Unless there is a specific agreement between the check drawer and the paying bank, normally only seen on business accounts, checks don't have an expiration date. If a bank becomes aware that the date on a check is more than six months in the past, the bank may refuse to pay the check. However, it may also pay the check if it does so in good faith. Essentially, that means the bank can pay the check unless it knows the customer intends that it not be paid, as would be the case if an effective stop payment order has been placed.
As a practical matter, banks usually don't even look at the date on checks unless they are being presented at the teller line for cashing or there's some other reason to look at the face of the check. There are simply too many checks and too few sets of eyes available to check dates on all checks.
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Unless there is a specific agreement between the check drawer and the paying bank, normally only seen on business accounts, checks don't have an expiration date. If a bank becomes aware that the date on a check is more than six months in the past, the bank may refuse to pay the check. However, it may also pay the check if it does so in good faith. Essentially, that means the bank can pay the check unless it knows the customer intends that it not be paid, as would be the case if an effective stop payment order has been placed.