A check I received was lost. My options?
Lost checks happen occasionally, and there are procedures in place (banking & business) to handle the situation.  First and foremost you need to: Note: The money is legally yours, so the company is obligated to work with you here.  If they refuse to cancel or reissue the check, at a minimum you'll want to contact the state government and let them know about the company's actions, if small claims court is not an option.  Businesses aren't permitted to keep 'forfeited funds' in most states, instead they are required to turn them over to the government who would then return them to you when you ask for it.  It's rather scummy of the government bureaucrats, because it puts them in the sole position to benefit from forgotten money, but that's the system we've given ourselves. Since you've moved overseas since the last time you worked with this company, you might need to exercise a little patience and be willing to jump through some hoops to get this resolved.  Be prepared to provide them proof of who you are, and be ready to pay for extra security such as certified mail / FedEx so that you're both sure that the new check is delivered to you and only you. Last of all, learn from your mistake this time and be a little more cautious / proactive in keeping track of checks and depositing them in the future.
Fedex and UPS allow shipping packages with COD (Collect on Delivery) option. You tell them how much to collect, and they will hold the package and attempt to collect it from the receiver and then remit to you. If they cannot collect - they'll return the package to you. In the (post-) Soviet Union republics, the local post offices provide(d) similar services. If you're shipping from/to these areas - check with the postal service if they have it. However, that may be only limited to the postage costs (I believe that's the case with the USPS). "I know this an old thread, but one that caught my interest as I just moved to the USA from Australia. As per the OP I had never written a check in my whole life, and upon arriving in the US I was surprised as to their proliference. In Australia pretty much all bills you receive can be paid in a number of ways:  For small amounts between friends cash is probably used most, but for larger amounts direct transfer is popular. Your friend/landlord will give you their bank account number and BSB number, which identifies their bank, and then you transfer the money in. We don't have a SSN like some other countries. Cheques are still used by some however, esp by the older generations. Now that I'm in the US initially I had tried to set up direct transfer to pay my rent however the bank has a $1000 daily transfer limit. I contacted the bank to get this increased however I was informed that this limit applies to ALL accounts at the bank. I asked how do people pay their rents with this low limit and was told that most people used cheques. (This explains the strange look I got from my landlord when I asked for their bank account details so I could pay the rent!) I now have some bills to pay here and I use online banking. You enter the biller's name and address and then the bank actually prints off a cheque and posts it to the biller on your behalf! My first couple of pays here were also cheques, which were the first actual ""paychecks"" I had ever received." "First, there are not necessarily two accounts involved.  Usually the receiving party can take the check to the bank on which it is drawn and receive cash.  In this case, there is only one bank, it can look to see that the account on which the check is drawn has sufficient funds, and make an (essentially irrevocable) decision to pay the bearer.  (Essentially irrevocable precisely because the bearer did not necessarily have to present account information.) The more usual case is that the receiving party deposits the check into an account at their own bank.  The receiving party's bank then (directly or indirectly - in the US via the Federal Reserve) presents the check to the paying party's bank.  At that point if the there are insufficient funds, the check ""bounces"" and the receiving party's account will be debited.  The receiving party's bank knows that account number because, in this case, the receiving party is a customer of the bank.  This is why funds from check deposits are typically not available for immediate withdrawal." Source:  Business owner for 13 years.  Unfortunately you may be hard-pressed to get that money back.   You can try sending him to collections, but at that point it often starts to cost  you more than what he owes you, in my experience.   In the worst instance I lost $2100 on a single invoice that I never received a dime for.   Nearly 20 hours of my time wasted for nothing!  A bit of unsolicited advice:  I've found that when working on a service-basis, obtaining billing and payment info up front and taking a deposit makes sense.   I take 1 hour's worth of deposit and bill the rest after.   Not only does it verify the payment method works, but it also gives you a way to confirm the customer's ability to pay in the future.  If the customer balks at this, just walk away.  It's not worth the risk.   As a business, your goal is to make money in exchange for goods or services.  If your customers don't understand that and aren't willing to front a bit of money to secure your services, you'll likely going to lose time and money. It all depends on the trust level you have in them handling it correctly. If they never deposit it, it doesn't matter what happens to the check, they could frame it and hang it on the wall. The risk is that someone someday deposits it (incorrectly double-charging you), and you need to do what think is appropriate to avoid this risk. If your trust in them is too small, only sending it back to you makes sure that you physically control the check. This does sound a bit implausible, even if it is true it is pretty grossly irresponsible and you probably shouldn't just let it slide... However there is no real benefit in wading in with accusations, I suspect that the most likely scenario is that your tenet simply didn't have the money and was looking for a way to delay payment. This may well not be particularly malicious towards you, they may just be unable to pay and need a bit of room to maneuver.  In this case the wise thing is to challenge them but without forcing them to admit that they might have lied, perhaps by suggesting that they might have been mistaken about dropping off the money but it's no big deal and negotiate a resolution. In these situations where it is one persons word against another giving them the opportunity to save face often pays off.  Equally you want to make it absolutely clear that putting a wad of cash in your mailbox is not an acceptable way to pay. You can't cash the check silly.  How can you go off on a rant when you can't even tell the difference between a real check and a promotional tool.  If you don't want to call in an get info throw it away....simple.  This thread made me laugh.  Thanks for that.  Good day. What would you do if you had the check?  Probably destroy it.  The goal is to render it uncashable.  One way to do such is to have it shredded.   If you are uncomfortable leaving them to destroy it, then swing by and pick it up.  Alternatively offer to send them a self addressed and stamped envelope.  I am sure they will accommodate if you ask nicely.