Cheque Dishonour Deadline Calculator: The Four Section 138 Dates for Your Cheque
A section 138 case is won or lost on four dates. Enter the dates you have and the calculator gives the last safe day for each step, and tells you which have already passed.
- Present within 6 months of the cheque date (or its validity)
- Notice within 30 days of the bank's dishonour information
- Drawer has 30 days from receiving the notice
- Complaint within one month after those 30 days
In this guide: How to use the dates · If a date has passed
The short answer
Count four periods in order: the cheque must be presented within six months of its date; the written demand must be served within 30 days of the bank’s information that the cheque was returned; the drawer then has 30 days from receiving the notice to pay; and the complaint must be filed within one month after that 30-day period ends (section 141). Miss any one and the section 138 case fails, however good the debt.
How to use the dates
- Presentation: if the cheque is dated more than six months before you presented it, the case is not available on that presentation. Some cheques carry a shorter validity printed on them; the earlier date applies.
- Notice: the 30 days run from the day you received the dishonour information, usually the return memo date. Serve by hand against receipt, registered post with AD, or a national Bangla daily, and use at least two.
- Drawer’s 30 days: run from the day the drawer received the notice. If you do not know that date, the calculator assumes three days after posting; replace it with the AD card date when you have it.
- Filing: one month after the drawer’s 30 days end. File before it, not on it.
If a date has passed
If the notice window has passed, you can present the cheque again within its validity and a fresh dishonour starts the periods again. If the filing deadline has passed, the criminal remedy is lost for that dishonour, but the debt is not: a civil money suit remains available within the limitation period. See our guides on section 138 and money recovery.
Day 0
Receive the bank's return memo; note the date.
By day 30
Serve the demand notice by two methods.
Drawer's 30 days
From receipt of the notice; keep the AD card.
Within one month after
File the complaint in the right court.
Common questions
How many days to send a cheque dishonour notice?
30 days from receiving the bank's information that the cheque was returned unpaid.
How long does the drawer have to pay?
30 days from receiving the notice. Paying within that time ends the matter without an offence.
When must the complaint be filed?
Within one month after the drawer's 30-day period ends, under section 141.
Can I present the cheque again?
Yes, within its validity. A fresh dishonour restarts the notice and filing periods.
What if the last day is a holiday?
Act before it. The calculator counts calendar days and does not adjust for court holidays.
Does the calculator cover cheques above Tk 5 lakh?
The dates are the same. Since the 2026 amendment, cheques above Tk 5 lakh are tried by a Joint Sessions Judge rather than a Magistrate.
Is this legal advice?
No. It applies the statutory periods to the dates you enter. Confirm the dates against your documents with a lawyer.
What if I missed the filing deadline?
The section 138 case is lost for that dishonour, but a civil money suit for the debt may still be filed within the limitation period.
More in Courts, Cases & Money Claims
Legal notices, money recovery, cheque cases and how a civil suit runs.
Dates already running?
WhatsApp a photo of the cheque and the return memo. We will confirm the last safe dates today. A written assessment costs nothing.
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