# Have you ever received a cheque



## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

From HMRC and paid it into a Spanish bank, if so is it straightforward ?

Yes I know its a rare thing for them to pay out & cannot understand why they still use this method of payment.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I provided them with my U.K. account details, and if I have overpaid, they transfer the amount.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Yes its straightforward. I paid in an HMRC cheque about 6 months ago. UK Sterling cheques take 20 days to clear. 
For information, our bank La Caixa, accept cheques in any currency. Conversion to Euros is done at the business rate of the day that the cheques are paid in. Commission charges are payable and are subject to negotiation. 
Clearance can take up to 40 days depending on the original currency. US Dollar cheques for instance are held in abeyance for 20 days, Canadian Dollar cheques for 40 days.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Did you get charged, John?
One reason I opened an offshore account was that when I was living in Prague I got several cheques on a monthly basis and the Czech bank charged me £15 equivalent to handle each cheque, some of which were for less than £15!
A month of that and enough already....


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Mary Hi,
Occasionally I deposit US Dollar cheques into our La Caixa account. As I said, the exchange rate we get is the going business rate of the day USD/Euro. The commission charge we pay started out at 12 euros per cheque irrespective of its face value; when I made the comment to our bank manager that in the case of a 30 USD cheque (=22Euros), the bank was actually receiving more than we were, he contacted his area boss and as a consequence the commission rate changed to 12 Euros per complete transaction, irrespective of the number of cheques involved in the transaction
This remained the case until 'la crisis' really began to bite in January last year and the commission charges reverted to a 'per cheque' basis. Currently we are paying 4 Euros per cheque... although I suspect that is about to change...


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

whitenoiz said:


> Mary Hi,
> Occasionally I deposit US Dollar cheques into our La Caixa account. As I said, the exchange rate we get is the going business rate of the day USD/Euro. The commission charge we pay started out at 12 euros per cheque irrespective of its face value; when I made the comment to our bank manager that in the case of a 30 USD cheque (=22Euros), the bank was actually receiving more than we were, he contacted his area boss and as a consequence the commission rate changed to 12 Euros per complete transaction, irrespective of the number of cheques involved in the transaction
> This remained the case until 'la crisis' really began to bite in January last year and the commission charges reverted to a 'per cheque' basis. Currently we are paying 4 Euros per cheque... although I suspect that is about to change...


I'm with La Caixa & originally was charged 1,50€ per cheque ,or multiples of. Then they stopped charging & still don't.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Gus-lopez.... Thanks.... Interesting... will take that up with my bank manager next time I see him.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

My dealings with HMRC, I always have bank transfers. I can't remember the last we used a cheque book or received a cheque


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

I couldn't get HMRC to pay in anything other than a UK cheque. So I just post them to my sister to pay into my UK account (well she has to do something to pay for her free holidays apart from bring a few packet of Migraleve)


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> I couldn't get HMRC to pay in anything other than a UK cheque. So I just post them to my sister to pay into my UK account (well she has to do something to pay for her free holidays apart from bring a few packet of Migraleve)


Yes after studying the cheque at the bank (really trying to be helpful) it was clear that this was going to be an issue as it is indeed a cheque for UK use.

Posted the bloody thing off to family to sort out :fingerscrossed: & calling HMRC never heleped as the person I spoke to said "oh just pay it into a UK bank"
Of course how silly of me.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

My La Caixa bank manager never batted an eyelid when I paid my HMRC Sterling cheque into our account... just as well really 'cos we don't have a UK bank account!... Ah well...


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