I accidentally ripped up a check. Can I tape it back together and still deposit it?

Welcome to Fluther.

Your best bet is to write to the check issuer and ask for a replacement. If you can include the remnants of the ripped / shredded check, then they should have no problem with a re-issue.

How good are you at jigsaw puzzles?

If it’s a regular shredder which does lengthwise cuts and all the pieces are in your possession, then you’re in for a long night. Got a magnifying glass to help?

If it’s a crosscut shredder, forget it.

I think the first suggestion offered is the best. Worst case scenario is you pay back the issuer for the “Stop-Check” charge which his bank imposes.

You might want to give the issuing bank a call to see how much they’ll charge him. Fees for that vary greatly.

If it’s a high enough charge, I might be willing to spend the night at it. I’m really good at jigsaw puzzles and enjoy the challenge. YMMV

But for five or ten bucks I probably wouldn’t bother. Forty bucks and I’d reconsider.

That’s why I suggested sending back proof of the mangled check. If they can see that it has been mangled, but they can also see that it’s their own check, then they won’t need to issue a “stop payment”. They’ll simply void the entry in their journal and issue the new one.

@Buttonstc – the problem isn’t assembling the check, it’s getting a bank to cash it.

No one will let you cash or deposit a shredded check. They have no way of knowing who shredded it or why.

This happened once and we put it together, taped it, and deposited it. The bank called the writer to verify it was valid.

@DrBill

That’s what I figured. If a bank can easily verify that it was written and to whom, it would make sense that it would be honored.

@funkdaddy

Who shredded it or why shouldn’t really be germane to the issue provided they can easily verify it this way and that the person presenting it has proper identification.

I’ve taken a torn personal check in, it wasn’t shredded by any means, and it wasn’t honored.

I can deposit checks by the camera on my phone or scanner, I’m asked to keep them several days, and then shred them. They will not accept obviously damaged checks either in person or with those methods.

The credit union I was with before this bank started holding all non-payroll checks for 3–5 business days (even money orders) to verify them.

I only mention both because things have changed some with banks losing money due to bad checks and people moving away from them in general. I would guess @DrBill‘s experience was a while ago, but perhaps he can clarify.

I mentioned they have no way of verifying who shredded it because if I issue a new check to a vendor, and shred their old check, I assume the shredded check would no longer be honored regardless of who’s holding it.

It seems like a reasonable assumption that a bank should not honor a check that was obviously intentionally destroyed. As a similar example, you can buy shredded US currency by the pound, or request some straight from the source.

If it is shredded I would call the issuer. Most business accounts can cancel payment for free, so it won’t cost them anything to cancel that one and send you another. Or, if they ask for the shredded pieces you can send it back to them. If it is from a relative they will just write you a new one I’m sure.

If it had just been torn, a corner or in half I would have advised to just tape it and deposit it.

@funkdaddy

The check was written about 6 months ago

My dad’s dog used to have a horrible habit of “eating” his post if he didn’t get to it quickly enough after it had been posted through the letter box. She often shredded cheques and he would tape them all up and deposit them without any problems. I suppose it depends on how badly it is shredded though!

Thank you all for your great answers and assistance. I really appreciate it!

Nita