How to Write Bank Cheques

A bank cheque includes several fields that must be filled in correctly.

Other than the spelling, the process of writing out a Canadian bank "cheque" is very similar to the process of writing a U.S. bank "check." Along with the pre-printed information on the cheque like your name and address, there are a few areas that you need to fill in correctly for the cheque to be valid.

Things You'll Need

• Bank cheque
• Pen in blue or black ink

Instructions

1. Fill in the date of the cheque in the upper right hand corner. Note that in Canada the preferred date format is the day, the month and the year (dd/mm/yyyy).

2. Write the name of the payee (person or the name of the business you're writing the cheque to) on the line labeled "Pay to the order of."

3. Fill in the amount of the cheque in numeral and decimal format next to the payee (for example, $24.30).

4. Write out the amount of the cheque on the line under the payee. Use fractions for cents. For this example, you would write "Twenty-four and 30/100." The word "dollars" will be printed on the left side of the line, so you do not need to write that.

5. Sign the cheque on the blank signature line on the lower right of the cheque.

6. Insert information about the payment on the memo line on the lower left corner of the cheque, such as "electric bill" or "auto repair," this step is optional.

References

• Royal Bank of Canada: Welcome to Canada
• University of Ottawa: Spelling