The Department of Posts has introduced a Personalised Cheque Book (PCB) facility for Post Office Savings Account (POSA) holders, marking a major step towards modernising postal banking services and improving customer convenience. According to SB Order No. 05/2026 dated 08.05.2026, the facility became effective from May 8, 2026. Under the newly launched system, customers can now opt for cheque books with their information already printed on them, similar to commercial bank cheque books. The Department of Posts stated the move has been made "to enhance customer convenience, improve security features, and align financial services with modern banking standards". This facility addresses a long-standing gap where private and PSU banks have been offering personalised cheque books with printed account details for several years, while this facility was unavailable to post office customers. The PCBs will complement online nominee management through internet banking, providing customers with enhanced digital banking experiences.
The facility is available for all Post Office Savings Account holders and can be accessed by visiting post office branches physically in the initial phase. The Department has clarified that this service will later be extended to Internet Banking and Mobile Banking platforms as well. For joint accounts, the cheque book will be dispatched to the address of the primary account holder. The order states that "the customers may make request for Personalized Cheque book by visiting the Post Office" and that "the account holder may opt for either, Instant Cheque Book or Personalized Cheque Book at their choice". One major relief for customers is that personalised cheque books will be delivered free of cost to the registered address. The facility allows personalised cheque books to be delivered free of cost to a POSA customer's registered address, whereas earlier cheque books were mainly issued at post office counters. In the first stage of rolling out the facility, customers will have to visit their local post office to make the request and submit a Cheque Book Request Form (Form SB/CQE-4), which is available at counters or on the official India Post website.
The new cheque books will come with pre-printed customer details such as the account holder's name, account number and India Post IFSC code. According to the circular, customers will initially receive a cheque book containing 10 cheque leaves by default. The Department of Posts has clarified that instant cheque books will continue to be issued only at post office counters, while personalised cheque books will be printed separately and delivered directly to the customer's registered address through Speed Post. PCBs will be printed in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, and dispatched through nodal offices - Kalkaji Head Post Office in New Delhi or the Tambaram BPC in Chennai. All postal circles have been directed to widely publicise the new facility and display information at post office notice boards. The new service allows personalised cheque books to be delivered free of cost to the account holder's latest updated address.
The Department has clarified the fee structure for personalised cheque books: Up to 10 cheque leaves in a calendar year: No additional issuance charge. Beyond 10 cheque leaves, customers will be charged ₹2 per cheque leaf plus applicable GST. The charges, if applicable, will be automatically debited from the savings account. The Department has released a revised cheque book request form and detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) covering request processing, printing and dispatch. A request for a personalised cheque book cannot be raised if the account is totally frozen or in a dormant state, and a request for a personalised cheque book can be initiated only in Account Sol, where the SB account stands.
India Post has laid down several conditions before a personalised cheque book request can be approved. Customers must ensure their mobile number is linked with the primary CIF, maintain a minimum account balance of ₹500, have KYC details and address updated properly, and ensure their account is active and not frozen or dormant. The Department has specifically advised customers to update their address before applying, since the cheque book will be sent to the latest address available in the records. Cheque books will remain in safe custody for a period of forty-five (45) days and will maintain a proper register for record purposes. Thereafter, all undelivered cheque leaves should be treated as unused cheque leaves and post offices should mark all those cheque leaves as SPOILED in their Finacle system. In a parallel effort, the Department has also changed its process to manage nominees in the account, with customers now able to add, modify, or delete nominee details using Internet Banking as per the order dated May 4, 2025.
