A self cheque is one where you write "Self" — or your own name — in the payee line, and present it at your own bank to draw cash from your own account.
It is the closest thing a cheque book offers to a withdrawal slip, and it exists mostly for situations where a card or an app will not do.
When people use one
- Withdrawing more than an ATM will dispense.
- Drawing cash from an account with no card attached — common for business current accounts.
- Sending an employee or family member to collect cash on your behalf.
That last one is the risk
A self cheque handed to somebody else is, functionally, a bearer cheque — the bank pays whoever presents it. If it is lost or intercepted between your desk and the branch, there is nothing tying it to the person you meant to send.
Two sensible precautions:
- Keep the amount modest when someone else is carrying it.
- Do not pre-sign a stack of self cheques for convenience. A signed blank cheque is an unlimited liability sitting in a drawer.
Do not cross a self cheque
A crossing forces the money into a bank account, which defeats the entire purpose — you wanted cash. Leave a self cheque uncrossed.
This is a genuine trap for businesses that cross everything as standard policy. The one cheque you should not cross is the one you are cashing yourself.
Printing self cheques
There is nothing special about printing one — the payee is simply "Self". If you print rather than write, record it like any other cheque so your history stays complete. A cash withdrawal is still money leaving the account, and a self cheque missing from your records is a hole in the reconciliation.
Related: bearer cheque, crossed cheque.
