Certified cheque fees at Canadian banks
A certified cheque is your own cheque that the bank guarantees. The money is taken from the account when they certify it. A bank draft is a different piece of paper, issued by the bank. Draft dollars for the big banks are already on [bank draft and cashier's check fees](/guides/bank-draft-fees). This page is the certify line, and only the dollars that were on a page opened 19 October 2026.
Last updated: October 19, 2026
Last checked: Oct 2026
Certify is not a draft
On a statement, a certify fee is its own line. It is not the amount written on the cheque. The cheque amount leaves the account as the payment. The fee is what the bank charged for the guarantee. A draft fee is the charge for the bank's own instrument. Do not add the draft table on the other page to these certify dollars. A money order is a third product, on money order fees.
Fees change. The dates below are the dates printed on each document, or the day the page was opened when the document itself has no newer date. Ask the branch which line they will use before you order one.
What each bank prints
TD's List of Services and Fees, effective 5 March 2026, says asking a TD branch to certify a cheque is $10.00 when the account holder asks, and $15.00 when someone other than the account holder asks. A later section of the same PDF, for people without a TD account, prints $15.00 to have TD certify a cheque. The draft on that PDF is $9.95 and stays on the draft page.
RBC's savings account options page, opened 19 October 2026, prints Certified cheque you request at $15 on the savings table. That is the savings disclosure, not a sentence that every personal account still offers the service. Ask the branch before you rely on it. Scotiabank's personal fees page, opened the same day, prints certified cheques at $15.00 at your request, $15.00 if the holder who asks is a Scotiabank customer, and $25.00 if that holder is not a Scotiabank customer.
BMO's Agreements, Bank Plans and Fees for Everyday Banking, effective 2 June 2026, prints a certified cheque at $20.00 when the issuer asks and $30.00 when a non issuer asks. The plan feature table in the same booklet shows certified cheques included on the Premium plan and $20.00 each on the other plans in that table. Match the plan on your statement. Alterna Bank's personal service fee PDF prints a certified cheque at $10.00 when the client asks and $15.00 when a non client asks, and a bank draft at $7.50. The package comparison in that PDF, effective 1 November 2023, shows one free bank draft or certified cheque a month on some columns, and the $7.50 and $10 prices on others. Those Alterna Bank dollars are not Alterna Savings dollars. Alterna Savings and Alterna Bank are different institutions.
CIBC's Personal Account Service Fees brochure dated 12 March 2026 does not print a certified cheque dollar in the sections opened for this guide. This page does not invent one. Ask CIBC which line they would charge. The wider Canadian fee map is Canadian bank fees on a statement.
How it shows, and how to avoid a surprise
After you leave the branch, look for a line named certify, certification, or a similar fee, separate from the cheque amount. If the package was supposed to include one free item, compare the line with the package column. A fee that does not match the schedule is a question for the phone number on the statement, with the date and the amount.
Upload the statement on Expenvo. The PDF stays on your device. Expenvo lists the lines. It does not sign in to the bank or the card company, and it does not cancel a card or a purchase.
Questions
- Is a certified cheque the same as a bank draft?
- No. A certified cheque is your cheque, guaranteed by the bank. A bank draft is the bank's own payment. Draft prices are on the bank draft page.
- How much is certification at TD?
- TD's list effective 5 March 2026 prints $10.00 when the account holder asks and $15.00 when someone else asks. The section for people without a TD account also prints $15.00.
- Does CIBC print a personal certified cheque fee?
- Not in the 12 March 2026 personal fee brochure opened for this page. Ask CIBC before you order one. Do not use another bank's dollar.
Sources
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