This is a guide on cheque hold periods when banking in Canada. When you receive a cheque, you may consider two things before deciding where to cash it: When can you get your money? How much will it cost you to cash the cheque? Although cheque cashing services may make money available immediately, they generally charge much higher fees than financial institutions do. If you have an account with a bank or another federally regulated financial institution, there are laws that set out when the institution must make the money from a cheque available to you. In most cases, you can get access to the first $100 right away if you choose to cash your cheque in a branch.