How to Stop Payment on a Lost Check
Check your account statement., Contact your bank., Go to a branch in person., Monitor your checking account., Mark the expiration date on your calendar.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Check your account statement.
Before you initiate a stop payment on the check, you need to make sure it has not yet gone through.
If your bank has already accepted the check, a stop payment won't do you any good.Typically it's easier to check your recent transactions on your online account, or on your banking mobile app if you have one.
Make sure the check has not cleared, and also check your pending transactions to make sure it hasn't been presented yet.
If the check does not appear, take action to initiate the stop payment order immediately.
If you lost a checkbook, or a series of blank checks, be aware that a stop-payment order may not resolve your problems.
Your best solution may be simply to close your bank account. -
Step 2: Contact your bank.
The moment you discover that a check is lost, gather information about the check and call your bank's customer service number as soon as possible.
Most banks have a toll-free number with operators available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Typically, you will need your bank account number, the number of the check, the exact amount for which you wrote the check, and the exact name of the person or business to which you wrote the check.
If you have a joint account, you can stop payment on the check even if the other account owner wrote it.
However, you probably will need to provide that information as well.
The operator will take the information and let you know what you need to do next. , While you can initiate a stop payment over the phone, typically you must go into the branch nearest you and complete some official paperwork before the stop payment goes into effect.If you don't go to the bank to authorize the stop payment order in writing within 14 days of the date you called the bank, the order will lapse.
Keep in mind that these are calendar days, not business days.
The bank typically will have forms for you to fill out and sign to put the stop payment order into effect.
Make sure you get copies of everything you sign for your records. you may want to create a separate file to keep all information associated with your stop payment order, so you have everything together.
You will have to pay a fee to place a stop payment order – typically about the same amount as you would pay for a returned check.
You may have to pay the fee separately, or the bank may simply withdraw it from your checking account (provided the funds are available). , Even if you have a stop payment order in effect, the bank still may pay the check if it is presented.
Under the law, the bank can still do this if the stop payment order was not received in time, or if you didn't provide full and correct information about the check.For example, suppose you wrote a check to a company called "Jerry's Jams and Jellies, LLC," and that's the name you put on your stop-payment order.
However, you actually wrote the check to "Jerry's Jams." Your stop-payment order might not stop that check from going through.
At that point, you would need to contact the bank.
If they tell you that the information on the stop-payment order was insufficient, you can argue that they reasonably should have known that "Jerry's Jams" was the same thing as "Jerry's Jams and Jellies, LLC." The check also might go through anyway if, for example, you entered the wrong check number, or you wrote the wrong amount on the stop-payment order.
Keep in mind this doesn't need to be a significant difference – if you were off by even a few pennies, the bank may still honor the check despite your stop-payment order. , In most cases, your stop-payment order will expire six months from the date it was issued.
At that point, you'll need to assess the situation and decide whether you want to renew the stop-payment order for another six months.Keep in mind that if you decide to renew the stop-payment order, you typically must go to a bank branch again in person to sign the official forms, and you'll have to pay another fee.
Under federal law, banks are not obligated to pay a check that is more than six months old.
However, the still may charge your account.If the check is still unaccounted for, you may want to renew your stop-payment order. -
Step 3: Go to a branch in person.
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Step 4: Monitor your checking account.
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Step 5: Mark the expiration date on your calendar.
Detailed Guide
Before you initiate a stop payment on the check, you need to make sure it has not yet gone through.
If your bank has already accepted the check, a stop payment won't do you any good.Typically it's easier to check your recent transactions on your online account, or on your banking mobile app if you have one.
Make sure the check has not cleared, and also check your pending transactions to make sure it hasn't been presented yet.
If the check does not appear, take action to initiate the stop payment order immediately.
If you lost a checkbook, or a series of blank checks, be aware that a stop-payment order may not resolve your problems.
Your best solution may be simply to close your bank account.
The moment you discover that a check is lost, gather information about the check and call your bank's customer service number as soon as possible.
Most banks have a toll-free number with operators available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Typically, you will need your bank account number, the number of the check, the exact amount for which you wrote the check, and the exact name of the person or business to which you wrote the check.
If you have a joint account, you can stop payment on the check even if the other account owner wrote it.
However, you probably will need to provide that information as well.
The operator will take the information and let you know what you need to do next. , While you can initiate a stop payment over the phone, typically you must go into the branch nearest you and complete some official paperwork before the stop payment goes into effect.If you don't go to the bank to authorize the stop payment order in writing within 14 days of the date you called the bank, the order will lapse.
Keep in mind that these are calendar days, not business days.
The bank typically will have forms for you to fill out and sign to put the stop payment order into effect.
Make sure you get copies of everything you sign for your records. you may want to create a separate file to keep all information associated with your stop payment order, so you have everything together.
You will have to pay a fee to place a stop payment order – typically about the same amount as you would pay for a returned check.
You may have to pay the fee separately, or the bank may simply withdraw it from your checking account (provided the funds are available). , Even if you have a stop payment order in effect, the bank still may pay the check if it is presented.
Under the law, the bank can still do this if the stop payment order was not received in time, or if you didn't provide full and correct information about the check.For example, suppose you wrote a check to a company called "Jerry's Jams and Jellies, LLC," and that's the name you put on your stop-payment order.
However, you actually wrote the check to "Jerry's Jams." Your stop-payment order might not stop that check from going through.
At that point, you would need to contact the bank.
If they tell you that the information on the stop-payment order was insufficient, you can argue that they reasonably should have known that "Jerry's Jams" was the same thing as "Jerry's Jams and Jellies, LLC." The check also might go through anyway if, for example, you entered the wrong check number, or you wrote the wrong amount on the stop-payment order.
Keep in mind this doesn't need to be a significant difference – if you were off by even a few pennies, the bank may still honor the check despite your stop-payment order. , In most cases, your stop-payment order will expire six months from the date it was issued.
At that point, you'll need to assess the situation and decide whether you want to renew the stop-payment order for another six months.Keep in mind that if you decide to renew the stop-payment order, you typically must go to a bank branch again in person to sign the official forms, and you'll have to pay another fee.
Under federal law, banks are not obligated to pay a check that is more than six months old.
However, the still may charge your account.If the check is still unaccounted for, you may want to renew your stop-payment order.
About the Author
Jack Jones
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow cooking tutorials.
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