Do Paychecks Expire? A Quick Guide For Employees

Paychecks do expire, particularly if a specific amount of time has passed and the check remains uncashed or outstanding.

From an employee’s perspective, expired paychecks can be a source of concern since that means they cannot access their hard-earned money the moment they need it.

At the same time, employers have to follow state-specific regulations when handling expired checks and assessing whether to replace them or escheat them.

Key Takeaways

• Knowing the answer to the question, “Do paychecks expire?” helps employers and employees be more responsible in issuing and cashing checks.
• Typically, a paycheck expires after 180 days or six months. In contrast, checks issued by government agencies expire in six months to a year.
• An employee can request to have their paycheck reissued, provided that they have not cashed their check and they have a copy of the check.
• Each state also has different regulations on issuing employee paychecks, handling expired checks, and determining whether employers should reissue a check or not.

What is a Paycheck?

A paycheck, also called a check, bank check, or payroll check, is a slip of paper that contains an employee’s earnings or salary for a pay period in net amount. Employers issue paychecks to their employees every payday.

In turn, employees either go to their bank’s nearest branch or use their bank’s ATM or mobile banking service to deposit or cash their paychecks.

Aside from the amount of money paid to a worker, a check also contains the following information:

• Company or employer’s name and address
• Employer’s account number
• Employer’s bank routing number
• Employee’s name and address
• Check number
• Date when the check was issued

Paychecks also come with a pay stub, which is a summary of an employee’s gross and net pay, withholding taxes, and other pay adjustments. Some companies still use paper checks, and this is a common practice in the retail, wholesale trade, construction, and personal care services industries.

Other businesses use electronic pay stubs and paychecks, and they disseminate the said documents to employees digitally through the help of a payroll service provider.

Do Paychecks Expire?

Yes, paychecks do expire. Generally, a check remains valid until six months or 180 days have passed since it was issued to the recipient. Some businesses also issue paychecks with a pre-printed label that says, Void after 90 days.

Meanwhile, checks issued by government agencies and local government offices are valid for six months to a year. Knowing when paychecks expire also plays an integral role in implementing the different wage notice requirements and final paycheck laws per state.

Wage notice requirements and final paycheck laws are legal regulations that specify an employer’s obligations when issuing employee paychecks.

For instance, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maine, Oregon, and Utah all require employers to include either the pay period date range or payment date on their employees’ paychecks.

Depending on whether employers pay their workers biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly, the paycheck dates should coincide with the pay periods covered by the salary and the scheduled payment date.

In the same manner, when an employee is terminated or resigns, businesses should adhere to any existing laws that specify when they should issue their former staff’s final paycheck.

Alaska, Arizona, and Arkansas require employers to issue the last paychecks for employees who resigned by the following regular pay day.

Meanwhile, terminated employees in the said states should expect to receive their paychecks within three to seven days following their termination. Some states, such as California and Colorado, mandate that terminated employees be paid immediately.

In the event that an employer cannot locate a current or former employee because they recently moved or changed their residential address, they may send the paycheck instead to the state agency at their location.

What Happens if You Don’t Cash a Paycheck on Time?

When you don’t cash a paycheck on time, you may end up with a voided or expired check and fail to cash your paycheck.

Since we’ve clarified that a paycheck does expire, it is best to be mindful of the validity period of your paycheck. Otherwise, you may also face various possible consequences when you stay oblivious to when paychecks expire and cash your paycheck a tad too late.

Some of the consequences are the following:

#1. Your Funds Get Returned

Your hard-earned money or cash gets returned to your employer or the entity responsible for issuing your paycheck. Often, when the money is returned to the issuer, they will contact the check’s recipient to reissue the voided paycheck.

#2. Your Employer or Bank Escheats Your Check

When a check is escheated, this means that your bank or employer has been notified of the paycheck’s expiration and discovers that the amount on the check has not been cashed.

As such, they consider the money unclaimed property and surrender or return the check to the state government.

#3. You’re Required to Provide Proof of Identification

A bank may request that you provide proof of identification, such as your passport, driver’s license, or any other valid ID. They do this to certify that you are the person to whom the check is addressed.

Providing proof of identification is also common when cashing checks that contain a large sum.

#4. You Pay Additional Charges or Fees

In some instances, a financial institution or bank may require you to pay additional fees to allow you to cash a voided or expired paycheck. The additional fee or charge varies per bank, which can be troublesome if you are depending on the money on your paycheck to afford your basic needs.

What to Do if You Have an Expired Paycheck: 2 Courses of Action

If you have an expired paycheck, the course of action you can take will depend on whether you simply missed the check’s expiration or validation date or whether your employer issued the paycheck at a much later date than expected.

That said, here are two possible countermeasures you can try in case you have an expired paycheck:

Contact Your Employer

Contact your current or previous employer and request that they provide you with a reissued check.

Employers must adhere to their state’s pay stub requirements. They must also bear in mind that paychecks do expire, and so it is their responsibility to issue employee paychecks in a timely manner at all times.

In that regard, they may still reissue expired paychecks, provided that the checks have not yet been cashed by their employee. Employees must also keep a copy of the expired check so that employers can use it as a reference when verifying the check number and date.

Seek Legal Action

Unfortunately, some employers are not so diligent or responsible when it comes to issuing their workers’ paychecks or keeping their paycheck records organized and updated.

If you received your paycheck several days past your scheduled pay date, the first thing you should do is to contact your employer, HR, or payroll department.

However, if your employer or HR refuses to cooperate or reissue a late and expired paycheck, you can seek the advice of a labor attorney.

Remember, business owners cannot withhold paychecks or a worker’s final pay as a form of punishment. Other countermeasures you can take to cash an expired paycheck are to head to your state’s labor office and file a wage claim or file a lawsuit in a small claims court.

How to Prevent Paychecks from Expiring

There are different ways that an employer and an employee can prevent paychecks from expiring. Aside from knowing and understanding that paychecks do expire, these preventive measures also involve having a background in existing labor regulations.

For employers, implementing a seamless payroll administration process should uphold paycheck expiration laws. In doing so, businesses can align their pay period with the applicable validity period of the checks they are issuing.

At the same time, a company’s HR and payroll departments should work together to ensure their employee records are updated and complete at all times. The key is to segregate information from current employees to workers who either resigned or were terminated.

That way, employees or former staff receive their checks on schedule and have enough time to cash their paychecks before the validity period ends.

As for employees, taking the time to learn about employees’ rights on expired paychecks is a good start to preventing checks from expiring. It would also be helpful to cash the checks as soon as possible or create a reminder to avoid forgetting them.

Understandably, some individuals prefer not to cash their checks yet to avoid unnecessary spending. However, making unnecessary purchases can be avoided by creating a pay stub budget and prioritizing necessary expenses over unimportant expenditures.

Keep Your Paychecks Organized with Paystub.org

Paystub.org helps business owners and employees keep track of their paychecks and avoid having to deal with expired paychecks with the help of our user-friendly pay stub generator.

Issuing paychecks goes hand-in-hand with preparing pay stubs, and our generator ensures you save more time in preparing each employee’s check stubs. Our generator comes with templates with all the important information you should see on a regular employee pay stub.

As such, it will be easier to compare the details on the check with those on the pay stubs and guarantee that both documents contain the same correct information.

The less effort and resources used in preparing pay stubs, the more time is left to dedicate to issuing paychecks and pay stubs on time, ensuring payroll records are organized, and both labor regulations and employee rights are duly upheld.

In turn, employees receive their checks and have enough time to deposit their hard-earned wages and salaries.

Final Thoughts

So, do paychecks expire? Yes, and so it is the responsibility of employers to issue paychecks to employees on time. Similarly, employees must be responsible enough to cash their checks before their validity period expires.

More importantly, understanding the limitations and regulations when handling expired paychecks goes hand in hand with adhering to paycheck requirements and wage regulations.

Do Paychecks Expire FAQ

#1. How can I find out if my paycheck is still valid?

To find out if your paycheck is still valid, take a closer look at the date when the check was issued. If six months or more have passed since the issuance of the check, then it is already invalid.

#2. What should I do if my employer won’t reissue an expired check?

If your employer won’t reissue an expired check, contact or head to the nearest Department of Labor in your state to get your money or cash back.

While employers must reissue expired checks to their employees, it will also depend on whether the paycheck has been left unclaimed for over five years. If you have not claimed your paycheck in five years, your employer will have to transfer the amount on your check to the state authorities.

#3. Can I request a new paycheck if the old one has expired?

Yes, you can request a new paycheck if the old one expires, provided that you have not cashed it and you keep your old check for your employer’s reference.