What Is a Cashier's Check?

If you want to ensure a check won’t bounce, ask for a cashier’s check. Unlike checks written from a personal account, cashier’s checks are backed by a bank or credit union, effectively guaranteeing payment since the amount is drawn from the bank's funds rather than the check writer's. This makes them a more secure option for sending or receiving large or sensitive payments, like the closing costs on a home purchase.

What is a cashier’s check?

With a cashier’s check, funds are guaranteed by the bank or financial institution issuing it rather than the person sending the money, as is the case with a traditional check.

When you take out a cashier's check, your bank or credit union first withdraws the funds from your account and deposits the amount into its own account. The money stays there until the check recipient cashes or deposits the check. This process makes cashier’s checks impossible to bounce since they cannot be written for amounts larger than the value of a person’s checking account like traditional checks allow.

Because of this safeguard, many companies and individuals prefer cashier's checks, making them one of the important banking basics to know about. You may be asked to pay this way rather than use a personal check when completing a large financial transaction, such as making a down payment on a home or purchasing a car.

How to get a cashier’s check

You can easily get a cashier’s check from your bank or credit union for a small fee, although some institutions may provide them free of charge for customers with certain kinds of checking accounts or savings accounts. To ensure your transaction goes smoothly, follow these steps:

1. Review your issuer’s requirements

Many banks and credit unions only offer cashier’s checks to customers with an active account, meaning you’ll likely need to join a financial institution to obtain one. Some do, however, sell cashier’s checks to non-account holders if you do not want to use your bank or do not have an account with one.

Banks and credit unions may also set different limits on check size. For instance, the maximum amount for Capital One cashier’s check is $250,000. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo caps cashier’s checks ordered online at $2,000.

The fee to buy a cashier’s check will also vary depending on the issuing bank. Chase, Capital One, Wells Fargo, Fifth Third Bank and PNC, for example, charge $10 for a cashier's check, while Bank of America charges $15.

2. Prepare your documentation

Before letting you purchase a cashier’s check, banks will ask for proof of your identity, so have a form of government-issued or approved photo identification, like a driver’s license or passport, on hand. You will also need to know the following details:

• The full, legal name of the person or business you’re paying
• The exact amount you wish to send
• The name and number of the account you're withdrawing the money from
• The recipient’s address, if you're ordering the check online
• Any details you want to include on the memo line, such as a message to the recipient or a note indicating what the payment is for

Additionally, if you’re not a customer of the bank, you will need to have the check amount in cash.

3. Visit a teller or order online

You must purchase a cashier’s check directly from the issuing financial institution in person or online. You can do this by going to one of your bank or credit union’s branches and requesting a cashier's check from a teller. Or, if your bank permits, you can order one through its website or mobile app.

You’ll likely be able to complete a cashier’s check payment more quickly and encounter fewer fees by going to a branch. This is because when you order a cashier’s check online, it must be mailed to the recipient, yourself or your local branch, meaning your bank may tack on postage or delivery costs. Plus, depending on the delivery service, it could take several days to reach you or the recipient and potentially get lost or damaged.

4. Get a receipt

You’ll want to get a paper or digital receipt detailing your cashier’s check transaction with the bank. This will act as your proof of payment and may be needed if the check is lost or stolen, or if you want to track whether it has been cashed.

Where to get a cashier’s check

You can get cashier's checks from banks, credit unions, digital banks and other online financial institutions. It is generally easiest to order one from the financial institution that holds the account from which you're withdrawing the money. While some institutions allow non-account holders to buy cashier’s checks, you’ll need to have the check value in cash to do so.

You can visit your local branch to get a cashier's check or order one online through the bank’s website or mobile app. It's typically faster and less expensive to do through a branch.

Alternatives to cashier’s checks

Cashier’s checks aren’t the only way to securely send money to a company or person. Here are four other options that may suit your needs better:

• Money orders. You can buy money orders from your local post office, grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, Walmart and other retailers, rather than just your bank or credit union as with a cashier’s check. You must prepay the amount of the money order, usually via cash or a debit card, and as with a cashier’s check, the funds are available upon cashing and won’t result in a bounced check. Money orders tend to come with lower fees and limits than cashier’s checks. For instance, the largest money order you can request from the U.S. Postal Service is $1,000, and you’ll pay a fee that's between $2.35 and $3.40. Still, money orders never expire and are generally considered safer than mailing a personal check or cash.
• Certified checks. A certified check can be obtained at a bank or credit union and is backed by the funds in your personal checking account. It offers more protection than a personal check because the bank certifies that your account had enough funds to cover the check when it was written. The bank then allocates those funds for the payee and adds an official bank stamp or watermark to the check. While unlikely, a certified check can still bounce if the check writer’s account falls short. Some banks charge a fee for certified checks similar to those for cashier’s checks.
• Wire transfers. You can move money electrically from your bank account directly to another person's or company's account with a wire transfer. To send a wire, you’ll need to know the recipient’s name, bank, account number, routing number and the amount you want to send. You can send large amounts of money quickly this way, which is why it's a popular method to pay invoices or property costs like down payments. Fees for sending a domestic or international wire transfer can be higher than cashier’s check costs, ranging from $20 to $65.
• Peer-to-peer apps. If you’re sending money to a friend or family member, you may want to use a payment app like Venmo, PayPal or Zelle. Transfers made this way are often instantaneous and come with no or minimal fees. However, the maximum amount you can move at once can be much lower with these apps than a cashier’s check.

Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum amount for a cashier’s check?

Each bank and credit union determines how large the value of its cashier’s checks can be, so you should check with your financial institution before ordering to ensure you won’t run into any problems. But generally, cashier’s checks can be written for large sums, as much as several hundred thousand dollars. Capital One, for instance, has a limit of $250,000 per cashier’s check.

Also, at some traditional banks, cashier’s checks can be obtained at a branch for larger amounts than those ordered online. For instance, Wells Fargo caps cashier’s checks bought online at $2,000 but not those purchased at a branch.

How long is a cashier’s check good for?

While cashier's checks have no set expiration date and can be valid as long as the issuing financial institution remains operational, banks or credit unions can choose to limit how long they’re good for. If your financial institution does apply an expiration date, usually between 60 and 180 days after issuing the check, it should be printed on the cashier’s check, often as a disclaimer that says “void after X days.”

You may have difficulty depositing a check past its expiration date and may need to request a replacement cashier’s check from the bank. After a certain period, the bank may report the money as unclaimed property and transfer it to the state.

Can a cashier’s check bounce?

Because your financial institution will first withdraw the full amount of the check from your account before writing a cashier’s check, it can’t bounce. After the funds are taken out of your personal account, they are deposited in the bank’s own account and remain frozen there until the payee cashes the check, ensuring the availability of the money.

How do you cancel a cashier’s check?

If a cashier’s check is lost or stolen, you may be able to recover your funds. Unfortunately, you cannot stop payment on or cancel a cashier’s check.

As soon as you realize a cashier's check is lost or stolen, file a declaration of loss with the bank that issued the check. This is a legally binding document made under penalty of perjury that asserts you do not possess the check and do not know where it is.

After filing the declaration, you must wait at least 90 days from when you filed or when the check was issued, whichever is later, depending on the bank. If the check has not been cashed within the waiting period, the bank will release the funds back to you.

Is a cashier’s check safe?

Because cashier’s checks are backed by a financial institution, they’re considered less risky than personal checks. Additional security features, like requiring one or more bank employee’s signatures and including watermarking details, further enhance the reliability and safety of this form of payment.

Still, cashier’s checks aren’t foolproof and can be used in financial fraud. Most scams rely on people believing a fake cashier’s check is genuine and sending money or goods before realizing they’ve been duped.

The Federal Trade Commission lists several common examples of fraudulent cashier check schemes. It recommends never using money from a fake check to send gift cards, money orders or cryptocurrency, or to wire money. Additionally, it advises that you ignore any offers that ask you to pay for a prize you’ve won and refuse checks for more than the selling price.