How to Write Out a Check

In this age of debit cards you may not have to know how to write out a check in the first few months that you have a checking account. It seems simple enough, but the first time you actually have to write out a check you may realize that it's a little trickier than you though.

Instructions

1. There is a number in the upper right hand corner of the check. These go numerically. This helps you keep track of which check has been cashed & which ones haven't. It also helps you know if you are missing a check.

2. The little bold numbers on the bottom of the checks have a purpose. The first one is your banks routing number, or pretty much the number ID of your bank. You may need this if you ever set up an automatic deposit. The second number is your bank account number. The third number is your check number again.

3. The first field that you will need to fill in is the date. An acceptable way to write this is MM/DD/YY.

4. The next field is called "Pay to the order of". This must be written exactly right or the person may have trouble cashing it at the bank. Many business have signs with who to write the check to. When in doubt ask who they would like the check made out to.

5. The next blank is a dollar sign followed by an empty box. Here you will write the number of the amount, including sales tax if applicable. You write something like 120. For the cents you can put no with 100 under it or 00 with a line under it. Just be sure that you write the 00's very carefully so they don't look like a 66.

6. The space that takes the longest to fill out is the next line that ends in dollars. You have to write it out so it can be checked against the blank in Step 5. This way someone just can't add an extra 0 to your bill. Here you need to write out the exact dollar & cents amount. Hyphenate a number like twenty-seven. You can write the cents as a fraction.

7. The last space that you need to be concerned with is in the bottom right corner. This is where your signature goes.

8. The memo is the only field that isn't required. Here you can put what the money is for to keep track of your records.

Tips & Warnings

• Your checks may have a piece of translucent paper under them. Make sure that you don't tear this out. This is your copy of the check.