Cheques Now Clear in Hours: Why You Must Set Up Positive Pay

Cheques now clear in hours, not days, after RBI's continuous clearing went fully live on 3 January 2026.

Positive Pay means you confirm a cheque's date, payee and amount to your bank before it's deposited.

It's mandatory for cheques of Rs 5 lakh and above; most banks apply it from Rs 50,000.

Skip the confirmation on a high-value cheque and the bank can simply return it unpaid.

RBI's dispute protection only covers cheques that carried a valid Positive Pay confirmation.