How to Stop Payment on a Cheque in Pakistan: Steps and Bank Fees From Free to Rs 1,200

Short answer: To stop payment on a cheque in Pakistan, give your bank a written stop payment instruction with the cheque number, amount, payee and date before the cheque is presented. Banks charge between nothing and Rs 1,200 for it: Allied Bank charges Rs 750 on a current account and Rs 1,200 on a savings account, NBP's Islamic banking charges Rs 500, Dubai Islamic Bank Rs 600, BankIslami Rs 400 a leaf, and ICBC Rs 500 or free through internet banking.

We read the July to December 2026 schedules of charges of five banks on 19 October 2026 for the figures below. A stop payment only works if the bank receives it before it pays the cheque, so the first move is the call to the helpline, and the second is the written instruction that the helpline will ask for.

A stop payment instruction tells the bank not to honour one cheque, or a whole book

The instruction is your order, as the account holder, that the bank must not pay a named cheque when it arrives through clearing or across the counter. The bank marks the cheque number in its system, and if the cheque is presented it is returned unpaid with the reason "payment stopped by drawer".

You can stop one cheque, several cheques or an entire lost cheque book. NBP's Islamic schedule says its stop payment charge "is to be levied one time for stop payment instructions whether it is for one or more cheques", and Dubai Islamic Bank lists "stop payment of cheque / lost cheque book" as one item. So if you have lost the book, stop the whole range in one instruction rather than paying per leaf.

Two things a stop payment does not do. It does not cancel the debt behind the cheque, and it does not protect you if the cheque has already been paid. Once the money has left your account, the route is a dispute with the payee, not a stop.

Stop payment fees run from free to Rs 1,200 depending on the bank and the account

Allied Bank charges Rs 750 per instruction on a rupee current account and Rs 1,200 on a rupee savings account. NBP Islamic charges Rs 500 per instruction and USD 7 for foreign currency. Dubai Islamic Bank charges Rs 600 per instruction, capped at Rs 1,000. BankIslami charges Rs 400 per leaf up to Rs 2,000.

Federal excise duty is added to most bank charges, so expect the amount debited to be a little higher than the figure in the table. Allied Bank's schedule says FED and other government levies are charged in addition unless stated otherwise. The fees a bank is not allowed to charge at all are in our page on bank fees you can refuse, and a stop payment is not one of them.

Call the helpline first, then put the instruction in writing with the cheque details

Phone the bank's helpline and ask for a stop payment on the cheque number; most banks will place a temporary caution at once. Then give the written instruction, at the branch or through the app or internet banking where the bank offers it, with the cheque number, date, amount and payee name. Keep the acknowledgement.

1. Find the cheque number, amount, date and payee. The counterfoil in your cheque book has them.
2. Call the helpline and ask for a stop payment. Note the time, the reference number and the agent's name.
3. Submit the written instruction. Banks accept a signed letter at the branch; ICBC accepts it through internet banking at no charge.
4. Ask for written confirmation that the stop is in place and that the charge has been debited.
5. If the cheque is presented and returned, keep the return memo, which will show "payment stopped by drawer".

If the cheque book itself is lost, say so. Banks treat a lost book as a stop on the whole range plus a report, and you will need a new book. The steps for a replacement are in our page on requesting a cheque book online. Write the stop instruction in the same ink and style as your signature on file, because the branch checks it against the specimen, as it does for the rules in writing a cheque correctly.

Cheques now clear by image, so the window to stop one is shorter than it was

Since the Pakistan Express Clearing System went live in October 2026, a cheque deposited at another bank travels as an image rather than paper, and clearing is faster. A cheque handed to the payee today can be debited from your account tomorrow, so a stop placed "when the branch opens next week" may be too late.

The payee's bank will usually charge the payee a return fee when your cheque bounces, and your own bank may charge you a return fee as well. Allied Bank lists "payment stopped by drawer" among the reasons that attract its inward cheque return charge of Rs 800 on a current account and Rs 1,200 on a savings account. ICBC says no return charge applies when the cheque was stopped. Check your bank's line before assuming the stop fee is the only cost.

For a post dated cheque the stop can be placed any time before the date, and the fee is the same. A standing instruction or direct debit is a different thing, with its own cancellation route in stopping a standing instruction.

Stopping a cheque to avoid paying a genuine debt can still lead to a criminal complaint

A stop payment is a banking instruction, not a legal defence. If the cheque was issued to repay a loan or meet an obligation, the payee can still file a complaint under section 489-F of the Pakistan Penal Code for dishonest dishonour, and the return memo marked "payment stopped" is the evidence they will use.

Legitimate reasons to stop a cheque include a lost or stolen cheque, a cheque written with the wrong amount or payee, goods or services not delivered after payment by cheque, and fraud. Keep the evidence for the reason, because that is what separates a stop from a dishonest dishonour. The law and the defences are set out in our page on cheque bounce cases under 489-F.

If the bank pays a cheque after you placed a valid stop in time, that is the bank's error. Raise it with the bank in writing first, and if it is not reversed, take it to SBP's Sunwai complaint portal with your acknowledgement and the return memo.

Common questions about stopping a cheque in Pakistan

How much does it cost to stop a cheque?

Between nothing and Rs 1,200 in the July to December 2026 schedules we read: Rs 750 or Rs 1,200 at Allied Bank by account type, Rs 500 at NBP Islamic, Rs 600 at Dubai Islamic, Rs 400 a leaf at BankIslami, and Rs 500 or free online at ICBC. FED is extra.

Can I stop a cheque by phone?

You can start it by phone and most banks will place a caution at once, but they will ask for a written or app based instruction to make it permanent. Keep the call reference.

Can I stop a cheque that has already been paid?

No. A stop payment works only before the bank pays the cheque. After payment, you dispute the transaction with the payee or report a fraud to the bank.

Do I pay per cheque or per instruction?

It depends on the bank. NBP Islamic and Allied Bank charge per instruction, BankIslami charges per leaf with a cap, and Dubai Islamic caps the charge at Rs 1,000.

Is a stopped cheque a bounced cheque?

To the payee's bank it is returned unpaid, with the reason "payment stopped by drawer". It can still support a 489-F complaint if the cheque was for a debt and the stop was dishonest.

What if I stopped the cheque but the bank paid it?

Complain to the bank in writing with your acknowledgement. If it is not reversed, use SBP's Sunwai portal, and then the Banking Mohtasib.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 19 October 2026. The charges come from the schedules of charges effective 1 July to 31 December 2026 of Allied Bank, NBP Islamic Banking, Dubai Islamic Bank, BankIslami and ICBC Pakistan, all read as PDFs on 19 October 2026. The PECS launch date is from SBP's DI&SD Circular No. 02 of 2026. We could not read the schedules of HBL, UBL, MCB and Meezan, whose websites blocked our automated reading, so their stop payment fees are not listed; HabibMetro's schedule lists the item but the amount was not legible in our copy. We did not place a stop payment ourselves.