Check Cashers

The 1999 Utah Legislature amended the Financial Institutions Act to regulate check cashing and payday lending by creating Chapter 23, currently entitled the “Check Cashing and Deferred Deposit Lending Registration Act”. The statue regulates check cashers, those who cash checks for a fee, and deferred deposit loan lenders (lenders who extend payday loans).

Some institutions are not subject to this act. The following are not subject to the check cashing requirements in Chapter 23. They are:

• a depository institution or its holding company,
• an institution directly or indirectly owned or controlled by a depository institution or its holding company, or
• an entity/person that cashes a check in a transaction that is:
  • incidental to a retail sale of goods or services; and
  • for consideration that does not exceed the greater of: 1% of the amount of the check; or $1.

To access the Utah code relating to the “Check Cashing and Deferred Deposit Lending Registration Act” follow the link below to the Utah State Legislature’s web site.

• Utah Code – Title 7 – Chapter 23- Check Cashing and Deferred Deposit Lending Registration Act

Check cashers who operate in Utah must submit the Check Cashing Registration form. The fee for initial registration is $300. Annual renewal thereafter is $200.

The check cashing registration forms are provided in Adobe Acrobat’s portable document format (PDF). You will need the Adobe Acrobat reader plug-in to view or print them.

• Check Cashing Initial Registration Form (338KB) – Last revised 10/20

• Check Cashing Renewal Registration Form (340KB) – Last revised 10/20

The instructions for filling out the registration form are printed on the form.  Please mail the completed form with the appropriate fee to:

Department of Financial Institutions

PO Box 146800

Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6800