When you receive a check, it's a good idea to deposit or cash it right away. If you wait, the check could expire and you might lose your chance to get the money.

Each type of check has its own expiration date, usually either six months or a year. For personal checks, which expire at six months, banks and credit unions are not legally required to accept or "honor" them after expiration.

Many financial institutions will still honor your personal check after the six-month mark, but if the check bounces or there's some other problem on the issuer's end, you could end up owing the money back, plus a fee.

Read more: How to write a check in 6 easy steps

Do checks expire?

Most checks expire after six months (or 180 days) from the date that appears on the check. After the expiration date, the check is considered "stale." According to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), banks don't have to accept stale checks, but many banks will still honor them, even if the issuer writes “Void after 180 days” or places a stop payment order on the check.

What happens when you deposit an expired check?

Trying to deposit an expired check can backfire. If your bank accepts the funds, you might see the money appear in your account or walk away with the cash in hand. But there's a chance that the issuing bank will reject the transaction after you receive or even spend the money.

These are some common reasons an expired check might be rejected:

• Non-sufficient funds in the issuing account

• The issuing account has closed

• The person who wrote the check placed a stop-payment order

If the check is rejected, the check amount will be withdrawn from your bank account and you could be charged a returned check fee, which is usually around $35. If you don't have enough money to cover the withdrawal and the fee, you could be charged an additional overdraft fee around $35.

How long is a personal check good for?

Personal checks are good for six months, although some banks and credit unions will accept them after that. If you have an expired check, there are a few things you should do to determine if you can still cash or deposit the check:

• Contact both your bank and the issuing bank about their policies on expired checks.

• Make sure the person who wrote the check still has funds to cover the check.

Depending on the situation, the best solution might be to have the check writer send you a replacement check.

Read more: How to use mobile check deposit: A step-by-step guide

How long is a payroll check good for?

Payroll checks aren't very common these days — less than 3% of people still receive paper checks for their income — so you probably don't have to worry much about expired payroll checks. If you do receive your pay by paper check, it will likely expire after six months.

It's important to cash your check long before the expiration date, however, since employers are only required to have the funds available for 30 days. But generally, if you do wait to cash or deposit your check, the employer may try to reach out and remind you.

For expired paychecks, you could have anywhere from one to three years (depending on your state laws) to ask the employer to re-issue the check. You can do that by contacting the employer's HR or payroll department. You'll usually get a replacement check in around two weeks.

Once that timeframe is up, the employer must report the check to the state as unclaimed property. To find out about the process for claiming old payroll checks in your state, visit the FDIC's Unclaimed Property Information page.

How long is a cashier’s check good for?

Depending on the bank's policy, a cashier's check could be good for 60 days, 180 days, or until the bank goes out of business. One way to find out when your cashier's check expires is to look and see if it shows a void date. If that date has passed, you can ask the bank to issue a replacement.

How long is a government check good for?

Checks from government agencies are usually good for six months to a year. Depending on the check type, it may have an expiration date printed on it.

After a government check expires, you can usually request a replacement for a set number of years by contacting the issuing agency. For replacement checks from the IRS, call 800-829-0115.

If it's too late to request a reissue, you may be able to get the money by searching through your state's unclaimed property office or through the state you lived in when the check was issued.

How long is a traveler’s check good for?

Traveler's checks don't expire as long as the issuing bank is still operating. Regardless of the issue date, you can use your traveler's check whether you're traveling or not.

How to handle an expired check

The best way to handle an expired check depends on the type of check you have and how old it is. For personal checks, look into the policies of the issuing and receiving banks before trying to deposit or cash out the money. If possible, ask the check writer to send you a new check instead.

For payroll and government-issued checks, you have a set timeline to request a replacement from the company or agency that sent the payment. After that, you can look for the money through your state's unclaimed property office.

If you wrote a check that has expired, contact the recipient right away to see if it's been lost or stolen. You can place a stop payment order on the check, but unless the recipient destroys it, there's a chance it will be honored. Depending on the situation, you might ask them to destroy the check and offer to write a new one.