Can You Cash a Post-Dated Check (Payroll, etc)? Where? Answered

Sonya Bateman headshot Sonya Bateman
Verified & Updated Nov 13, 2020

Most checks are written with the current or past date (backdating) on them. However, there may be times when you receive a personal, payroll, or even government check that is post-dated (that is, with a future date written or printed on it). Despite what many believe, it is legal to cash a post-dated check.[1]

State laws vary regarding post-dated checks, but according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the only way to prevent a post-dated check from being cashed or deposited is by giving written or oral notice to the bank or credit union the check is drawn on. Written notices are valid for six months, while oral notices are valid for 14 days.[2]

Banks and credit unions do’t have to wait until the date listed on the check to cash it.[3] This means you can cash or deposit a post-dated check as soon as you receive it.

Keep in mind that if you write a personal post-dated check, the same rules apply. The recipient can cash the check as soon as they receive it (even if you don’t have the funds in your account), and you’ll be charged any overdraft fees according to your bank’s policies. If this happes, you may want to check out our article about how to get an overdraft fee waived.

Comparison Table

See the table below for a quick comparison of the fees for cashing post-dated checks at places that offer the service. You can click any business or scroll for more information.

Business Type Fees
PNC Bank Bank None for checks up to $25, then $2
Citibank Bank None for Citibank checks up to $5,000
HSBC Bank None
Fifth Third Bank Bank 1%; $4 maximum (non-account holders)
KeyBank Bank $7; 1.5% at KeyBank Plus Centers (non-account holders)
U.S. Bank Bank $7 (non-account holders)
SunTrust Bank Bank 1% to 3% (non-account holders)
BB&T Bank $8 for checks over $50 (non-account holders)
Wells Fargo Bank $7.50 (non-account holders)
Chase Bank Bank $8 (non-account holders)
Bank of America Bank $8 (non-account holders)
BMO Harris Bank Bank None up to $50, then $10 (non-account holders)
Regions Bank Bank 1% to 5% (non-account holders)
ACE Cash Express Check cashing store Vary
PLS Check Cashing Check cashing store 1% plus $1
Check Into Cash Check cashing store Vary
Advance Financial Check cashing store 1% to 10% (depending on check type)
The Check Cashing Store Check cashing store Vary
Money Mart Check cashing store Vary
CheckSmart Check cashing store Vary
Food Lion Grocery store Vary
Meijer Grocery store Vary

Places That Cash Post-Dated Checks

Below, we list the places where you can cash a post-dated check, including information about potential fees you may ecouter as a non-account holder. We’ve ordered the list in each category starting with the best overall options.

Banks

Banks will generally cash all types of post-dated checks, including personal, payroll, government, and insurance checks.

1. PNC Bank

  • Policy: Will cash post-dated checks at the branch’s discretion unless a stop payment is placed on the check[4]
  • Fees:[4][5]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: Free for checks up to $25, then $2
  • Find a PNC

2. Citibank

  • Policy: May cash post-dated checks at the branch’s discretion unless a stop payment is placed on the check[6]
  • Fees:[6]
    • Account holder: Free for checks up $5,000 drawn on Citibank
    • Non-account holder: Free for checks up $5,000 drawn on Citibank
  • Find a Citibank

3. HSBC

  • Policy: Will cash post-dated checks at the branch’s discretion[7]
  • Fees: None[7]
  • Find an HSBC

4. Fifth Third Bank

  • Policy: May cash post-dated checks at the branch’s discretion unless a stop payment is placed on the check[8]
  • Fees:[8]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: 1% of the total check amount, $4 maximum
  • Find a Fifth Third Bank

5. KeyBank

  • Policy: Will generally cash post-dated checks unless a stop payment is placed on the check[9]
  • Fees:[9]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: $7 per check; KeyBank Plus Centers provide select check-cashing services for non-customers at lower rates of 1.5% of the total check amount.
  • Find a KeyBank

6. U.S. Bank

  • Policy: May cash post-dated checks at their discretion unless a stop payment is placed on the check[10]
  • Fees:[10]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: $7
  • Find a U.S Bank

7. SunTrust Bank (Now Truist)

  • Policy: Will generally cash post-dated checks unless a stop payment is placed on the check[11]
  • Fees:[11]
    • Account holder: free
    • Non-account holder: 1% to 3% of the total check amount
  • Find a SunTrust Bank

8. BB&T (Now Truist)

  • Policy: Will cash post-dated checks unless a stop payment is placed on the check[12][13]
  • Fees:[12][13]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: Free up to $50; $8 for checks over $50
  • Find a BB&T

9. Wells Fargo

  • Policy: Will cash post-dated checks unless a stop payment is placed on the check[14]
  • Fees:[14]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: $7.50
  • Find a Wells Fargo

10. Chase Bank

  • Policy: Will cash post-dated checks unless a stop payment is placed on the check[15]
  • Fees:[15]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: $8
  • Find a Chase Bank

11. Bank of America

  • Policy: Will cash post-dated checks unless a stop payment is placed on the check[16]
  • Fees:[16]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: $8
  • Find a Bank of America

12. BMO Harris Bank

  • Policy: Will generally cash post-dated checks unless a stop payment is placed on the check[17]
  • Fees:[17]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: Free up to $50; $10 for checks over $50
  • Find a BMO Harris Bank

13. Regions Bank

  • Policy: Will generally cash post-dated checks unless a stop payment is placed on the check[18]
  • Fees:[18]
    • Account holder: Free
    • Non-account holder: 1% to 5% of the total check amount if you have a free Regions Now card
  • Find a Regions Bank

Check Cashing Stores

Remember to bring a valid, government-issued photo ID to a check cashing store in order to cash a post-dated check.

1. ACE Cash Express

2. PLS Check Cashing

  • Types of post-dated checks cashed: Payroll, personal, government, tax refund, and out-of-state checks[20]
  • Fees: Starting at 1% of the check amount plus $1[20]
  • Find a PLS Check Cashing

3. Check Into Cash

  • Types of post-dated checks cashed: Payroll, personal, government, tax refund, insurance, two-party, and loan checks[21]
  • Fees: Vary by location and check type[21]
  • Find a Check Into Cash

4. Advance Financial

  • Types of post-dated checks cashed: Payroll, personal, government, and insurance checks[22]
  • Fees:[22]
    • Personal checks: 10% ($5 minimum)
    • Payroll checks: 1% to 2.99% ($3 minimum)
    • Government checks: 1% to 2.99% ($2 minimum)
    • Other checks: 1% to 5% ($5 minimum)
  • Find an Advance Financial

5. The Check Cashing Store

  • Types of post-dated checks cashed: Vary by location. Note that two forms of ID are required to cash checks.[23]
  • Fees: Vary by location and check amount[23]
  • Find a Check Cashing Store

6. Money Mart

  • Types of post-dated checks cashed: Payroll, personal, small business, government, and insurance checks[24]
  • Fees: Vary by location and check amount[24]
  • Find a Money Mart

7. CheckSmart

  • Types of post-dated checks cashed: Payroll, personal, government, tax refund, insurance, business, student loan, and out-of-state checks[25]
  • Fees: Vary by location, check type, and amount[25]
  • Find a CheckSmart

Retail Stores

1. Food Lion

  • Types of post-dated checks cashed: Government, rebate, tax refund up to $500 and payroll checks up to $1,000[26]
  • Fees: Vary by state[26]
  • Find a Food Lion

2. Meijer

Places That Don’t Cash Post-Dated Checks

While most banks and credit unions will cash post-dated checks, many stores will not — we list these establishments below.

Banks

We located just two regional banks that did not cash post-dated checks:

Santander Bank

  • Policy: Does not cash post-dated checks. However, if you have an account, you can deposit post-dated checks and they will clear on the posted date.[28]
  • Fees: Free for account holders[28]
  • Find a Santander Bank branch

TD Bank

  • Policy: Does not cash post-dated checks. However, if you have an account, you can deposit checks that are post-dated within one business day of the check date.[29]
  • Fees: Free for account holders[29]
  • Find a TD Bank branch

Stores

The following stores have verified — through calls to customer service — that while they provide check cashing services, they do not cash post-dated checks:

  • Albertsons
  • Giant Eagle
  • Giant Food
  • Hannaford
  • Kmart
  • Kroger
  • Publix
  • Safeway
  • Shaw’s
  • Walmart
  • WinCo Foods
  1. https://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/regcc/regcc.htm [↩]
  2. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/my-bankcredit-union-cashed-a-post-dated-check-even-though-i-told-them-about-the-post-dated-check-before-they-received-it-what-can-i-do-en-969/[↩]
  3. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/can-a-bank-or-credit-union-cash-a-post-dated-check-before-the-date-on-the-check-en-967/[↩]
  4. PNC customer service (888) 762-2265[↩][↩]
  5. https://www.pnc.com/content/dam/pnc-com/pdf/personal/Checking/service-charges-standard-checking-A.pdf[↩]
  6. Citibank customer service (800) 374-9700[↩][↩]
  7. https://www.us.hsbc.com/account-opening/online-disclosures/[↩][↩]
  8. https://www.53.com/content/dam/fifth-third/docs/legal/checking_pew_disclosures.pdf[↩][↩]
  9. KeyBank customer service (800) 539-2968[↩][↩]
  10. https://www.usbank.com/pdf/Deposit-Account-Agreement.pdf[↩][↩]
  11. https://www.suntrust.com/content/dam/suntrust/us/en/shared/2017/documents/rules-and-regulations.pdf[↩][↩]
  12. https://www.bbt.com/assets/docs/pdf/bbt-com/customer-service/business-services-pricing-guide/commercial_bank_services_agreement.pdfREEMENT[↩][↩]
  13. https://www.bbt.com/assets/bbtcom/content/pdf/customer-service/personal-services-pricing-guide/bank-services-agreement.pdf[↩][↩]
  14. https://www.wellsfargo.com/online-banking/consumer-account-fees[↩][↩]
  15. https://www.chase.com/content/dam/chasecom/en/checking/documents/deposit_account_agreement.pdf[↩][↩]
  16. https://www.bankofamerica.com/deposits/resources/deposit-agreements.go[↩][↩]
  17. https://www.bmoharris.com/pdf/global/deposit-agreement.pdf[↩][↩]
  18. https://www.regions.com/virtualdocuments/Deposit_Agreement_Oct_10.pdf[↩][↩]
  19. ACE Cash Express customer service (866) 223-2274[↩][↩]
  20. PLS Check Cashing (855) 856-9757[↩][↩]
  21. Check Into Cash customer service (877) 262-2274[↩][↩]
  22. Advance Financial customer service (615) 341-5900[↩][↩]
  23. The Check Cashing Store customer service (877) 460-3484[↩][↩]
  24. Money Mart customer service (800) 361-1407[↩][↩]
  25. https://www.ccfi.com/services/[↩][↩]
  26. Food Lion customer service (800) 210-9569[↩][↩]
  27. Meijer customer service (877) 363-4537[↩][↩]
  28. Santander Bank customer service (877) 768-2265[↩][↩]
  29. https://www.tdbank.com/tdhelps/default.aspx/can-i-cash-my-payroll-check-drawn-on-a-td-check-the-day-before-the-date-on-the-check/v/42283834/[↩][↩]
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