Where To Cash A Government Check For Free

Visit The Issuing Bank

When you dont have a bank account, the issuing bank is the best place to start. It can be the cheapest and quickest option, compared to some of the other options on this list.

Banks might also have a higher cashing limit than some other options, too.

The issuing banks name is located in the bottom left corner of the check, above the memo line. Go to your local branch of that bank to cash the check.

For instance, If the check is issued by BB& T Bank, you can visit the local BB& T branch. The teller can then check the account balance to make sure there are sufficient funds to cover the check.

As with any of these check cashing locations, you will need to bring your ID to verify your identity.

Each bank has different cashing policies for non-customers. Dont be surprised if you are charged a non-customer fee, but not all banks and credit unions charge a non-customer fee.

The best way to find out is to or visit their online website.

If you must pay a fee, banks usually charge one of the following fees:

• $0 for any check balance below $50
• $7-$10 for check balances above $50
• 10% of the check balance
• $7 per check regardless of the balance

Sometimes, non-customer banks fees can be more expensive than some of the other options mentioned here.

Make sure to use the card as soon as possible to ensure your money doesnt expire.

More Money Headed To Those In Need

Although guaranteed income and universal basic income concepts are not new, the COVID-19 epidemic has highlighted on a national scale how helpful little amounts of free money can be in difficult situations.

Universal basic income payments, like the name implies, are uniform. Residents of a region or citizens of a country generally get the same amount.

Universal basic income payments, like the name implies, are uniform. Residents of a region or citizens of a country generally get the same amount.

In contrast, certain people only receive assured income payments. To be eligible, you must have a low income or belong to a certain club, and such limitations are aiding the establishment of many GI systems.

For example, in September 100 desperate dads in Columbia, South Carolina, received $500 debit cards and will receive the same amount every month for the next year. Then theres the Peoples Prosperity Pilot in St. Paul, Minnesota., which aims to assist young families with newborns.

The city of Pittsburgh used some of the COVID-19 relief cash it received from the federal government to give $500 a month for two years to 200 low-income families, with preference going to Black womens households.

Sign Your Check Over To Someone You Trust

Another way to cash a check if you dont have a bank account is to sign the check over to someone you trust who does have a bank account and have that person cash the check at their bank.

Make sure the person you are signing over your check to is willing to cash the check, and that his or her bank will cash it. You should accompany your trusted friend to the bank in case the teller requires your ID or has questions about the check.

Your friend must have the proper identification and be prepared to have his or her check dinged by a check-cashing fee.

In all of the methods laid out above, there is a personal and financial safety risk. Paper checks and cash can be lost or stolen.

Don’t Miss: Rsa Identity Governance And Lifecycle

Faster Mobile Check Cashing

Introducing Ingo® Money, the easy way to cash your check to your Green Dot account in minutes, right from your mobile device.

ENROLL: Create your profile and link your Green Dot card right in the app.

SNAP: Follow the prompts to take pictures of your check.

GO: Get your money in minutes for a fee or in 10 days for no fee.

Cashing Government Checks For Noncustomers

01/05/2004

Currently my bank will cash a government check…both federal or state, for non-customers. We have lost a considerable amount of money by providing this service. My questions: Is there a requirement that we cash government checks for non-customers? When a customer opens an account for the purpose of having an account in which to deposit a government check, can we require that the check be set up on direct deposit? Customers will open an account, deposit the check, cash the check and then close the account. If the deposit was made directly from the government we would waste far less time and money opening accounts for one day.

You May Like: Government Jobs For History Majors

Where You Can Cash A Personal Check

Another place you can cash a personal check, in addition to its issuing bank or a Kmart or Publix store, is at a money center. Unaffiliated with banks, these businesses also cash government, payroll and other official checks. Some outlets strictly offer cash-checking, while others provide other financial services such as bill payment and payday loans. Some of the larger chains of check-cashing outlets include:

• ACE Cash Express
• CFSC
• Check into Cash

In some states, including Texas, check-cashing services are not regulated and are therefore free to charge whatever they wish for the transactions. In the majority of states, though, the fees are dictated by state law, and typically vary depending on the type of check.

How To Cash Your Government Check

Whatever kind of government check youd like cash, your local Money Services can help you access your money in no time. Heres what you need to do:

• Find us Search for your local Money Services using our store locator tool.

• Bring your check Take your check to your local Money Services the fee will be deducted from the cash you get back.

• Bring your details Make sure you bring the valid ID, and know your Social Security or Taxpayer Identification Number.

• Take all named adults If there are two named adults on one check for your household, you will both need to be present to cash in-store.

• Cash your check Our friendly in-store team will give you your money right away.

You May Like: How Long Does It Take To Get A Government Phone

How To Cash A Check Without A Bank Account

• Seek the Lowest-Cost Option

Roughly 7.1 million American households are without a bank account, according to the FDIC, and you may have had trouble cashing a check if you belong to one of them. Cashing a check without a bank account is possible, but you may have to pay a fee to do it. In some cases, you may even have to do some extra legwork to make it happen.

Your Local Bank Or Credit Union

The best place to cash a check is your personal bank or credit union. Free check cashing may be one of your account benefits. By visiting your local branch, you could have instant access to your cash.

That said, depending on your local bank options, you might be better off joining a credit union. Credit unions usually charge fewer fees than banks.

If you dont need access to a national network of branches, credit unions are a great choice. A credit union might also have a lower minimum balance requirement to avoid monthly checking account fees.

Many credit unions only require a $5 minimum balance to keep your account open.

Pick a local credit union or bank that offers free checking and is convenient to access. If your bank doesnt cash checks for free, you should look for a new checking account.

Don’t Miss: Government Assistance Child Care Texas

Information You Must Receive About Cheque Hold Periods

A federally regulated financial institution, such as a bank, must give you a written copy of its policy on cheque holds when you open an account. You can find the policy as part of your account agreement or as a separate document.

The cheque hold policy tells you how long the financial institution can hold the cheques that you deposit.

It must include information about:

• the maximum length of time it may hold funds for a cheque that is drawn on an account at a financial institution in Canada
• the maximum amount of time it may hold the funds you deposit from a cheque that isn’t subject to the legislated maximum cheque hold periods

If the policy does not specify if a hold applies to your account, your financial institution decides when you deposit your cheque.

How Does The Online Check Clearing Process Work

After taking a photo, the check then goes to a queue for approval. If cleared, the money is deposited into an account that you had linked to which could be your bank account, a prepaid card among others. If it was not linked to any account, then you will have to take an extra step which is to transfer your money to your bank account or to where you want it.

In most cases, you are required to keep the paper version of your check safely for at least 14 days or until the transaction is complete and confirmed. Then shred the paper version afterward to avoid any financial breach issues to arise.

There are many banks across the US that offers instant online check cashing services. You can consider if the bank has such a feature when opening a checking account with any bank. The feature allows you to use the online check cashing services if you have an account with the bank.

I also use Personal Capital to monitor when my deposits have posted or not. Personal Capital has awesome retirement planning and cash flow dashboards to monitor all the flows of my income.

Recommended Reading: Government Mortgages For First Time Buyers

Load Funds Onto A Prepaid Debit Card

People who dont have bank accounts sometimes use prepaid cards to deposit checks and access their cash. Prepaid cards are similar to checking account debit cards. Your spending is limited by how much money you have loaded onto the card.

Prepaid cards have different options for check cashing. Some prepaid cards let you set up direct deposit so that checks are automatically loaded onto the card. Other cards come with an app that lets you snap a picture of your check to load it onto your card. Or, you might be able to deposit your check at an ATM to load the money onto the card.

Fees are a big drawback of prepaid cards. The Walmart MoneyCard charges $2.50 to withdraw money at an ATM or a bank teller window, and 50 cents to check your card balance at an ATM. There is a monthly fee of $5.94 unless you load $1,000 a month onto the card.

Reload fees can be steep. It can cost you up to $5.95 to add money to a Green Dot Prepaid Visa card. Green Dot also charges a $3 ATM fee. Sometimes, prepaid card fees are scaled according to how quickly you want your money, and you can get dinged for expedited availability.

Local Retailers And Grocery Stores

Another convenient way to cash a check is at a grocery store or your local retailer. There are numerous grocery stores all over the U.S. that offer check cashing, such as:

• Walmart: You can cash checks up to $5,000 at Walmart, but two-party personal checks are an exception you can only cash them up to $200. At Walmart, you can cash government, tax, 401 distribution, insurance settlement and cashiers checks. Bear in mind you will pay a flat fee for checks up to $1,000 but the charge will double for checks over $1,000.
• Kmart: Are you a member of Kmarts Shop Your Way rewards program? If so, you can cash payroll and government checks of up to $2,000 and personal checks up to $500 for less than $1 per check.

Don’t Miss: Government Grants To Start Trucking Business

Ask A Local Bank To Cash Your Stimulus Check

Since government checks are considered “safe,” some banks will cash stimulus checks for non-customersbut you might have to pay a fee. While many banks are waiving fees for stimulus checks, it’s best to call ahead to make sure. If there is a fee, it could run anywhere from $5 to over $20. Also make sure you bring at least two photo IDs with you .

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation , which helps regulate banks and insures bank deposits, has encouraged financial institutions to work with people impacted by the coronavirus crisis, including by waiving fees and easing restrictions on cashing non-customer checks. So, hopefully, there’s a bank near you that will cash your stimulus check without a fee.

Endorse Your Check To A Friend Or Family Member

If you dont have a bank account of your own, then you could endorse the check to a friend or family member who does.

Endorsing a check is a simple two-step process:

• You write Pay to the order of
• Sign underneath

They can then cash the check for free and give the funds to you.

This obviously requires a deep level of trust and, in some cases, you both have to be present at the bank so they can prove that you are not being pressured or forced to do this. Youll likely be asked to fill out a form to certify your endorsement.

Depending on how often you need to cash a check, it may be much easier for you to open a checking account of your own and avoid this workaround. The last thing you want is for money to get in the way of your relationships with friends and family.

Don’t Miss: How To Buy Swiss Government Bonds

Cash Your Tax Refund Or Stimulus Check Today

Bring your valid government-issued ID and your check with you to your nearest EZ Money Check Cashing and gain access to the check cashing services you need! Say goodbye to the hassle, and say hello to your cash.

Check cashing fees vary by state, so check with your nearest location for information on accepted check types and fee rates.

Identification You Need To Cash A Government Of Canada Cheque

To cash your cheque, you’ll have to show one acceptable piece of identification . The ID must have both your photo and your signature. For example, your ID could be a drivers license or a passport.

If you dont have any ID with both your photo and your signature on it, youll have to show two acceptable pieces of ID. If you only have one acceptable piece of ID, you may also have someone in good standing with the bank or in the community confirm your identity.

Read Also: Government Grants For Stroke Victims

Best Places To Cash Checks

Here’s a list of the 11 Best Places to Cash Checks. If you’re looking for the best places to cash a personal check near you then definitely check these out!

I know what youre thinking cashing a check in this day and age? Isnt that a little old school?

Well, youd be surprised how many side hustles will pay you in checks! And when you see those checks pour through your mailbox , you may want to cash them immediately.

But cashing a check can be a bit complicated. In fact, if youve started a profitable side hustle and are receiving your first checks, you may be confused about how it all works. If you receive checks from various income sources knowing how to cash personal checks conveniently and inexpensively is a must.

Lucky for you, today Ill be telling you how and where to cash your checks fast without paying unnecessarily high fees. Read on to find out all you need to know!

Changes To Your Financial Institution’s Cheque Hold Policy

Your financial institution may change its policy on holding funds deposited by cheque. It must let you know what these changes are before applying them to your account.

If you get a regular statement in the mail, your financial institution must send you a written notice explaining any change in its policy on holding funds deposited by cheque. It must do so at least 30 days before applying the change to your account.

If you carry a passbook that you present to the financial institution when you make a transaction, your financial institution must display, in your branch, a notice explaining the change in its policy. It must do so for at least 60 days before applying this change to your account.

Don’t Miss: How To Get Government Assistance For Health Insurance

Best Places To Cash A Check If You Dont Have A Bank

But if youre one of the 67 million U.S. adults who doesnt have a bank account or regularly use one, the task can be harder and more expensive.

Without a bank account, you will have to pay to cash your check.

There are only rare occasions where this isnt the case. Check-cashing fees vary widely and, depending on the size and type of check, you could spend as little as a buck or as much as $100.

The requirement to pay for cashing a check is very meaningful to anyone living paycheck to paycheck, says Michael Moebs, founder and CEO of Moebs Services, an economic research firm.Heres how to find the best deal to cash your checkof any kind. No matter where you go, you will need to present a valid identity, possibly two, to complete the transaction.

Cashing A Check At The Check

Banks and often will cash government, payroll, and other official checks along with personal checks if the check-writer has an account at the same institution. The check-issuing banks logo typically is printed on the check. Somebut not allmajor banks will cash checks for non-account holders, usually for a fee, as long as the checking account has sufficient funds. In some cases, the bank may waive check-cashing fees if you open a bank account.

You May Like: Government Employee Discounts Universal Studios Orlando