Where Can I Cash a Check?

No bank account · checked Nov 8, 2026

How to cash a check without a bank account

In brief

Take it to Walmart (at most $4 on a $600 paycheck), a Kroger-family Money Services desk, the bank the check is written on (Bank of America charges non-customers $8), or a check-cashing store. Or use Ingo Money, which pays out to a prepaid card: $12 for money in minutes, free if you wait 10 days. All of them want photo ID.

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Your options, and what each costs

Fees for a $600 paycheck, from each company’s published schedule.

WhereHowFee on $600Watch out for
WalmartMoney Service Center or Customer Service deskat most $4Pre-printed checks up to $1,000 ($8 above); 41 states and DC listed.
Kroger-family storesMoney Services desknot published (varies by state)Needs ID plus your Social Security or Taxpayer ID number.
The bank the check is drawn onAny branch of that bankBank of America: $8Others may charge a fee they don’t publish, and may take a fingerprint.
Check-cashing storeWalk in with IDAmscot (FL): $13.95 · Pay-O-Matic (NY): $13.20Most chains post fees only in store.
Ingo Money appPhoto of the check; money to a prepaid card, debit card or PayPal$12 in minutes, or free in 10 daysNot available in New York.
Post OfficeAny Post OfficeFreeUSPS money orders only.

Try your own check

No. 0001
November 8, 2026

Results update as you type. Fees come from each company’s own published fee schedule.

Cashing a paycheck for $600.00

Published fees only, cheapest first

Money today

  1. Walmart Lowest publishedStore
    up to $4.00you keep at least $596.00
    Pre-printed checks
  2. Bank of AmericaBank
    $8.00you keep $592.00
    Checks drawn on Bank of America personal accounts, over $50
  3. Ingo MoneyApp
    $12.00you keep $588.00
    Payroll and government checks with a pre-printed signature
  4. VenmoApp
    $12.00you keep $588.00
    Payroll or government checks with a pre-printed signature, money in minutes
  5. Pay-O-MaticCheck-cashing store
    $13.20you keep $586.80
    New York only
  6. AmscotCheck-cashing store
    $13.95you keep $586.05
    Computer-generated local payroll checks · up to $27.00 (All other payroll and handwritten checks (3.5% to 4.5%; the top of the range shown)) · Florida only

Free or cheaper if you can wait

  1. Cash AppApp
    Freeyou keep $600.00
  2. Ingo MoneyApp
    Freeyou keep $600.00
    Money in 10 days, if the check is approved and not returned unpaid
  3. Walmart MoneyCardApp
    Freeyou keep $600.00
    Money within 10 days
Choose your state to see the legal maximum a check-cashing store may charge (where we have verified it), and to hide places that don’t operate there.
02

What to bring

  • Photo ID. Every store and check casher here asks for it. ACE Cash Express: “A valid photo ID is required.”
  • Your Social Security or Taxpayer ID number at Kroger; Ingo checks your name and address against your Social Security Number.
  • The check, not yet signed if it’s a money order you’ll cash at the Post Office. For other checks, endorse it when the clerk asks.
03

If you get federal payments

From September 30, 2025 the Treasury was directed to stop issuing paper checks for federal payments, including benefits and tax refunds, with limited exceptions such as people without access to banking services. The order lists exceptions for people who do not have access to banking services, certain emergency payments and other cases the Treasury decides. If you have no bank account, ask the paying agency about direct deposit to a prepaid card.

04

Questions

Can you cash a check without a bank account?

Yes. Walmart, Kroger-family stores and check-cashing stores cash checks for anyone with ID, and the bank the check is drawn on will usually cash it for a fee. On a $600 paycheck, Walmart charges at most $4.

What is the cheapest way to cash a check without a bank account?

For a pre-printed paycheck or government check, Walmart’s published maximum ($4 up to $1,000) is among the lowest same-day fees we found. If the check is drawn on Bank of America, it charges non-customers $8 (nothing for $50 or less). If you can wait, Ingo Money is free with money in 10 days.

Can I cash a check online without a bank account?

Yes, with an app that pays out to a prepaid card. Ingo Money sends the money to a bank debit card, prepaid card, credit card or PayPal account you choose.

What ID do I need?

A government-issued photo ID everywhere we checked. Kroger lists a US passport, state ID, driver’s license, resident alien ID, military ID, Matrícula Consular, or tribal nation or reservation ID, plus your Social Security or Taxpayer Identification Number. California’s law lets a check casher charge more (3.5% instead of 3%) if you don’t show a California driver’s license, California ID card or US military ID.

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Sources for this page

  1. Walmart: Walmart check cashing (Money Service Center / Customer Service desk) — Published fee, ID and limits.
  2. Kroger: Kroger Money Services check cashing (Money Services Desk) — ID and how fees are set.
  3. Bank of America: Check cashing at a Bank of America financial center — Published fee, ID and limits.
  4. Amscot: Amscot check cashing — Published fee, ID and limits.
  5. Pay-O-Matic: Pay-O-Matic check cashing — Published fee, ID and limits.
  6. ACE Cash Express: ACE check cashing — ID and how fees are set.
  7. Ingo Money: Ingo Money app (cash a check by photo) — Published fee, ID and limits.
  8. U.S. Postal Service: Cashing a USPS (postal) money order at a Post Office — Published fee, ID and limits.
  9. Cal. Civ. Code § 1789.35 — 3% with California ID, 3.5% without, for payroll and government checks.
  10. Executive Order 14247, Sec. 3(a) (90 FR 14001, March 28, 2025) — From September 30, 2025 the Treasury was directed to stop issuing paper checks for federal payments, including benefits and tax refunds, with limited exceptions such as people without access to banking services.
  11. Executive Order 14247, Sec. 4(a) — The order lists exceptions for people who do not have access to banking services, certain emergency payments and other cases the Treasury decides.

Every fee on this site comes from the company’s own page, fee schedule or agreement, or from a statute or regulator. How we check them and how to report a change: methodology.

Cite this page

Where Can I Cash a Check. “How to cash a check without a bank account.” Updated November 8, 2026. https://wherecanicashacheck.com/no-bank-account/