Receiving / writing cheques

Below you will find some useful information about writing and receiving cheques:

Receiving/paying in a personal cheque

To ensure that you can pay a cheque into your account, please ask whoever is issuing the cheque to ensure that they put Nationwide, then a dash and then your name in the payee line. So if your name is John Smith and someone wanted to make a cheque payable to you; the payee line would look like this: 'Nationwide - John Smith'.

Writing a personal cheque to a Nationwide account holder.

If you need to write a cheque to someone with a Nationwide account, please ensure that the payee line contains the word Nationwide, followed by a dash and then the name of the person receiving the cheque. So if you were making a cheque payable to someone called John Smith; the payee line would look like this: 'Nationwide - John Smith'.

Why do Nationwide ask for this information?

By adding further details to the payee line of cheques; it ensures that the cheque can only be cashed by the person it was intended for; which helps reduce the risk of fraud. Please ensure that the cheque has been completed correctly. Any missing information will delay the process, and it may result in the cheque being returned unpaid and charges incurred.

How long is a cheque valid for?

Written cheques are valid, and can be claimed up to 6 months after the date written on the cheque.

Future dating cheques

We don't recommend future dating cheques, the person receiving the cheque may attempt to pay it into their account early. Whilst every precaution is taken to spot these, occasionally future dated cheques do get processed. If you don't have enough funds in the account to cover the cheque when it is presented; the cheque may be returned unpaid and charges incurred on your account.