How to Write a Check: Amounts in Words, Rules and FAQs

Jane Doe
123 Main Street
Henderson, NV 89052

8 1042

1 Date November 3, 2026

Pay to the order of2 Acme Plumbing LLC3 $ 600.00

4 Six hundred and 00/100 Dollars

First Example Bank

5 Memo Invoice 22916Jane Doe

7 ⑆000000000⑆ 0000000000⑈ 1042

How to write a check, step by step

1. Date. Write today’s date on the date line, for example November 3, 2026.
2. Payee. On the “Pay to the order of” line, write the full name of the person or business you are paying, exactly as they use it.
3. Amount in numbers. In the box, write the amount with cents, for example 600.00. Start close to the dollar sign so no digit can be added in front.
4. Amount in words. On the line below the payee, start at the far left and write the dollars in words, then “and”, then the cents over 100: “Six hundred and 00/100”. Draw a line through the rest of the space.
5. Memo. Optional. Add an invoice or account number so the payee can match the payment.
6. Signature. Sign on the line at the bottom right, the way you signed when you opened the account.

The numbers along the bottom (7) are the MICR line: your bank’s routing number, your account number and the check number. Item 8 is the check number, which also appears in the MICR line. You never write in that area.

How to write common amounts on a check

Use “and” only once, between the dollars and the cents. Hyphenate numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.

Amount box	Amount line
$100.00	One hundred and 00/100
$150.00	One hundred fifty and 00/100
$200.00	Two hundred and 00/100
$250.00	Two hundred fifty and 00/100
$300.00	Three hundred and 00/100
$350.00	Three hundred fifty and 00/100
$400.00	Four hundred and 00/100
$500.00	Five hundred and 00/100
$600.00	Six hundred and 00/100
$700.00	Seven hundred and 00/100
$750.00	Seven hundred fifty and 00/100
$800.00	Eight hundred and 00/100
$900.00	Nine hundred and 00/100
$1,000.00	One thousand and 00/100
$1,200.00	One thousand two hundred and 00/100
$1,500.00	One thousand five hundred and 00/100
$1,800.00	One thousand eight hundred and 00/100
$2,000.00	Two thousand and 00/100
$2,500.00	Two thousand five hundred and 00/100
$3,000.00	Three thousand and 00/100
$3,500.00	Three thousand five hundred and 00/100
$4,700.00	Four thousand seven hundred and 00/100
$5,000.00	Five thousand and 00/100
$10,000.00	Ten thousand and 00/100
$600.50	Six hundred and 50/100
$1,234.56	One thousand two hundred thirty-four and 56/100

Rules for writing the amount

• Write cents every time. Use 00/100 when there are none, so nothing can be added.
• Fill the line. Start at the far left and draw a line through any space after the words.
• Match the box and the words. If they differ, the words win under the Uniform Commercial Code.^[1] Your bank may still hold or return the check, so void it and write a new one.
• Use a pen with permanent ink. Not pencil, erasable pen or marker. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service recommends indelible black ink, which makes checks harder to wash and rewrite.^[13] For more ways to protect your checks, see how to prevent check fraud.
• Do not erase or cross out. If you make a mistake, write VOID across the check, record it, and start a new one.

Check writing questions

The basics

Do you have to write a check in cursive?

No. No law requires cursive, and printing is often easier to read. What matters is that the payee and amount are clear and written in ink. Your signature can be in any style: the Uniform Commercial Code treats any name, word or mark you use to sign as a signature.^[3]

Can you write a check in pencil, marker or erasable pen?

No law says a check must be written in pen, but pencil and erasable pens are a bad idea: anyone who handles the check can rub out the payee or amount and write in their own. If carelessness like that makes an alteration easier, the Uniform Commercial Code can put the loss on you instead of the bank.^[2]

Markers are not much better. Washable and felt-tip markers can bleed or smear, and a thick tip makes the amount box hard to read. Use a pen with permanent ink. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service recommends indelible black ink because it is harder to wash off.^[13]

Do you have to write cents on a check?

Yes. Write cents in both places, 600.00 in the box and 00/100 on the line, even when there are none. It shows the amount is complete.

How do you write $4,700 or $3,500 on a check?

For $4,700, write 4,700.00 in the box and “Four thousand seven hundred and 00/100” on the line. For $3,500, write 3,500.00 and “Three thousand five hundred and 00/100”. Use the tool above for any other amount.

What if I misspell a word, like “forty”, on a check?

A small spelling mistake does not usually stop a check from being paid when the amount is clear. The correct spelling is “forty”, not “fourty”. If the mistake could change the amount, void the check and write a new one.

How large of a check can you write?

There is no legal maximum. The practical limits are the money in your account and your bank’s own rules. The person depositing a large check may wait longer for the money: under Regulation CC, banks may place longer holds on check deposits over $6,725 in a day (12 CFR 229.13).^[10][12]

Signing and security

Who signs the back of a check?

The payee, the person or business the check is made out to, signs the back to endorse it before depositing or cashing it. Writing “For deposit only” above the signature is a restrictive endorsement that limits the check to being deposited.^[4]

Is it legal to write a check to yourself?

Yes. Write your own name as the payee to move money between your accounts or to withdraw cash, and make sure the account has enough money to cover it.

Is it safe to sign a blank check?

No. A signed check with no payee or amount can be filled in by anyone who gets it. Signing someone else’s check without their permission is forgery.

Does the signature on a check have to be legible?

No. It should match the way you usually sign and the signature your bank has on file, so the bank can compare them if it needs to.

Depositing, timing and problems

How quickly do checks clear?

Federal Regulation CC sets the longest a bank may hold your check deposit:

• Next business day: the first $275 of a day’s check deposits. Cashier’s, certified and teller’s checks, government checks and checks drawn on your own bank are also next-day when they meet the rule’s conditions, such as being deposited in person (12 CFR 229.10).^[8][12]
• Second business day: most other checks (12 CFR 229.12).^[9] The rule still has a five-day limit for “nonlocal” checks, but the Federal Reserve has had one national check processing region since 2010, so in practice no checks are nonlocal.^[11]
• Longer holds are allowed for deposits over $6,725 in a day, accounts open less than 30 days, redeposited checks, accounts overdrawn repeatedly, and checks the bank has reasonable cause to doubt (12 CFR 229.13).^[10][12]

These are maximums. Many banks make money available sooner, and your bank’s funds availability policy has its exact times. The $275 and $6,725 amounts took effect July 1, 2025.^[12]

Do personal checks expire?

A bank does not have to pay a check presented more than six months after its date, though it may still pay one in good faith.^[7] If you hold an old check, ask the writer for a new one.

Can I postdate a check?

You can write a future date, but your bank may pay the check as soon as it arrives unless you have told the bank about that check.^[5] Do not rely on the date to delay payment.

How do I stop payment on a check?

Ask your bank before the check is paid. A stop-payment order lasts six months and can be renewed, but one you give by phone lapses after 14 days unless you confirm it in writing.^[6] Banks usually charge a fee.

Where can I cash a large check without a bank account?

Try the bank the check is drawn on, shown on the check. Many banks cash their own customers’ checks for non-customers with ID, sometimes for a fee, and some limit the amount. Check cashing stores also charge fees. For large amounts, opening an account is usually cheaper and safer.

Writing checks for a business

Choosing a check type first? See business checks vs. personal checks.

If your business writes many checks, check printing software fills in the date, payee, amount in numbers and amount in words for you, and prints the MICR line on blank check stock. MultiCHAX 11 prints checks from QuickBooks, Quicken and other accounting software, or you can write a check in the app. See MultiCHAX 11 pricing.

“The amount in words is the one spot on a check where your handwriting outranks your math. If the words and the numbers disagree, the bank goes with the words.”

Neil Bada, CHAX

Sources

1. Uniform Commercial Code § 3-114, contradictory terms of an instrument, Cornell Law School LII
2. Uniform Commercial Code § 3-406, negligence contributing to a forged signature or alteration, Cornell Law School LII
3. Uniform Commercial Code § 3-401, signature, Cornell Law School LII
4. Uniform Commercial Code § 3-206, restrictive endorsement, Cornell Law School LII
5. Uniform Commercial Code § 4-401, when a bank may charge a customer’s account (postdated checks), Cornell Law School LII
6. Uniform Commercial Code § 4-403, stop-payment orders, Cornell Law School LII
7. Uniform Commercial Code § 4-404, checks more than six months old, Cornell Law School LII
8. 12 CFR 229.10, next-day availability (Regulation CC), Cornell Law School LII
9. 12 CFR 229.12, availability schedule for other checks (Regulation CC), Cornell Law School LII
10. 12 CFR 229.13, exceptions that allow longer holds (Regulation CC), Cornell Law School LII
11. Federal Reserve Board, Regulation CC interim final rule, Federal Register, Mar. 25, 2011 (one national check processing region)
12. Federal Reserve Board, Regulation CC final rule adjusting dollar amounts, effective July 1, 2025
13. U.S. Postal Inspection Service, “Check Washing”

Last reviewed November 2026. This article is general information, not legal or banking advice. Your bank’s agreement and your state’s laws may add rules.