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Cheques › Cheque clearing and safety
Cheque clearing time, Positive Pay and writing a safe cheque
Cheques used to take two working days to clear. Since 4 October 2025 banks clear cheques continuously through the day, so a cheque deposited in the morning is usually paid the same working day. The faster your money arrives, the more it matters to mark cheques cleared on time and to keep your own account funded.
How clearing works now
- Cheques go through the Cheque Truncation System (CTS): the bank sends an image of the cheque, not the paper.
- Since 4 October 2025 cheques are sent and confirmed continuously during banking hours, and the money is credited soon after the paying bank confirms, usually the same working day.
- RBI planned a faster second step (an answer within three hours) for January 2026, but postponed it in December 2025 until further notice. Ask your bank for its cut-off time; a cheque deposited late in the day may move to the next working day.
- A cheque is valid for three months from its date.
Positive Pay for large cheques
Under RBI’s Positive Pay System (from 1 January 2021), when you issue a cheque of ₹50,000 or more you can send your bank the key details first: cheque no., date, payee, amount. The bank checks the presented cheque against them. Many banks require it for cheques of ₹5 lakh and above. Use your bank’s app or net banking, and record the same cheque in "Cheque given" here.
Writing a safe cheque
- Write "A/c Payee" between two lines in the corner, so the money can go only into the payee’s account.
- Write the payee’s name and the amount in words and figures, and draw a line after each so nothing can be added.
- Do not change anything on the cheque. Under the CTS standard only the date can be changed, with your signature; for any other mistake write a new cheque.
- Never sign a blank cheque. Fill in the counterfoil, and note the cheque here the same day.
What to mark in the register
When the bank shows the credit, tap Cleared on a cheque you received; when your bank account shows the debit, tap Cleared on a cheque you gave. The bank book then matches your bank statement, and "Cheques not yet cleared" shows only what is really still on its way.