HomeCirculars › RBI/2012-13/444

CTS-2010 Cheque Migration: Final Deadline & New Rules

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2012-13/444 · issued 18 Mar 2013 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI mandates all new cheques issued from March 18, 2013 must be CTS-2010 compliant. Non-CTS cheques remain valid until July 31, 2013. Banks must issue first CTS cheques free to savings account customers and stop accepting fresh PDCs/EMI cheques where ECS is available.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A payments & clearing officer in Indore, Priya, checks her branch's stock of cheque books. She sees they still have old non-CTS cheques. She orders only CTS-2010 cheques from the printer and tells her team to give the first CTS-2010 cheque book free to every savings account customer who asks for one. She also stops accepting new post-dated cheques from borrowers in areas where electronic debit (ECS) works, and instead helps them sign up for automatic payments.

What changed

RBI set a firm deadline: all cheques issued from March 18, 2013 must conform to CTS-2010 standards. Non-CTS cheques in circulation get a four-month extension until July 31, 2013. Banks must not charge savings account customers for first-time CTS cheque issuance. Lending banks must stop accepting fresh PDC/EMI cheques in locations with ECS/RECS facility and convert existing ones.

What it means for you

Banks must accelerate replacement of old cheques and ensure all new issuances are CTS-2010 compliant. The free first-time issuance rule impacts cost recovery for savings accounts. The PDC/EMI restriction shifts lending banks toward electronic mandates, reducing cheque usage in ECS-enabled areas. Non-compliance risks clearing disruptions after July 31, 2013.

What you must do

Who it affects

All Scheduled Commercial Banks including RRBs, Urban Co-operative Banks, State Co-operative Banks, District Central Co-operative Banks, Local Area Banks

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

Can we still accept non-CTS-2010 cheques from customers after March 31, 2013?

Yes, non-CTS-2010 cheques already with customers remain valid and will be accepted in all clearing houses, including CTS centers, until July 31, 2013. However, all new cheques issued by banks from March 18, 2013 must be CTS-2010 compliant.

Are we required to charge customers for the first CTS-2010 cheque book?

No. RBI mandates that banks shall not charge savings bank account customers for the first issuance of CTS-2010 standard cheques. For additional issuances, banks may follow their existing policy as per their Fair Practices Code.

What should we do about existing PDC/EMI cheques in locations where ECS is available?

You must stop accepting fresh PDC/EMI cheques in such locations and make all efforts to convert existing PDCs into ECS/RECS (Debit) by obtaining fresh mandates from borrowers.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Extended by RBI Phases Out Non-CTS-2010 Cheques with Special Clearing Sessions
RBI’s words: “Please refer to the instructions contained in our circular no. DPSS.CO.CHD.No. 1622/04.07.05/2012-13 dated March 18, 2013”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2012-13/444 DPSS.CO.CHD.No. 1622/04.07.05/2012-13 March 18, 2013 The Chairman and Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer All Scheduled Commercial Banks including RRBs / Urban Co-operative Banks / State Co-operative Banks / District Central Co-operative Banks/Local Area Banks Madam / Dear Sir Standardization and Enhancement of Security Features in Cheque Forms/Migrating to CTS 2010 standards A reference is invited to our circular DPSS.CO.CHD.No. 955/04.07.05/2012-13 dated December 14, 2012 . On a review of the progress made by banks so far in migration to CTS-2010 standard cheques and in consultation with a few banks and Indian Banks Association, it has been decided to put in place the following arrangements for clearing of residual non-CTS-2010 standard cheques beyond the cutoff date of March 31, 2013. All cheques issued by banks (including DDs / POs issued by banks) with effect from the date of this circular shall necessarily conform to CTS-2010 standard. Banks shall not charge their savings bank account customers for issuance of CTS-2010 standard cheques when they are issued for the first time. However, banks may continue to follow their existing policy regarding cheque book issuance for additional issuance of cheques, in adherence to their accepted Fair Practices Code. All residual non-CTS-2010 cheques with customers will continue to be valid and accepted in all clearing houses [including the Cheque Truncation System (CTS) centers] for another four months up to July 31, 2013 , subject to a review in June 2013. Cheque issuing banks shall make all efforts to withdraw the non-CTS-2010 Standard cheques in circulation before the extended timeline of July 31, 2013 by creating awareness among customers through SMS alerts, letters, display boards in branches/ATMs, log-on message in internet banking, notification on the web-site etc. A progress report in this regard to be submitted to this department in the format prescribed in the annex , enabling monitoring of the progress made by banks in respect of migration to CTS-2010 standard cheques. In addition, the bank-wise volume of inward clearing instruments processed in the Cheque Processing Centers will be monitored with respect to the CTS-2010 / non-CTS-2010 standard cheques presented on them. No fresh Post Dated Cheques (PDC)/Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) cheques (either in old format or new CTS-2010 format) shall be accepted by lending banks in locations where the facility of ECS/RECS (Debit) is available. Lending banks shall make all efforts to convert existing PDCs in such locations into ECS/RECS (Debit) by obtaining fresh mandates from the borrowers. 2. The above instructions are issued under section 18 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007 (Act 51 of 2007). 3. Please acknowledge receipt and confirm compliance. Yours faithfully, (Vijay Chugh) Chief General Manager Encl: Annex Annex Report showing the progress made in the issuance of CTS-2010 standard cheques and replacement of non-CTS-2010 standard cheques for the month of ……………. (Consolidated report to be submitted by the corporate/head office of all cheque issuing banks to the Department of Payment and Settlement Systems, Central Office, Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai before 10th of the succeeding month) 1. Name of the Bank
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2012-13/444 · issued 18 Mar 2013. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related
Who does what — compliance checklist
🏦 Branch Manager
  • Launch awareness campaigns via SMS, letters, branch displays, internet banking, and website to recall non-CTS cheques
📜 Compliance
  • Issue only CTS-2010 standard cheques from March 18, 2013 onwards
  • Provide first CTS-2010 cheque book free to all savings bank account customers
  • Submit monthly progress report on CTS migration to RBI by 10th of succeeding month
  • Stop accepting fresh PDC/EMI cheques in ECS/RECS-enabled locations and convert existing ones to electronic mandates
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (All Scheduled Commercial Banks including RRBs, Urban Co-operative Banks, State Co-operative Banks, District Central Co-operative Banks, Local Area Banks), your first concrete step on “CTS-2010 Cheque Migration: Final Deadline & New Rules” is: “Issue only CTS-2010 standard cheques from March 18, 2013 onwards” (RBI issued this 18 Mar 2013).

  1. Circular: RBI/2012-13/444 -- CTS-2010 Cheque Migration: Final Deadline & New Rules
  2. Issued: 18 Mar 2013
  3. Action required: Issue only CTS-2010 standard cheques from March 18, 2013 onwards
  4. Action required: Provide first CTS-2010 cheque book free to all savings bank account customers
  5. Action required: Launch awareness campaigns via SMS, letters, branch displays, internet banking, and website to recall non-CTS cheques
  6. Action required: Submit monthly progress report on CTS migration to RBI by 10th of succeeding month
  7. Action required: Stop accepting fresh PDC/EMI cheques in ECS/RECS-enabled locations and convert existing ones to electronic mandates
  8. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  9. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  10. Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.

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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=7895&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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