Cheque Hold Policy in Canada: Bank-by-Bank Guide (2026)

You deposited a cheque, and your bank says the money isn’t available yet, and the wait feels longer than it should. Canada’s cheque hold policy sets exactly how long a bank can legally make you wait, and the number of days depends on your bank, the cheque amount, and how you deposited it.

RBC, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, CIBC, and BMO each publish their own figures within that framework, covered bank by bank below.

How Cheque Holds Work in Canada

Cheque holds in Canada follow a tiered schedule set by the Access to Funds Regulations, the federal rule the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada enforces against every bank. The length isn’t fixed: it depends on the cheque amount and how it’s deposited.

For a cheque of $1,500 or less, a bank can hold funds for up to 4 business days after an in-person branch deposit, or up to 5 business days after an ATM, mobile, or other non-branch deposit. For a cheque over $1,500, those maximums rise to 7 business days (branch) and 8 business days (ATM, mobile, or other).

Cheque amount	Branch deposit	ATM / mobile / other
$1,500 or less	4 business days	5 business days
Over $1,500	7 business days	8 business days

Three protections apply across every federally regulated bank, not just the ones with the strictest published policy:

• The first $100 of a deposit is available immediately at a branch, or by the next business day for an ATM or mobile deposit.
• A bank cannot hold funds longer than the tiers above without a specific reason.
• A bank can extend a hold past those maximums only if it has reasonable grounds to suspect fraud or illegal activity, and only after giving the depositor written notice.

US dollar cheques and cheques drawn on a foreign institution fall outside this regulation entirely. Each bank sets its own hold period for those instead, and the figures vary widely bank to bank (see below).

Cheque Hold Policy by Bank

Each of the Big Five publishes its own hold-period figures within the regulatory maximums above, and the numbers aren’t identical from bank to bank.

RBC

RBC holds a standard Canadian-dollar cheque for 4 business days after an in-person branch deposit. An ATM or mobile deposit adds a day, for up to 5 business days. A US dollar cheque deposited at a Canadian RBC branch is held for 15 business days, and one drawn on a non-US foreign institution for 25 business days.

TD Canada Trust

TD Canada Trust sets its hold length by account age and cheque amount, not a single flat number. An account open 90 days or longer gets a 4 business day hold on a cheque of $1,500 or less, rising to 5 business days for a larger cheque.

A newer account, open under 90 days, is held 5 business days regardless of amount. On the US dollar side, TD holds a cheque drawn on a Canadian institution for 5 business days. That climbs to 15 business days for a cheque drawn on a US institution, and 30 for any other foreign institution.

Scotiabank

Scotiabank’s Canadian-dollar hold policy is simpler than the others: up to 5 business days for any cheque, regardless of amount or whether it’s deposited at a branch, ABM, or through the mobile app.

A US dollar cheque drawn on a Canadian branch holds for up to 9 business days, one drawn on a US branch for up to 19, and one drawn on an institution outside Canada or the US for up to 29.

CIBC

CIBC splits its Canadian-dollar hold by both amount and deposit method. A cheque of $1,500 or less holds for 4 business days at a branch or 5 by ATM. A larger cheque holds for 7 business days at a branch or 8 by ATM.

A US dollar cheque drawn on a Canadian institution normally holds 10 business days, with a 20-day maximum. One drawn on an institution outside Canada normally holds 15 business days, with a 30-day maximum. CIBC can extend any hold up to 30 business days if:

• the account is less than 90 days old
• the cheque isn’t MICR-encoded or is otherwise unreadable
• the cheque carries more than one endorsement
• the cheque is deposited six months or more after its date

Separately, CIBC cashes a Government of Canada cheque up to $1,750 without charge when validated in person with ID, a different process from a deposit hold.

BMO

BMO’s Canadian-dollar tiers match CIBC’s on the low end: 4 business days at a branch or 5 by any other method for a cheque of $1,500 or less, rising to 7 business days at a branch for a larger cheque.

New business accounts don’t get the shorter tiers: for the first 90 days, BMO can hold any cheque up to 7 business days regardless of amount or deposit method. That same 7-business-day ceiling applies to a US dollar cheque drawn on a Canadian institution, matching BMO’s own limit for larger CAD cheques.

Print & Cheques Now carries cheque stock compatible with each bank above: RBC, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, CIBC, and BMO.

Why US Dollar / Foreign Cheques Take Longer

US dollar and foreign-currency cheques hold longer because Canada’s Access to Funds Regulations don’t cover them, so each bank sets its own hold period instead of a regulated tier.

Those bank-specific holds range from 5 business days for a US dollar check TD clears through a Canadian institution, up to 30 business days for a cheque CIBC or TD holds when it’s drawn on an institution outside Canada and the US.

The exact structure differs by bank: TD and Scotiabank each add a third, longer tier for a cheque drawn outside Canada and the US, while RBC, CIBC, and BMO don’t split their foreign-cheque tiers the same way. Check the bank sections above for your bank’s specific figures.

How to Get Your Money Faster

A cheque printed to Payments Canada Standard 006, with the E-13B magnetic ink line intact and nothing overlapping the clear band, gives a bank’s reader-sorter a clean signal to scan instead of a reason to pull it for manual review. That matters because CIBC’s own policy extends a hold to 30 business days for a cheque that isn’t MICR-encoded or is otherwise unreadable, on top of whatever regular hold applies.

Printing the cheque yourself doesn’t shorten any of the hold periods above, but it can affect whether the cheque gets flagged for manual review in the first place. See the MICR printing guide for the toner, font, and clear-band specs that keep a cheque machine-readable.

FAQ

How long can a bank legally hold a cheque in Canada?

Up to 4 business days for a cheque of $1,500 or less deposited at a branch, up to 5 business days if deposited by ATM or mobile, and up to 7 or 8 business days for a cheque over $1,500 depending on deposit method. These are the maximums set by the Access to Funds Regulations; a bank can hold funds for less time than this.

Why do mobile deposits get held longer than branch deposits?

The Access to Funds Regulations allow banks one extra business day for a deposit made by ATM, mobile app, or another non-branch method, compared to a deposit made in person with a branch employee.

Is the first $100 of a cheque always available immediately?

Yes, when the cheque is deposited in person at a branch. For an ATM or mobile deposit, the first $100 becomes available the next business day instead.

Do US dollar cheques deposited in Canada take longer to clear?

Yes. US dollar and other foreign-currency cheques fall outside the Access to Funds Regulations, so each bank sets its own hold period, ranging from 5 business days (TD, on a check drawn through a Canadian institution) to 30 business days (CIBC and TD, on a cheque drawn outside Canada and the US).

Can a bank hold a cheque longer than its stated policy?

Yes. A bank can extend a hold past its normal maximum if it has reasonable grounds to suspect the deposit is connected to fraud or illegal activity, as long as it gives the depositor written notice. CIBC’s policy also names specific triggers, including a cheque that isn’t MICR-encoded, is otherwise unreadable, or is endorsed more than once.