Post office savings account update: How to request a personalised cheque book online

If you hold a Post Office Savings Account (POSA), you no longer need to visit a post office counter to get a personalised cheque book (PCB). As per Department of Posts (Ministry of Communications), the facility to request a PCB through Internet Banking has gone live with effect from July 18.

Here’s everything you need to know, and a complete step-by-step walkthrough.

What’s new

Previously, PCB requests could only be submitted at a Post Office counter. Now, POSA customers with active Internet Banking access can request their cheque book entirely online, no branch visit required. Your name is pre-printed on the cheque leaves, and the cheque book is delivered free of cost to the registered address of the primary account holder.

You need active Internet Banking (e-Banking) credentials, that is, a working User ID and login password.

The first 10 cheque leaves in a calendar year are free. After that, a charge of ₹2 per cheque leaf applies, and this amount is automatically debited from the savings account you select at the time of the request.

Step-by-Step: How to request a personalised cheque book

1. Log in to Internet Banking using your credentials.
2. Navigate to General Services → Service Requests → New Requests.
3. Click on the “Personalised Cheque Book request” option.
4. “New Requests” will already be selected by default under the Option field.
5. Under Type of Operation, select “Request Cheque Book.”
6. Click “GO.”
7. Choose your Savings Account Number from the list. (Note: if any cheque book charges apply, they will be automatically debited from whichever account you select.)
8. The number of cheques defaults to 10, you can adjust this if you need more.
9. Click “Click Here” to read the Terms and Conditions, then tick the checkbox to confirm you’ve read and agree to them.
10. Click “Submit Online.”

Confirming your request

Once you submit, a confirmation page appears showing:

• Account holder’s name (as it will appear on the cheque leaves)
• Dispatch address
• Account type
• Joint account holder’s name (if applicable)
• Request date
• Registered mobile number

You’ll then need to enter your transaction password to authenticate and confirm the request.

After successful submission, you’ll see a confirmation screen with a reference ID, and you can generate a Cyber Receipt for your records. Remember: cheque issuance charges of ₹2 per leaf apply only if your request pushes you past 10 leaves for the calendar year.

How to check the status of your request

Want to know where your cheque book is? Here’s how to track it:

1. Go to General Services → Service Requests → New Requests.
2. Click on “Personalised Cheque Book request.”
3. “New Requests” is defaulted under Option.
4. Under Type of Operation, select “PCB status inquiry.”
5. Click “GO.”
6. Select the Savings Account Number for which the cheque book was requested.
7. The number of cheques will default to 10.
8. Enter or select the Request Date (in DD-MM-YYYY format, or use the date picker) this should match the date you originally submitted the request.
9. Click “Submit Online.”

The request Confirmation screen will then show:

• Savings Account number
• Begin Cheque Number
• Number of leaves
• Cheque Status, either “VERIFIED” (cheque book not yet printed) or “COMPLETED” (printed and dispatched)
• Dispatch date
• Dispatch number, this is the Speed Post article number, which you can use to track your delivery directly on the India Post website

Your Personalised Cheque Book will be delivered, free of cost, to the registered address of the primary account holder. Once dispatched, use the Speed Post tracking number (available via the PCB Status Inquiry screen) to follow its journey to your doorstep.

Also read: India post new e-KYC rules: From Aadhaar transactions at branches to Sept 1 mobile-link deadline