Yes, money orders do have dates on them. Every money order issued in the United States is printed with the purchase date at the moment you buy it, and that date appears both on the face of the instrument and on the customer receipt you keep. It is not decoration. The printed date starts the clock on service charges some issuers deduct from uncashed money orders, and it determines when the funds can be turned over to a state as abandoned property.1USPS. Money Orders
Where the Date Appears
On a United States Postal Service money order, the purchase date is printed on the left side of the document, alongside the post office identification number and the face value. Western Union and MoneyGram money orders also carry a machine-printed date on the face of the instrument, though the exact position depends on the printer setup at the retail location where you bought it.
A second copy of the date is printed on the detachable customer receipt, sometimes called a stub. That receipt is your proof of purchase and the document the issuer will ask for if you ever need to track, replace, or request a refund. Before you leave the counter, check that the date on your receipt matches the date on the money order itself.2USPS. PS Form 6401 – Money Order Inquiry
How the Date Gets There
You never write the date on a money order. It is applied by a thermal or inkjet printer built into the issuer’s point-of-sale terminal the instant the transaction is finalized. That printed date is tied to a serial number and to a record in the issuer’s database, including the retail location where the sale happened.
The electronic timestamp protects both sides of the transaction. If the money order is lost or the payee disputes it, the issuer can cross-reference the date and serial number against internal records to confirm the sale and trace what happened to the instrument.
Does the Printed Date Mean the Money Order Expires?
Not in the ordinary sense. Whether a money order loses value over time depends on who issued it, not on a fixed shelf life.
USPS domestic money orders never expire and do not accrue interest. The full face value stays available to the payee indefinitely.1USPS. Money Orders Western Union and MoneyGram money orders also technically do not expire, but both issuers begin deducting monthly service charges from uncashed instruments after a dormancy period, and those charges can eventually reduce the value to zero.3Western Union. Money Orders: Purchase and Cash at a Western Union Near You
One point of confusion worth clearing up: you may have heard that any financial instrument goes “stale” six months after its date under the Uniform Commercial Code. UCC ยง 4-404 does relieve a bank of the obligation to honor an instrument presented more than six months after its date, but that rule applies to checks drawn on checking accounts, not to money orders.4Legal Information Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 Money orders are prepaid, and their validity is governed by the issuer’s own policies and by state unclaimed-property law.
Service Charges Start From the Printed Date
If a non-USPS money order sits uncashed long enough, the issuer can start chipping away at its value. The purchase date on the face of the instrument is what starts that clock.
- MoneyGram begins deducting a monthly service charge after the money order has been uncashed for one year. The fee amount is printed in the “service charge” section on the back of the instrument.5MoneyGram. Help for MoneyGram Money Orders
- Western Union may deduct a non-refundable service charge if the money order remains uncashed for one to three years after the purchase date, depending on the state where it was bought.3Western Union. Money Orders: Purchase and Cash at a Western Union Near You
- USPS deducts no service charges, no matter how long the money order goes uncashed.1USPS. Money Orders
These fees are deducted directly from the face value and are non-refundable. If you don’t plan to cash a money order right away, the printed date is the figure to note.
When the Money Goes to the State
Uncashed long enough, a money order can be turned over to a state government through a process called escheatment. Under federal law, the state where the money order was purchased has the first right to claim the abandoned funds.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 12 USC Chapter 26 – Disposition of Abandoned Money Orders and Travelers Checks
How long that takes depends on state law. Some states set the dormancy period at three years; others allow seven or more. Once the funds are transferred, the original money order can no longer be cashed through normal channels. Recovering the money means filing a claim with the state’s unclaimed-property division, typically with your original receipt, identification, and proof that you are the rightful owner or payee.
Check the Date Before You Leave the Counter
Because everything downstream keys off the printed purchase date, verify it at the point of sale. Confirm the date on the money order matches the date on your receipt, confirm both match the day you actually paid, and keep the receipt somewhere separate from the money order itself. If a service charge or an escheatment question ever comes up, that printed date is what the issuer and the state will look at first.