This was after a long period of decline in their use in favour of debit cards. Instrument-specific legislation includes the Cheques Act 1960, part of the Bills of Exchange Act 1908, which codifies aspects related to the cheque payment instrument, notably the procedures for the endorsement, presentment and payment of cheques. A 1995 amendment provided for the electronic presentment of cheques and removed the previous requirement to deliver cheques physically to the paying bank, opening the way for cheque truncation and imaging. In 1969 cheque guarantee cards were introduced in several countries, allowing a retailer to confirm that a cheque would be honored when used at a point of sale.

Paper money evolved from promissory notes, another form of negotiable instrument similar to cheques in that they were originally a written order to pay the given amount to whoever had it in their possession (the “bearer”). Cheque is a written instrument that serves as a substitute for cash. It is a negotiable instrument, instructing the bank to pay a specific amount from the drawer’s account to a designated payee.

The drawer is the person who writes and signs the cheque, issuing the payment instruction. The drawer is typically the account holder who authorizes the payment from their bank account. These lines are drawn to indicate that the cheque must be deposited directly into the payee’s bank account. It is important to keep track of the details of the cheques that you have written, including the payee and the amount paid. This can help you ensure that you have an accurate record of your financial transactions and avoid any potential issues or confusion. An open cheque does not have crossed lines, and hence, is also called an uncrossed cheque.

It serves as a written instruction to a bank to pay a specified amount of money to the payee. A cheque leaf can be used for the purpose of withdrawing, depositing, or transferring funds from one account to another. No, only the account holders receive cheque book which they can use to transfer money or make payments. However, you can encash a cheque drawn in your name even without a bank account. A cheque number is a unique identifier assigned to each cheque issued by a bank account holder.

Post-dated cheque

In the United Kingdom, in common with other items such as Direct Debits or standing orders, dishonoured cheques can be reported on a customer’s credit file, although not individually and this does not happen universally amongst banks. Dishonoured payments from current accounts can be marked in the same manner as missed payments on the customer’s credit report. In 1999, banks adopted a system to allow faster clearance of cheques by electronically transmitting information about cheques; this brought clearance times down from five to three days.

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Cheques have been a tempting target for criminals to steal money or goods from the drawer, payee or the banks. A number of measures have been introduced to combat fraud over the years. These range from things like writing a cheque so it is difficult to alter after it is drawn, to mechanisms like crossing a cheque so that it can only be paid into another bank’s account providing some traceability. In the US, the bottom 5⁄8-inch (16 mm)[30] of the cheque is reserved for MICR characters only.

Savings Account

In the ninth century, a merchant in one country could cash a sakk drawn on his bank in another country.[16] The Persian poet, Ferdowsi, used the term “cheque” several times in his famous book, Shahnameh, when referring to the Sasanid dynasty. A post-dated cheque is a crossed or accounts payee cheque with a future date to meet a financial obligation in the future. It is valid for the tenure of three months from the date of issuance. With a cheque, you have the flexibility to issue post-dated payments. This means you can write a cheque today but specify a future date for the recipient to deposit or cash it. Bank cheques are considered a safe, secure, and convenient way to conduct transactions between two parties.

Post-dated cheques:

The features, benefits and offers mentioned in the article are applicable as on the day of publication of this blog and is subject to change without notice. The contents herein are also subject to other product specific terms and conditions and any third party terms and conditions, as applicable. Endorsee – The endorsee is the party to whom the payment rights are passed from the payee (the endorser). A blank cheque is one that has the sign of the issuer, and no other details are filled in. Blank cheques pose a high risk because if lost, anyone who finds it can fill in any what is a cheque amount and issue it to themselves. Efiling Income Tax Returns(ITR) is made easy with Clear platform.

A crossed cheque is a type of cheque where the issuer makes two slanted parallel lines on the top left corner of the cheque, with the word ‘a/c payee’ written. It means that the specified sum of the cheque, regardless of who is handing it over, will only be transferred to the individual/organisation whose name is mentioned as the payee. A crossed cheque is also safer because it can be cashed only at the payee’s bank.

1. The process is similar to net banking and consumes hardly a couple of minutes.
2. In order to process this type of cheque – the word ‘carrier’ must be included in the leaf.
3. A cheque can be issued for a current account or a savings account and can be used to deposit or pay money to other people through the bank account.
4. • Digital money transfer methods are becoming popular since cheques are a bit time-consuming to process payments.

FAQs on What is a Cheque

Once a cheque is approved and all appropriate accounts involved have been credited, the cheque is stamped with some kind of cancellation mark, such as a “paid” stamp. The account holder can request a copy of a cancelled cheque as proof of a payment. A cheque is a bill of exchange in which one party orders the bank to transfer the money to the bank account of another party. Cheques are negotiable instruments covered under the Negotiable Instrument Act, of 1881. In a cheque transaction, three parties are involved namely, the drawer, the drawee, and the beneficiary or payee.

Writing cheques relies on the availability and efficiency of the banking system, including factors such as clearing times and processing delays. The drawee is the bank or financial institution on which the bank cheque is drawn. The drawee is responsible for paying the payee as instructed by the drawer. A bank cheque can be issued by individuals who hold a savings or current account. A self cheque is a type of cheque written by the account holder and payable to themselves. An order cheque is payable only to a specific person or organization mentioned on the cheque as the payee.

The cheques can be used to pay for certain goods and services in the UK. The same year, the C&CCC set up the euro cheque clearing system to process euro denominated cheques separately from sterling cheques in Great Britain. A cheque is a written order to a financial institution, typically a bank, to pay a specific amount of money from one account to another. The person writing the cheque, known as the drawer, instructs the bank to transfer a certain amount of money to the payee, the person receiving the money. When the payee deposits the cheque, the bank will withdraw the specified amount from the drawer’s account and transfer it to the payee’s account.

The remaining numbers denote the details of issuing branch, city, and the account linked. • Mobile app – Like net banking, you can also use your mobile banking app to apply for a new chequebook. The process is similar to net banking and consumes hardly a couple of minutes. • Several bank digital kiosks also process cheque transactions digitally so, you don’t require to visit the bank always. Self chequeA self cheque is drawn in the name of the account holder.