About the Cheque Bounce Timeline
A cheque-bounce case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act stands or falls on three dates. The cheque must be presented within its validity (three months from the date on it). The written demand notice must be sent within 30 days of receiving the bank's return memo. The drawer then has 15 days from receipt of the notice to pay, and a complaint must be filed within one month after that window closes.
Enter the cheque date, the return-memo date and, if already sent, the notice date. The checker computes every deadline, tells you whether the notice was in time and what to do if it was not — a fresh presentation of the cheque within its validity starts a new period. The same rule set powers the cheque-bounce notice generator, which will refuse to draft a late notice.
This is a date calculator, not legal advice; the periods are the statutory ones on the verified date and can be affected by court holidays and proof of service.
How to use it
- 1Enter the cheque date and the date on the bank's return memo.
- 2If you have already sent the demand notice, enter its date.
- 3Read the last day to send the notice, the payment window and the complaint deadline.
- 4Draft the notice with the cheque-bounce notice generator if you are within time.
How this is calculated
Validity end = cheque date + 3 months (shown as 90 days) Last day for the demand notice = return-memo date + 30 days Payment window ends = notice date + 15 days Complaint deadline = payment-window end + 1 month (shown as 30 days)
Rates used
- S.138 written-demand window30 days from the return memo · NI Act s.138 proviso (b) · verified 2026-09-25
- S.138 payment window15 days from receipt of the demand · NI Act s.138 proviso (c) · verified 2026-09-25
Frequently asked questions
What if the 30 days have passed?
The notice for that dishonour is out of time. If the cheque is still within its validity, present it again; a fresh return memo starts a fresh 30-day period. If the validity has also expired, the Section 138 route is closed for that cheque and a civil recovery suit remains.
Does the 15-day window start on the date I post the notice?
No — on the date the drawer receives it (or is deemed to have received it). Send by registered post with acknowledgement and keep the proof; the tool assumes receipt on the notice date, so treat its payment-window date as the earliest possible.
Where is the complaint filed?
Before the Magistrate having jurisdiction where the payee's bank branch (the branch where the cheque was presented for collection) is situated, under Section 142.
Can I send the notice myself?
Yes. Section 138 needs a written demand; an advocate's letterhead is customary, not compulsory. The notice generator drafts it in your own name or, if you give the details, in an advocate's.