Cheque Bounce Timeline Calculator
Every cheque-bounce deadline from your dates — with the rule behind each one.
The deadlines are worked out from the dates you enter.
Timeline
Checks and notes
Court holidays other than Sundays are not checked. If a deadline falls on a day the court is closed, the next working day counts (General Clauses Act s.10).
For general information only, not legal advice. Templates are generic starting points — have a qualified lawyer review anything you rely on.
About the Cheque Bounce Timeline Calculator
A bounced cheque leads to a criminal case under section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 only if every step happens on time: the cheque is presented while it is valid, a written demand reaches the drawer within 30 days of the dishonour, the drawer fails to pay within 15 days, and the complaint is filed within a month after that. Miss one step and the case is lost — even when the money is clearly owed.
Enter the dates you have — the date on the cheque, when it was presented and returned, when the notice went out and was delivered — and the calculator works out each deadline, shows which have passed, flags late or premature steps with the rule and the section behind them, and lets you add the open deadlines, with reminders, to your calendar as an .ics file.
How to use it
- Enter the date written on the cheque (its validity runs from that date, even for a post-dated cheque) and, optionally, the cheque number, amount and the reason on the return memo.
- Add the date you presented the cheque, the date of the return memo, and — if the bank told you later — the date you learned of the dishonour.
- Add the date the demand notice was sent, and whether it has been delivered, refused or is still in transit. Not delivered yet? Enter an estimated delivery time to plan ahead; those dates are marked “estimate”.
- Read the timeline and the checks. Optionally enter when the drawer paid or when the complaint was filed to check that step too.
- Click Add to calendar (.ics) to save the open deadlines with reminders, or Copy summary to paste the timeline into an e-mail to your lawyer.
Examples
Cheque dated 20 Aug 2026 · returned 3 Sep · bank’s information 4 Sep · notice sent 10 Sep · delivered 14 Sep 2026
Notice was due by 4 Oct (done) · drawer’s 15 days end 29 Sep · cause of action 30 Sep · file the complaint between 30 Sep and 30 Oct 2026.
Drawer’s 15 days ended on 14 Oct 1995
Cause of action 15 Oct 1995; that day is excluded, so a complaint filed on 15 Nov 1995 was within one month.
Cheque dated 1 Feb 2026 · bank’s information on 12 Feb 2026 · notice sent 16 Mar 2026 · checked on 20 Mar 2026
Late: the 30 days ended on 14 Mar 2026. No s.138 complaint lies on this dishonour — but the cheque is valid until 30 Apr 2026, so it can be presented again and a fresh notice sent after a second dishonour.
Common uses
- A business or individual holding a bounced cheque who needs to know the last day to send the legal notice.
- Planning when to file the s.138 complaint once the notice has been delivered — or estimating it while the notice is in the post.
- Checking whether a notice or complaint someone else prepared was on time.
- Putting the deadlines, with reminders, into a phone or office calendar.
The rules the calculator applies
- Validity: a cheque must be presented within 3 months of the date on it. RBI directed banks not to pay cheques bearing a date on or after 1 April 2012 that are presented later than that (circular); s.138 proviso (a) needs presentation within six months or the validity, whichever is earlier. Last safe day = cheque date + 3 months − 1 day.
- Demand notice: within 30 days of receiving the bank’s information about the dishonour (s.138 proviso (b)). Last day = date of information + 30 days.
- Drawer’s time to pay: 15 days of receiving the notice (s.138 proviso (c)). Last day = date of delivery + 15 days.
- Cause of action: the day after those 15 days end — the earliest day a complaint can be filed. A complaint filed earlier is premature (Yogendra Pratap Singh v. Savitri Pandey, 2014).
- Complaint: within one month of the cause of action, that day excluded (s.142(1)(b); Saketh India v. India Securities, 1999; Econ Antri v. Rom Industries, 2014). Last day = the same date in the next month. A later complaint needs an application showing sufficient cause.
How the days are counted
The day of the event is not counted: 30 days from 1 October ends on 31 October (General Clauses Act s.9; Limitation Act s.12(1)). A month is a calendar month (General Clauses Act s.3(35)), and a month that has no matching date ends on its last day — one month from 31 January is 28 or 29 February. If a court deadline falls on a day the court is closed, the next day it is open counts (General Clauses Act s.10). The calculator marks Sundays; it does not know your court’s holiday list.
Refused, unclaimed or not delivered?
A notice sent by registered post or Speed Post to the drawer’s correct address is presumed served when it would be delivered in the ordinary course of post (General Clauses Act s.27). If it comes back refused or unclaimed, enter the date of the postal remark: courts generally treat the notice as served then. Keep the returned envelope unopened, the postal receipt and the tracking report — they are your evidence.
After the complaint is filed
- The court may order interim compensation of up to 20% of the cheque amount when the drawer pleads not guilty in a summary or summons trial, payable within 60 days (+ up to 30) (s.143A).
- On appeal against conviction, the drawer may have to deposit at least 20% of the fine or compensation within 60 days (+ up to 30) (s.148).
- The offence carries up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to twice the cheque amount, or both (s.138), and can be settled (compounded) at any stage (s.147).
- The complaint is filed where the payee’s bank branch is when the cheque was deposited for collection through an account (s.142(2)).
Sources
- Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 — ss.138, 141–143A, 147, 148
- RBI circular DBOD.AML BC.No.47/14.01.001/2011-12 — three-month validity from 1 April 2012
- General Clauses Act 1897 — ss.3(35), 9, 10, 27
- Limitation Act 1963 — ss.4, 12
- Saketh India Ltd. v. India Securities Ltd., (1999) 3 SCC 1; Econ Antri Ltd. v. Rom Industries Ltd., (2014) 11 SCC 769; Yogendra Pratap Singh v. Savitri Pandey, (2014) 10 SCC 713; MSR Leathers v. S. Palaniappan, (2013) 1 SCC 177
Limitations
- An estimate, not legal advice. Court holidays other than Sundays are not checked, and the courts can decide a borderline date differently.
- It applies only to cheques under Indian law (NI Act 1881). It does not decide whether the debt was legally enforceable or whether the return reason attracts s.138 — ask a lawyer.
- Dates based on an assumed delivery time are estimates; replace them with the real delivery date from the tracking report.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I have to send a cheque bounce notice?
30 days from the day you receive the bank’s information that the cheque was returned unpaid (s.138 proviso (b)). The day you receive it is not counted, so information on 4 September means the notice must go out by 4 October.
When can I file a cheque bounce case?
Only after the drawer’s 15 days to pay have ended without payment. The day after, the cause of action arises; from then you have one month to file (s.142(1)(b)). A complaint filed before the 15 days end is premature and is not maintainable.
Is a cheque valid for three months or six months?
Three months from the date written on it, for cheques dated on or after 1 April 2012 (RBI circular). Older cheques were valid for six months. Post-dated cheques are valid for three months from their date.
What if the notice comes back “refused” or “unclaimed”?
A notice properly addressed and sent by registered post or Speed Post is presumed served (General Clauses Act s.27), so courts generally count the 15 days from the date of the postal remark. Choose “Refused / unclaimed” and enter that date.
I missed the one-month deadline. Is the case lost?
Not necessarily. The court can take cognizance of a late complaint if you show sufficient cause for the delay (proviso to s.142(1)(b)); file an application for condonation of delay with the complaint, as soon as possible.
What can I do if the 30-day notice deadline was missed?
A complaint cannot be based on that dishonour. If the cheque is still within its validity, you can present it again and, if it bounces again, send a notice within 30 days of the new dishonour — the Supreme Court allows a prosecution on a later dishonour (MSR Leathers v. S. Palaniappan, (2013) 1 SCC 177). You can also sue for the money as a civil claim.