How to Write a Cheque (Check)

Need to cut a cheque (check) but not sure how to? No worries, this is what this post is about.

Growing up I would see my mom cutting cheques and thought it was cool how a sheet of handwritten paper has monetary value. Then my cousin took on the role of cutting cheques for my grandfather and I thought perhaps cutting cheques is a very grown-up thing to do, my cousin is older than me.

I still remember my first time cutting a cheque...

I needed to pay for school activity fee, my mom took out her chequebook and decided to let me cut the cheque. I made some mistakes but my mom was very patient. I finished writing on the cheque and passed it to my mom for a signature. I still remember the thrill when that cheque was done and how grown-up I felt.

Nowadays with e-transfer, there aren't much needs for cheque writing, even in the business world, unless you're paying salaries via cheques (most often now would be wired transfer though). The fact is there simply aren't enough situations needing you to write cheques since you can use your Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Union Pay, etc.), Debit Card, Paypal, e-transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc. We have the luxury of using multiple technological payment methods that we simply don't need cheques as often as it was needed back in the days these technological payments weren't as developed and accepted.

But, if you do, here are the steps and things to look out for when writing your cheques. Below is an example of a blank cheque, which I will be referring to as I go through the steps of filling this "paper" out.

Step 1: Date

On the top right corner of your cheque, you will see a number, that number is the cheque number, which allows you to track and trace which cheque has been made out to whom, when, for what and what amount.

The date field is usually just below the cheque number, it can take various formats depending on where you are and which bank you bank with, sometimes it's just a blank underline for you to write the date, but you have a cheque with boxes this stands true: Y = year, M = month, D = day. If the boxes show YYYYMMDD, simply write on top of the boxes with your current date, for example, 20201129.

Step 2: Name of Payee/Recipient

The next step is to write in the recipient or the payee's name. This section most of the time is named as "Pay to the order of", it is to the left of the cheque, usually under the corner where your name (and sometimes address) is printed. Besides the "Pay to the order of" section and ontop of the underline, write in their recipient's name. Ensure the recipient's name is filled incorrectly, as it has to match whatever their account name is for the money to be deposit properly. For example, if the recipient uses different names or if it's a company, ensure you utilize the name they are legally recognized as.

Step 3: Amount in Numbers

To the right side of the check, usually under the date section, there's a dollar sign, write in the box provided the dollar amount in numbers. Ensure that you start writing as far over to the left side as possible to prevent people from altering the numbers by adding another digit to the amount. It is crucial for you to add a decimal for cents even if there are no cents to be paid, I've gotten into the habit of just writing a line through to prevent 0's from being edited into 6, 8, or 9.

Step 4: Amount in Words

Under the "Pay to the order of", or where the recipient's name was written, write the amount in words. Using all capital letters is recommended, as capitals are harder to alter. Use a fraction for cents, with the number of cents over one hundred. Draw a horizontal line all the way to the end of the space provided to prevent anyone from adding text, I would also recommend adding a horizontal line across from the edge of the cheque to where you begin writing as well. The amount in words should match the amount written in numbers. This will be considered as the official amount of your payment if there is a difference between the amount in words and numbers.

Below is a reference to assist you to write the amount in words:

0 zero, 1 one, 2 two, 3 three, 4 four, 5 five, 6 six, 7 seven, 8 eight, 9 nine, 10 ten, 11 eleven, 12 twelve, 13 thirteen, 14 fourteen, 15 fifteen, 16 sixteen, 17 seventeen, 18 eighteen, 19 nineteen

20 twenty, 21 twenty-one, 22 twenty-two, 23 twenty-three, 24 twenty-four, 25 twenty-five, 26 twenty-six, 27 twenty-seven, 28 twenty-eight, 29 twenty-nine

30 thirty, 40 forty, 50 fifty, 60 sixty, 70 seventy, 80 eighty, 90 ninety

100 hundred, 1000 thousand, 10000 ten thousand, 100000 hundred thousand, 1000000 million, 10000000 ten million, 100000000 hundred million, 1000000000 billion

Examples:

1,123,456,789 - One billion one hundred twenty-three million four hundred fifty-six thousand seven hundred eighty-nine

5987 - Five thousand eighty-seven

89632 - Eighty nine thousand six hundred thirty-two

Step 5: Signature

At the bottom right corner area of the cheque, there's a line for you to sign. Ensure to sign legibly in the space provided and to use the same name and signature as the documents at your bank. The cheque will be invalid if it is not signed or not signed correctly.

Step 6: Memo

On the bottom left corner, to the left of the signature area, I would recommend for you to write in a momo in the space provided as it provides valuable information to the payee and also works as a reminder regarding the purpose of the cheque.

Tip 1

What if you have written in the wrong amount? You can simply void the cheque by writing the word "void" and drawing a horizontal line to the left and right of the word "void".

Tip 2

What if you need to make a minor change to your writing or if your writing was not clear, so you were tracing over your writing? To ensure the recipient can properly deposit/cash the cheque, I would recommend for you to initial beside the correction.

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Do you have something you would like to learn about? Send me an email and I will do the research and write a how-to on it.