Will I be able to cash this paycheck?

I don’t have direct deposit. My employer sent me a paycheck. Unfortunately while my back was turned for a short time (and when I thought she was napping) my toddler daughter grabbed the paycheck from my husband’s briefcase. She then proceeded to scribble on it in pen. You can read all the information but it looks like it has some graffiti on it.

Will I be able to cash it? Or will my employer need to reissue it? Does anyone who works in banking know what procedures are generally followed in cases like this?

I sincerely hope not because otherwise it’s going one heck of a pain in the neck chasing after payroll.

IAAB, but my guess is they’ll take it, especially if you have a checking or savings account history of payroll check deposits from that employer and for roughly the same amount as your current check. If I were you, I’d take it inside to one of the the bank lobby tellers, explain what happened, and see if they won’t cash it for you. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they did. (You could also suggest that if they are still uncomfortable once you’ve explained it, they could check with your employer and/or the bookkeeping office, give them the check number and amount, and your employer could verify it for them that way.)

Talking to the bank teller and having them calling my employer is an excellent suggestion. :slight_smile:

I sure hope it works on Tuesday. We’ve had an account with this particular bank for over five years. I’ve been cashing checks from this company for over three years. While the amounts have varied, this particular check is for roughly the same amount as a check cashed two weeks ago.

I swear I thought the babe was fast asleep . . .

I hope it works, too. Good luck on Tuesday.

I have deposited all manner of mangled checks. Once I had a paycheck that my wife sent through the washer and dryer. It was tatterd washed out and you could just make out the amounts.

Well I did what I always do with two party, mangled, torn, badly dated or otherwise poorly written checks. I put it in the atm depost at my local bank.

I have never had a problem. In fact I have deposited checks made out to a business I was gonna start the bank accepted it. I did not even have a business licence on file, and the business name had nothing to do with my name.

If I go in to the teller they start asking questions or get worried that they will do something wrong. With the tellers even at the same bank they turn down checks for small reasons. The atm never a problem.
Drop it in the ATM this weekend you will never hear about it again.

Goto the teller and they will have to start asking questions.

You can cash it. Last I checked in the UCC there was nothing about the aesthetics of negotiable instruments.

Did the scribling in any way cover or alter the amount, the employer’s signiature, or the date? Or anything else that wasn’t auto-printed on the cheque? If so there’s a good chance it’ll be refused as ‘altered’.

[hijack]
I once washed a paycheck, so that all that was identifyable was the company logo. I told my manager, and he had me bring the remnants in a plastic baggie to our accounting dept.

I sheepishly gave it to her, and she said she’d add it to my next check. I thanked her profusely, and she said not to worry; that it happens more often than I’d think. :slight_smile:
[/hijack]

[update]

The bank refused to cash the check. Damn. :frowning:

I plan to find another bank by the time the check gets reissued. Refusing to cash it was not a nice way to reward a long time loyal customer.

[end update]

I don’t blame you. I’d switch banks, too. Thanks for the update.