Stop Payments: The Cost to Cancel Checks At Banks

The fee to cancel, or “stop payment,” on a check can be surprisingly high. Large banks tend to charge around $30, but the cost can vary depending on how you make the request. Here’s an overview of what you might expect to pay.

Stop payment fees by financial institution

Here’s what it costs to request a stop payment for a personal check* at some of the bigger banks and credit unions:

Financial institution	Stop payment fee**
Ally Bank	$15
Alliant Credit Union	$0 via online or automated telephone banking; $25 via customer service call or bank visit
Bank of America	$30 (waived for customers with Interest Checking or Advantage With Tiered Interest Checking accounts, or those enrolled in Platinum Privileges or Preferred Rewards)
Bank5Connect	$15
BB&T	$35 ($34 for residents of Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas)
BBVA Compass Bank	$25 via online banking; $32 via customer service call or at branch (fee for California residents is $30 if made at a branch or over the phone)
BMO Harris	$35
Capital One 360	$25
Chase	$25 via online or automated telephone banking; $30 via customer service call or at branch (waived for customers with Chase Premier Platinum Checking)
Citibank	$30 (waived for customers with Citigold accounts)
Connexus Credit Union	$29.95
Consumers Credit Union	$25 via online or automated telephone banking; $30 via customer service call or at branch
Discover Bank	$15
HSBC Bank	$30 (waived for customers with HSBC Premier accounts)
Nationwide	$20
Navy Federal Credit Union	$20 for a single check; $25 for series of checks
Pentagon Federal Credit Union	$15 for a single check; $25 for a series of checks
PNC Bank	$33 (waived for customers with Performance Checking and Performance Select Checking)
Simple Bank	$0
SunTrust Bank	$36
TD Bank	$30 (waived for customers with TD Relationship Checking & Savings, TD Premier Checking, Private Tiered Checking and Private High Yield Savings accounts)
Union Bank	$15 via online or automated telephone banking; $30 via customer service call or at branch (you can also stop payment on a range of checks but only through a customer service call or by visiting a branch)
US Bank	$35
Wells Fargo	$31
*A preauthorized series of electronic transfers can also be canceled. Cashier’s checks and certified checks usually are not eligible for stop payments. **This information is based on each financial institution’s current deposit agreements and disclosures online.

Different methods for requests

Generally, you can ask for a stop payment through online banking, automated telephone banking or customer service at a branch or over the phone. Some financial institutions have the same fee no matter what; others charge more for personal assistance.

Canceling multiple checks

Some institutions, including Navy Federal Credit Union and Pentagon Federal Credit Union, charge a bit more to stop payment on a consecutive series of checks than they do for just one check. So if you lost or made errors on several checks recently, you can cancel them all at once at a lower cost than you could if you paid a separate fee for each one.

Renewing a stop payment

When a check’s date is six months old, most banks will consider it “stale,” but some may still honor it. A stop payment on a check usually lasts six months, so if you’re afraid a check might still be cashed at a later date, you’ll need to pay a fee to renew the stop payment.

Banks have a reason for not letting stop payment requests last forever.

“There is a lot of operational work around a stop payment,” says Shirley Inscoe, senior analyst of retail banking and payments at the Aite Consulting Group in Boston.

When your bank approves a request to stop payment on a check, it must be able to single out and block that check. If your bank clears it by mistake, it becomes liable for that payment, Inscoe says.

The cost of stopping a payment can differ by how you request it and whether you need to renew it. Knowing your bank’s fees can help you cancel a check as cheaply as possible.

Spencer Tierney is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: spencer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SpencerNerd.

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