What is the cheque clearing cycle and how long does it take?

It’s the process we use to make sure a cheque payment will be honoured by the bank it was drawn from.

Most UK banks now use cheque imaging, which allows cheques to clear faster – by 23:59 the next weekday (except bank holidays) and in many cases, earlier (as long as the cheque hasn’t bounced).

This means that when you write a cheque, the money could leave your account faster, so as ever, it’s important you make sure you have enough funds available in your account to cover any cheques when you write them.

More information about the cheque clearing cycle