Section 1: Introduction

General Information

Introduction

Check reclamation is a recovery procedure used by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service) to obtain refunds (reclamations) from a presenting bank for paid U.S. Treasury checks.

Payments affected

All U.S. Treasury checks, regardless of the payment type, are subject to check reclamation procedures.

Conditions

Reclamation actions may be initiated against the presenting financial institution when the…

• Check was presented for payment over a forged or unauthorized endorsement,
• When a benefit check was negotiated after the payee’s death, or,
• When the check was materially altered

Time limitation on reclamation action

The table below shows how long Fiscal Service has to reclaim funds from the presenting financial institution.

The presenting financial institution is liable for the following:

• The principal amount of the check; and if applicable, accrued interest, penalties, and administrative fees.

The presenting financial institution should be aware that:

• Their liability is not contingent upon its ability to collect from prior endorsers,
• It's their responsibility to pay reclamations timely in order to avoid the direct debit process that will occur on the 31st day if the reclamation has not been paid or protested, and
• Fiscal Service will only accept reclamation protests from presenting banks and not their customers or other correspondents.

Check Information

View security features of the Treasury Check

Note: Special messages may be included on the face of treasury checks, for specific payment types. These messages are for informational purposes only.