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The service charge for returned check collection by the Central Cashier is $25.00 per item-- regardless of the amount of the check, or the reason that it was returned. If you are a current student, you can view any returned check invoices billed to your AR/C account by logging in to QuickSearch. Please pay all returned check invoices in full immediately, as penalties are imposed as soon as these charges are posted to your AR/C account. |
A Few Words of Advice
Charges and Penalties
Suspension of Check-Writing Privileges
Stopped Payments
Lost/Stolen Checks and Bank Errors
Checks Written by Third Parties
Redemption of Returned Checks
Overview of the Returned Check Billing Process
We recognize that attending school may be a financial burden. We realize that "stuff happens": your rent is due, your car breaks down, your financial aid check is late, or your roommate's check bounces when you deposit it. Regardless of the circumstances, you need to know that having a returned check in your AR/C account is serious. Never pass bad checks as a way of "financing" your way through school.
The mark of having bad checks may remain on your AR/C account for months, or even years, affecting your business with UCI. Our goal is to make you aware of the penalties that result when a check is returned, so that you will make every effort to avoid this situation. If you are having financial difficulties, ask for help. For eligible students, short-term (quarterly) financing may be available upon request from the following sources:
| Campus Billing Services | PACE Plan (registration), payment arrangements (AR/C invoices) |
| Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships | Emergency Loan |
| Office of Graduate Studies | TA (Teaching Assistantship) Loan |
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A check returned unpaid by your bank is deposited automatically a second time by UCI's bank, in an effort to clear your payment before it is returned to the campus. UCI has no control over this process and cannot predict when deposit attempts will occur. Try using your bank's web site to see whether or not a paper check has cleared. If you use the Net.Pay online payment service, you can track your "e-check" using the Payment History option.
When you think a payment may bounce, your best strategy is to ensure that funds (sufficient to cover the outstanding check) are available in your bank account when the next deposit attempt happens. Do not try to postpone when your check becomes negotiable by putting a future date on it. Your check goes to the bank on the same business day it was processed, regardless of the written date. Please don't expect us to locate and hold a check from among the hundreds we receive every day.
If your bank fails to honor your check after the second attempt to deposit, the check will be returned to the Central Cashier. A dishonored check, regardless of the reason for return, is subject to the $25.00 service charge per item. Note that this charge also applies to "e-check" payments returned from the Net.Pay online payment service. In addition to the service charge, a returned check written to pay for registration fees may be assessed the late registration fee, even if you paid in installments with the PACE Plan.
As soon as the returned check invoice is posted to your AR/C account, a hold is placed immediately on your student records, preventing you from obtaining transcripts, financial aid disbursements, and other student services. If the returned check invoice is not settled within 30 days, it becomes past-due. Late charges are added to each past-due item (not your overall AR/C account) at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day intervals. For more information on late charge policies, see the Returned Checks section in Campus Billing's web page.
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If you have two or more returned checks recorded in your AR/C account, your check-writing privileges are suspended. You are restricted to paying with certified funds, which means that any payment at the Central Cashier will be requested in the form of a cashier's check, money order, or cash. Although we are unable to accept credit card payments, Western Union's Quick Collect service is a convenient way to pay remotely with cash.
Cashier's checks and money orders may be issued by your bank or credit union; check the institution's web site for the cost and availability. Obtaining a cash advance from your credit card may be another option for you. Banking facilities and ATMs, for obtaining certified funds, are available in the Student Center at convenient locations.
Anyone with two or more returned checks on file has check-writing privileges suspended for six months. Three or more returned checks results in a two-year suspension. Upon appeal, check-writing privileges may be restored at the discretion of the Central Cashier. Nevertheless, any department at UCI may request payment in the form of a cashier's check, money order, or cash -- for any reason, at any time. For example, Campus Billing Services may require former students to clear outstanding debts with certified funds before releasing transcripts.
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Do not stop payment on your check if you decide not to attend, wish to dispute charges, or no longer want goods or services provided by UCI. Your bank probably will charge a service fee, in addition to penalties imposed by UCI. Stopping payment guarantees that your check will be returned, but does not cancel your financial obligation. A stopped payment is treated the same as any other returned check, with at least a $25.00 service charge and a hold on your student records.
If you decide to leave UCI after paying registration fees, officially withdrawing is only way to receive any refund that may be due to you. Submit your withdrawal paperwork as directed on the Registrar's web page, as soon as you know that you will not attend. The amount of a withdrawal refund decreases substantially as the quarter progresses. By simply stopping payment on your check, you will be responsible for the full amount of your fees, plus penalties.
Notify Campus Billing Services, in writing, regarding disputed AR/C charges. Stopping payment on your check is not the same as written notification, and only adds to the charges in your account. Also, remember that your collection representative may offer a payment arrangement for a disputed invoice, but not for the returned check that results if you decide to stop payment in protest. You'll also find that late charges are strictly enforced for stopped payments, because there's no way to argue you didn't know the check would be returned.
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If you reported checks as lost/stolen, your bank will not honor them. In this case, making a second attempt to deposit is pointless and the checks may be returned to UCI sooner. Lost/stolen checks are posted as returned check invoices in your AR/C account, whether or not you actually wrote the checks. If you are a current student, be sure to monitor your account closely using QuickSearch. Since a separate returned check invoice is billed to your AR/C account for every lost/stolen item, charges could build up rapidly if many of your checks were passed on campus.
Sometimes banks make errors, and return checks to UCI when you really had funds available for deposit. Please understand that we don't receive advance warning that a bank error has occurred, as the checks appear to have been returned legitimately. Each item is billed to your AR/C account as a returned check invoice, with the usual charges and penalties. Current students may use QuickSearch to look for checks they suspect were returned in error.
If your checks were lost/stolen, or returned in error, we agree to cancel all returned check service charges and late registration fees included in the resultant returned check invoices upon receipt of a valid bank letter. This letter must:
You may mail the bank letter, or bring it to our office for faster service. We do not accept FAX copies, e-mail messages, or telephone calls from you, your parents, or bank officials. The original hard-copy bank letter remains on file in the Central Cashier's office. Please arrange to have copies of the letter for your own records. If more than one bank is involved, you must provide a letter from each institution.
Paper copies of service change cancellations are mailed to the address at which you were billed for the associated returned check invoices. QuickSearch displays reduced amounts due for these invoices when the cancellations have been processed in AR/C. Be sure to pay the original amount of each check immediately, whether or not you receive the cancellation. Until you redeem the check, your student records remain on hold, and each remaining invoice balance is subject to late fees.
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Sometimes you may forget your checkbook, or you may be short of funds, and a friend or relative will write a check to help you out. In these situations, you need to know who is billed when the check is returned to UCI. This may seem strange, but it's best to be careful about whom you allow to make payments on your behalf. If the check is returned, you may be responsible for the resultant invoice, with charges and penalties, even if the check wasn't from your bank account.
Let's say your parents' $2297.50 check for your registration fees was returned. As the student whose registration fees were paid, your AR/C account will be billed $2372.50 ($2297.50 registration fees + 50.00 late registration fees + 25.00 returned check service charge). Since the returned check invoice will be mailed to the address printed on the check (which may not be your current mailing address), you may need to use QuickSearch to review the charges.
As part of your AR/C account, the returned check invoice generates a hold that prevents access to your student records, including transcript and future registration. You are responsible for redeeming the check, paying all applicable charges, and dealing with penalties. Check-writing privileges may be suspended on your account, even though someone else's check was returned. If the check was reported as lost/stolen, or was returned due to a bank error, you must ensure that we receive a valid bank letter before service charges may be canceled.
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You redeem (make good) a returned check by paying the original amount of the check. For whatever reason, when your bank either failed or declined to honor your check, money was not drawn out of your bank account for goods or services you received. That means that you need to provide a replacement payment to compensate for the one that didn't go through. Once a check is returned, your bank probably won't allow us to resubmit it for payment.
Suppose your $2297.50 check for registration fees was returned due to your bank's error. You then receive a returned check invoice for $2372.50 ($2297.50 registration fees + 50.00 late registration fees + 25.00 returned check service charge). You can't expect that invoice simply to go away, even after you provide a bank letter confirming the error. Although we'll agree to cancel $75.00 (for the late fee plus service charge), we still need the $2297.50 for your registration fees, which are shown as "Paid" on ZOTAccount Online.
If your check-writing privileges have been suspended, you must redeem returned checks with certified funds (cash, cashier's check, or money order). Otherwise, personal checks are acceptable as replacement payments, particularly in cases where checks were reported as lost/stolen or returned in error. Never wait to redeem a returned check until after service charges have been canceled; an AR/C hold will remain on your student records, and you may be held responsible for any accrued late fees.
Redeeming lost/stolen checks may involve some special consideration. Clearly if you benefited from the goods or services purchased, we expect you to redeem the check. For example, if a $20.00 lost/stolen check accompanied your written request for transcripts, you need to give us another payment. If you believe your lost/stolen check was passed on campus fraudulently, immediately report the incident to the UCI Police Department and dispute the returned check invoice with Campus Billing Services.
Upon request, redeemed checks written on your bank account will be released to you by Campus Billing Services. You may present picture identification to pick up checks in person, or send a signed, written request to have the checks mailed to you. For privacy reasons, redeemed checks will not be released to anyone but the bank account holder. A redeemed check written on your behalf by a third party (such as a parent) may be mailed to payor at the address printed on the check.
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Your bank will notify you when it has returned your check and may charge bank penalties for each failed attempt to deposit. Shortly thereafter, you should receive a returned check invoice by mail from the Central Cashier. Typically, two copies of the invoice are sent to the address printed on the check. Keep one copy of the invoice for your records (it has details about the check that was returned); submit the other copy to the Central Cashier with your payment.
UCI issues invoices for the returned check amount plus the $25.00 returned check service charge. If the check was applied to registration fees, an additional $50.00 late registration fee may be included. Invoices are posted to the AR/C system and are billed separately from your ZOTBill charges (although returned check invoices will generate a financial hold on ZOTAccount Online). Returned checks written on your behalf by a third party (such a parent) will also be posted to your AR/C account, making you responsible for the checks' redemption.
If your bank confirms that your check has been returned to UCI, but you haven't received an invoice from us, you need to contact UCI for your balance. Current students can see any outstanding returned check invoices billed to their AR/C account using QuickSearch. Balances shown on QuickSearch may include returned check service charges and applicable late charges. If you are not a current UCI student, contact the Central Cashier for information as soon as possible.
Whether or not you receive an invoice, you are responsible for a returned check and are subject to the resultant penalties, including suspension of check-writing privileges. When a returned check invoice is issued, a hold is placed immediately on UCI services. This hold prohibits registration, issuing transcripts and diplomas, receipt of financial aid, and other services until the returned check and service charges are settled. Therefore, returned check invoices should be paid immediately, usually with certified funds.
Charges not paid within 30 days of the invoice date will appear on an AR/C statement with additional late payment charges already assessed. Since there is a separate returned check service charge of $25.00 and late payment charge of $5.00 to $45.00 for each returned check invoice, your account balance can grow alarmingly, particularly if you ignore these debts. Don't make that mistake! Late payment charges are strictly enforced on returned check invoices.
Suppose both your $3.00 check for an add-drop transaction and your $10.00 check for a transcript are returned. You will have two invoices totaling $63.00 in your AR/C account ($28.00 for the add-drop and $35.00 for the transcript). If these invoices remain outstanding for 60 days, you will owe an additional $30.00 for late payment charges ($15.00 more for each invoice). In addition to fines from your bank, you now owe a total of $93.00 for transactions that should have cost you only $13.00.
Now you see why you should make every effort to avoid having a returned check.