So there you are, you have a check that you need to cash but you don’t have a bank account. One of your options is to use one of the various check cashing places in your neighborhood, but what do they require in order to cash a check?
Basic Requirements
The good news is that you really don’t need too much to cash a check at most places. There are laws pertaining to what check cashers need in order to cash a check, but they normally are not too onerous. For instance, in most states, all you’ll need is your driver’s license or other form of state ID along with the check that you intend cash.
Verification Process
That having been said, the check cashing place that you work with will have to call either the bank or your employer to verify that the funds are available to cash the check. This is standard practice and isn’t anything abnormal. After all, if you were going to cash a check wouldn’t you want to know that the money was available?
How Easy Is It To Use Check Cashing Places?
Typically speaking, using a check cashing business to cash a check is one of the easiest things that you can do. Most transactions take less than five minutes to complete. All that’s going to happen is that you will walk into the check cashing business with your ID and the check that you intend to cash. You will hand the check and your ID over to the teller and they will verify that the funds are available to cash the check.
They will typically do this with either one or two phone calls to either the bank or your employer to verify that the check is good and that they are able to give you the funds for it. They may give you some kind of receipt or contract that you will have to sign in order to cash the check, as well as endorsing the check itself. A few minutes later, they will give you the cash for the check minus any fee that they charge for their service. There’s really nothing to it.
Is There Anything Else That You Might Need To Cash A Check?
In some rare cases, you may need to provide the check casher with something like a Social Security card, or a Social Security number. These situations aren’t all that common but they are out there. They are often based on state and local laws in which the check cashing business operates. Ultimately however, the process is still quite simple and straightforward.
