limit such as “void after 30 days” on their cheques. Payments Canada says financial institutions are not obligated to follow conditional statements on cheques. If one clears after the printed limit, the writer has to raise it with their own institution.

Government of Canada cheques never go stale

The Receiver General says its cheques are never stale-dated, meaning you can cash them no matter how old they are. This comes from Payments Canada Rule G2. The CRA puts it more simply: Government of Canada cheques never expire, and you can cash an old CRA cheque at any financial institution in Canada for no charge.

The bank does have the right to validate an old federal cheque first, by faxing a copy to the government’s cheque redemption office in Matane, Quebec. If a bank is reluctant, our guide on cashing a government cheque covers your rights.

If you think you missed a CRA payment, CRA My Account lists uncashed cheques that are at least six months old. Cheques newer than that do not appear online, so you have to call the CRA. If a cheque is damaged or a bank will not take it, the CRA can reissue the payment with a current date. Money left in old bank accounts is a separate system, covered in our guide to unclaimed bank balances.

Post-dated cheques work the other way

A post-dated cheque has a future date on it. The FCAC says a person or merchant cannot cash it before that date. Because cheques are sorted by machine, Payments Canada says some slip through anyway.

If that happens, ask your financial institution to return the cheque. Payments Canada says it can do this up to and including the day before the date on the cheque. For example, if a cheque dated December 1, 2026 is cashed on November 20, you have until November 30 to ask. Act the same day you notice. You will then need to pay the recipient another way.

If the early withdrawal caused NSF fees and your bank will not fix it, the FCAC says you can file a complaint with your financial institution. Our guide to the bank complaint process explains the deadlines.

What to do with an old cheque

1. Check the date and the type. Look at the date written on it and whether it is a Government of Canada cheque, certified cheque, bank draft or money order. Those do not go stale.
2. Deposit it now if it is under six months old. Do not wait for the last week.
3. If it is past six months, try your bank anyway. Ask a teller whether they will accept it or confirm it with the writer’s bank.
4. If the bank refuses, contact the writer. Ask for a replacement and offer to return or destroy the old cheque so they do not pay twice.
5. For an old CRA cheque, go to any financial institution. If it is damaged or refused, mail it to the CRA and ask for a reissued payment.

Frequently asked questions

• Sources, checked November 10, 2026: FCAC: Paying by cheque (modified 2026-10-29); Payments Canada: Paying by cheque; Payments Canada: Issuing or receiving cheques; Payments Canada Rule A4, Returned and Redirected Items, sections 5, 6 and 22; Receiver General: Payments to and from the government, FAQ (modified 2026-01-27); CRA: Cheques from the CRA (modified 2026-10-28); Access to Funds Regulations (SOR/2012-24), current to 2026-10-19, section 6.
• Method: Dates in the example were counted in Python by adding six calendar months to March 15, 2026, and checked a second way by counting days between the dates (184 days to September 15, 240 days to November 10).

Important: This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Each financial institution sets its own policy for stale-dated cheques, and credit unions follow provincial rules. Gizly is not paid by any institution mentioned here. See our affiliate disclosure.