How to Start a Check Cashing Store | Best Guide 2023

Do you know how to start a check-cashing store? No? Well, this article will give you the best information. Check Cashing has only become more and more popular in the USA and since the demand is growing among users, the supply is also growing, with a simple business model that they charge anywhere between 2% to 12% depending upon the state more and more check cashing stores are opening in the USA.

Currently, the USA has more than 14000+ stores and checks cashing is a 100 Billion Market and is growing steadily.

How to Start a Check Cashing Store

So, If you are also considering opening a check cashing store then this article is for you. We will tell you everything you need to know, whether you are considering opening a franchise or setting up your own store.

For opening a check cashing store you have two ways i.e. taking up a franchise or opening your own store, each comes with its own set of conditions, and now let’s look at them.

Franchising

Now, If you are considering taking a franchise of check cashing store you have a few options like United Check Cashing, Family Financial Centers, Ace Cash Express, and Cash Plus.

Note: We have only included the franchises that have a working website and a good online presence, hence some small franchises may have been missed.

If you want to find any other franchise then you can search it here and know about it in detail

If you are completely new to this business without any help then considering and learning through a franchise is a pretty good option, as they provide you a lot of assistance regarding it and also cover a lot under their hood like advertising, marketing, acquiring licenses, etc.

So, here are a few franchise options you can consider :

United Check Cashing

Based out of Philadelphia they have Been in Business for around 30 years and have over 100 locations in the United States.

Initial Investment	$226,000 – $297,000
Net Worth Requirement	$350,000
Liquid Cash Requirement	$120,000
Initial Franchise Fees	$30,000
Royalty	Varies
Ad Royalty Fee	$1000/year
On-the-Job Training	1 week
Classroom training	2 Weeks
Number of employees needed	2-3

You can call on this toll-free number to know more: 1-800-626-0787

You can Contact them for franchising here  http://www.unitedcheckcashing.com/contact-us

Family Financial Centres

Founded in 2004, FFC has 15 years of experience in this field and has 50 franchises all over the United States.

Initial Investment	$153,710 – $307,010
Net Worth Requirement	$500,000 – $1,000,000
Liquid Cash Requirement	$60,000 – $1,000,000
Initial Franchise Fees	$40500
Royalty	Varies
Ad Royalty Fee	$1000/year
On-the-Job Training	40 hours
Classroom training	40 hours
Number of employees needed	1-2
Field Training	NA

Learn about the activities of FFC here https://www.ffcfranchising.com/training-and-support/

Know about different prices of the franchise in detail and different options https://www.ffcfranchising.com/investment/

Ace Cash Express

With more than 900 locations in the United States, it is among the biggest franchises in the United States for check cashing.

Since they have not provided a lot of Info Online so you need to call them for getting the details

Key Points and Requirements

Initial Investment	$143200 – 279100
Net Worth Requirement	$500,000 – $1,000,000
Liquid Cash Requirement	$60,000 – $1,000,000
Initial Franchise Fees	$15000-$30000
Royalty	6%
Terms of Agreement	10 yrs
Renewal Fees	$500

Official Website https://www.acecashexpress.com/check-cashing

You can call on this Number for more info here 866.223.2274

Cash Plus

Cash Plus is an awesome business with many franchises around the United States. but they have mentioned very little information about their franchising program. So, you need to call them for getting more info

Initial Investment	$198200-$284700
Net Worth Requirement	$400,000
Liquid Cash Requirement	$100,000

You can Call on the following number to find more information 1-877-227-4758

Official Website: https://cashplusinc.com

Setting up your Own Store

Now If you are looking to open your own store then, you need to prepare the following things

Business Plan

You need to prepare a full Business plan for yourself and think of marketing budget, location, employee, cash, upfront costs, equipment, sales projections, debt, business expansion, etc.

Also, talk to people already in this business and learn from their experiences.

Acquire Capital

This is a Cash Intensive Business because people come in with checks and want Instant Cash for their checks and you will receive money for that in 3-4 working days depending upon the amount. Hence, You will need capital for running the business so think of it as to how will you get the capital for all the activities like Renting the building, Buying the machines, and giving people cash in return for checks.

License and registration

Check cashing Businesses are high cash Intensive businesses and hence referred to as MSB (Money Service Businesses) due to this fact they are on the radar for money laundering and other money frauds that’s why USA government pays extra attention to these businesses and since then, you are the owner so You need to register with IRS as an MSB but if you are with a franchise then they can easily take care of this for you.

Register your Business here with IRS here

Also, You need to follow certain rules laid down by the government, you can check the rules you need to follow as an MSB laid down by the government here https://www.fincen.gov/fact-sheet-msb-registration-rule

Hire a CPA

You should also hire a CPA for setting you up for you the technicalities of the business in the initial days so that you focus on running the business also since it is such a cash-intensive business, any business owner can break a law in his initial days so it’s better to hire a professional to maintain that.

Find a Retail Location

Locations play a very important role in running cashing stores because of the urgent need people have for it. So choose the location wisely and if you can acquire a previous cashing store which was shut due to any reason it is very good as people are already used to that place.

You need to find a busy location with offices nearby as many employees cash their checks for various purposes.

Buy the Check Cashing machine

This is a very important machine as it lets you see all the databases for any issues and fraudsters etc. and helps you to run in compliance with the government policies. 

Also, it helps you in checking the validity of the checks. You need to buy the machine as soon as the operation starts.

Focus on Security

Since it is such a Cash intensive business hence you can attract a lot of problems and also you can face problems like an employee turning their backs against you, and chances of theft at your place.

So you need to pay attention to security in high detail like installing security cameras, additional locking measures, etc.

Also, you should get insurance as running this business can involve high risk. Many Insurance providers cover MSBs and offer the following coverages 

• Employee Dishonesty Coverage
• On-Premises Coverage
• In Transit Coverage
• Forgery Or Alteration
• Extortion / Kidnap Ransom

You can follow this guide for security procedures to follow when you start your own check cashing center

Have you ever encountered some issues related to a credit card? There are various reasons, and most of them are due to security issues.

Hire employees

Although a lot of employees are not needed in this still you need 1-2 employees to run the operations smoothly so hire the people as soon as the business starts making a good profit.

Final Words

We hope we were able to clear all your doubts about starting a check cashing business and it is similar for all the states in the United States.

Rest can be verified by a CPA, but still, if you have any questions comment down below and we will answer them as soon as possible