What is cheque imaging?

Cheque imaging is the process banks and building societies within the UK use for clearing and payment of cheques.

Cheque imaging has significantly reduced the clearing timescales of cheques, postal orders, sterling traveller's cheques, banker's drafts and dividend cheques. This only applies to cheques which are drawn on UK banks and paid into a UK bank account.

If you have written a cheque and this is paid into a bank or building society using cheque imaging:

• It should debit your account after two business days, once the cheque has been presented for payment at the payee's bank
• If the bank or building society isn't using cheque imaging, this should debit your account after three business days.

To stop a cheque:

• You will need to be able to quote both the amount and the cheque serial number (this number can be found at the bottom of the cheque)
• You will no longer be able to request this on the day it’s presented to us for a payment decision. You can do this anytime before the payment date but not on the actual day when we decide whether to honour the payment.

Please be mindful of these timelines. If online banking is unavailable, you may need to contact us for support.

For cheques you pay into your account:

• Once we receive the cheque, the cheque will clear and credit your account within two business days
• Once the cheque is credited, if applicable, you will then start to earn interest or interest charges will start to reduce on your overdraft.

Please note: any cheques processed digitally will not be returned if unpaid and a new cheque will need to be obtained. You will still receive a letter informing you of this.

We also no longer accept foreign currency cheques to be paid into accounts.