What Is a Certified Check and How Is It Different from a Cashier's Check?

A certified check is a personal check you write from your own checking account and that your bank guarantees will clear, as indicated by a certification stamp. Although most banks have discontinued certifying checks in favor of more secure payment methods, certified checks might still be useful for certain large purchases and personal transactions.

Learn more in this guide to certified checks and how they differ from cashier's checks.

Key Takeaways

• A certified check is your own personal check, bank-verified and guaranteed. Your bank confirms your identity and funds, then places a hold and stamps the check so it won't bounce.

• Most banks no longer certify checks. Many have replaced certified checks with cashier's checks, so call your branch before you go — you may need a cashier's check instead.

• Expect to pay about $5 to $20. Fees vary by bank and may be waived for premium-account holders, and the check must be certified in person.

• Use one for large, in-person payments. Common cases include buying a car from a private seller, apartment security deposits, earnest money on a home or high-ticket marketplace purchases.

• The key difference from a cashier's check is the funding source. A certified check draws on your own account after verification, while a cashier's check is drawn on the bank's own funds.

• A lost certified check can be replaced — but it takes time. You'll contact the bank and sign a declaration of loss, and an uncashed check can typically be replaced after about 90 days.

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How a Certified Check Works

When you write out a personal check and bring it to your bank for certification, the bank verifies your signature and identity and confirms that you have enough money in your account to cover the amount. It then puts a hold on those funds to ensure that the money will still be there when the recipient cashes the check, and stamps the check with a certification seal. The certification is the bank's assurance that the check is valid and payable. 

An uncertified personal check has no such guarantee because the bank won’t verify your identity and signature, and it won’t hold the funds to cover the payment until after the recipient deposits the check.

You might think of certification as the bank co-signing your check. If you get a co-signer for a loan, that person is responsible for repaying the loan if you don't. Check certification works the same way. If your account can’t cover the check when the recipient deposits it, the bank becomes responsible for covering the payment.

When You'd Use a Certified Check

A certified check can be useful when you need to make a large payment to someone who won’t accept a standard personal check because they're worried it might bounce. Common scenarios include:

• Buying a car from a private seller

• Making a security deposit on an apartment rental

• Placing an earnest money deposit on a home you want to purchase

• Purchasing a high-ticket item from a stranger through an online marketplace or classified ad

• Paying a government fee or fine 

Imagine that you want to purchase a car you found on Craigslist. The seller is a private individual, not a dealer, and they'll only accept cash or guaranteed funds. You decide to pay with a certified check, so you write out the check and sign it and bring it to the bank for certification. The seller accepts the check, knowing that the money is on hold in your account — and that if something happens to the funds or the account, your bank will make good on it.

How To Get a Certified Check — and What It Costs

Here's what you need to know before heading to the bank.

5 Steps To Get a Certified Check

Getting a certified check is easy as long as you arrive at the bank prepared.

1. Confirm that the recipient will accept a certified check, then verify the spelling of their name and the amount due. 

2. Call your bank branch to make sure it certifies checks. If it does, ask what the ID requirements are.

3. Bring a blank check and your ID to the bank.

4. Write out the check while you're at the teller's window.

5. Pay the fee if your bank charges one.

Once the teller has verified your identity, witnessed your signature and confirmed that you have the funds available, they’ll put a hold on the money and stamp your check. 

What It Costs

How much you’ll pay for a certified check depends on your bank — those that still offer them typically charge between $5 and $20, although the fee might be waived for premium-account holders. You must have the check certified in person.

Remember that most banks have replaced certified checks with cashier's checks, so be sure to call ahead. You might need to get a cashier's check instead.

Certified Check vs. Cashier's Check vs. Money Order

A certified check is just one of several ways to pay with guaranteed funds. More common ones include cashier’s checks and money orders. Here’s how they compare.

So, which is best?

• Choose a certified check when you’d prefer to pay directly from your own account and have verified that your bank offers certified checks and the recipient accepts them.

• Choose a cashier's check when a certified check is unavailable or the recipient wants payment via an official check drawn from the bank’s own funds.

• Choose a money order if you don’t have a checking account.

These payment methods are safe because funds are guaranteed, but if you happen to be a check recipient rather than the payer, it's important to protect yourself against fraud. Never accept a check with corrections, for example, and always contact the bank that issued the check to verify that the funds are available. 

Cashier's checks are easier to get and are more widely accepted than certified checks because they're paid from the bank's funds, not yours. Learn more in MoneyLion's Beginner's Guide to Secure Payments. If you're still saving up for your large purchase, compare high-yield savings accounts on MoneyLion's marketplace to find a rate that will help you reach your goal faster.

FAQ

Here are a few more details about certified checks.

What happens if I lose a certified check?

You can get a replacement, but there are some steps to take. First, contact the bank right away. The bank will ask you to sign a declaration of loss stating, under penalty of perjury, that you don't know where the check is, or that it has been stolen by someone you can't find. If it hasn't been cashed yet, the bank may allow a replacement after the declaration of loss has been filed, generally 90 days after the check issue date, though each bank's processing time will vary.

Do certified checks expire?

No. But the bank might eventually have to turn uncashed checks over to the state as unclaimed property.

Can a certified check still bounce?

It's possible but unlikely. A fraudulently issued check will eventually bounce even if the recipient was able to cash it. In that case, the recipient might be responsible for reimbursing their bank.

Is a certified check as safe as cash?

A certified check is safer for the person making the payment because lost cash can't be replaced. For the recipient, cash is safer because a cashier's check can be fraudulent.

Key Terms

• Certified check: A personal check drawn on your own checking account that your bank verifies and guarantees will clear, marked with a certification stamp.

• Cashier's check: A check drawn on the bank's own funds after you pay the amount upfront. It's often easier to get and more widely accepted than a certified check.

• Money order: A prepaid payment instrument sold by banks, post offices and retailers, usually capped around $1,000, that doesn't require a bank account.

• Guaranteed (official) funds: Payment backed by verified, set-aside money, giving the recipient assurance the payment won't bounce. Certified checks are sometimes called official or guaranteed checks.

• Declaration of loss: A signed statement, made under penalty of perjury, that a check was lost, destroyed or stolen; required before a lost certified check can be replaced.

• Earnest money deposit: A good-faith payment a homebuyer makes to show serious intent, a common scenario for using guaranteed funds.

Sources

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Can a Bank Charge an Overdraft Fee After a Fraudulent Check Is Reversed?

• Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. UCC § 3-312. Lost, Destroyed, or Stolen Cashier's Check, Teller's Check, or Certified Check.

• U.S. Department of Labor. Introduction to Unclaimed Property.

• Chase. Do Checks Expire?

• Huntington Bank. What Is a Certified Check?

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