National Banks

• Major national banks have locations around the nation. If you have an account at a national bank, you can access your account and conduct transactions in Wyoming even if you opened your account in Maine. Additionally, if your employer banks at a national bank, you can take your check to any branch of that bank anywhere in the nation. However, you must provide government-issued identification when cashing a check, and some banks may charge you a fee if you are not an account holder. Technically, banks do not have to cash checks for non-account holders, but most banks do cash payroll checks if you have appropriate ID.
  
  

Check-Cashing Centers

• Many check-cashing centers operate nationwide; if you go to a major chain, you can cash your check just as easily out of state as you can in state. Check-cashing centers often charge much higher check-cashing fees than banks; and, like banks, in most states check-cashing centers are not subject to any fee limits. Therefore, shop around for the check-cashing center that charges the lowest fee, and ensure that you have the ID necessary to cash your check.
  
  

Retail Stores

• Some major retail stores offer check-cashing services. Normally, these stores charge fees that are lower than those at check-cashing businesses or at banks. If you normally cash your check at a certain retailer, you can do the same when you are out of state. However, most retailers only accept pre-printed payroll checks from major firms. If you work for a small business or receive handwritten checks, then you can normally only cash these checks at your local retailers, and not at out-of-state stores.
  
  

Considerations

• In the past, banks could place lengthy holds on out-of-state checks, because it often took a few weeks for banks to process these checks. As of 2011, due to advances in the electronic processing of transactions, the Federal Reserve no longer allows banks to hold out-of-state checks any longer than in-state checks. Therefore, more banks and businesses are willing to cash these checks than in the past.