Postdated check.
In plain English
A postdated check is a check dated for a day later than the day you actually write it. People use it to promise a payment that should not be taken yet, for example writing a rent check early but dating it for the first of the month. The catch is that the future date does not reliably stop the check from clearing. Under banking rules a bank may pay a check even before its date unless you have given the bank separate advance notice not to, so a postdated check is a weak guarantee.
01Why it matters
Treating a postdated check as a safe delay can backfire: if the recipient deposits it early and your account is short, you can get hit with an NSF or overdraft fee for a payment you thought was scheduled for later.
02The math, step by step
On June 25 you hand your landlord a check dated July 1, expecting it to clear next month. If the landlord deposits it on June 26 and your account does not yet have the funds, the check can bounce. To rely on the date, you would generally need to notify your bank in advance, and even then rules and outcomes vary.
03What this is NOT
A postdated check is not a scheduled payment. A scheduled autopay or bill-pay releases on the date you set; a postdated check can legally be cashed before its date, so the date alone does not hold the money back.
04Receipts
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Plain-English answers from our glossary. Receipts included. Never advice.
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