Postdate

In banking, post-dated cheque is a cheque written by the drawer (payer) for a date in the future.

Whether a post-dated cheque may be cashed or deposited before the date written on it depends on the country. A Canadian bank, for example, is not supposed to process a post-dated cheque and if it does so by mistake, the cheque writer may ask their bank to correct the error. In the United States and the UK, post-dated cheques are negotiable instruments and can be drawn upon at any time, while in India and Australia post-dated cheques are not payable until the date written on the cheque.

Under Australian law a post-dated cheque is valid under the Cheques and Payment Orders Act 1986.

16. (1) Where a cheque, or any indorsement of a cheque, is dated, the date shall, unless the contrary is proved, be presumed to be the day on which the cheque was drawn or the indorsement made, as the case may be.

(2) A cheque is not invalid by reason only that- (a) it is not dated; (b) it is antedated or post-dated; or (c) the date it bears is a Sunday.

(3) For the purpose of determining whether a post-dated instrument is a cheque, the fact that the instrument is post-dated shall be disregarded.

As well, under Section 61 of the Act, part 2 reads;

Where a demand for payment of a cheque is made before the date of the cheque arrives, the cheque shall not, by reason of the demand, be taken to have been duly presented for payment.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia's rules and conditions for cheques (2014: Section 1.7.6 'Dishonour of cheques') clearly state that a cheque will be dishonoured if it is presented before the post-date as written on the cheque for the reason that, '...the cheque bears a date that is in the future. This is known as a post-dated cheque and it cannot be paid until that date arrives.'

While this is a sound interpretation of Australian Commonwealth law, for insurance reasons the bank protects itself from possible attack with the condition (2014: Section 1.7.1 'Using your cheques '): 'You authorise us to pay a post-dated cheque (one which is dated with a date in the future) drawn on your account and presented for payment at any time before the date of the cheque arrives.'

The Australian Tax Office require that cheques made for tax payments 'must not be post-dated'. The Australian Federal Police in their information to small businesses on avoiding fraud advise: 'Do not accept post-dated or pre-dated cheques'.

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Wikipedia