Even though technological improvements have made online payments via bank accounts possibly the most common payment option in the contemporary world, many individuals still prefer to use checks. However, you cannot write a check in any way.
A check must be written with great care since any mistakes might cause it to bounce. This article will cover all there is to know about checks. We will answer your questions about them and show you how to write a check that is simple to process and will not be refused.
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Check Filling Procedures
Many people nowadays send or receive money online as a salary, faxless payday advances, or authorized loans, but it may still be required to pay by check on occasion. Banks and third-party printers may be used to order checks. Here are the stages to completing one.
1. Enter the Date
On the top right-hand corner, write the current date. This information informs the financial institution and the receiver of the date and time you wrote it. The date may be expressed in lengthy form or as a series of integers. For example, 6/14/2022 or June 14, 2022, might both work.
2. Fill in the Payee’s Name
On the line labeled “Pay To The Order Of,” provide the entire legal name of the person or entity receiving the cheque. Avoid using nicknames since they may cause problems for the payee if the legal name on their driver’s license or corporate organization does not precisely match the name listed on the cheque.
3. Enter the Sum in Numerical Form
Fill in the amount you wish to pay in numbers (dollars and cents) in the little box to the right of the recipient’s name.
Make sure you input the monetary amount exactly, down to the cent.
When writing a check, make sure you have enough money in your bank account to cover the payment. Bounced checks are not only humiliating; they also result in an NSF (insufficient funds) fee that your bank will deduct from your account.
Writing a huge NSF check is criminal in various instances.
4. Write the Total in Words
There is an area to put the amount being sent just below the recipient’s name. This is to eliminate any questions if the numbers you wrote before were not quite clear.
After putting the amount in letters, you must draw a line or conclude the phrase by writing out whichever money you are sending (i.e., dollars). This prevents anybody from adding extra text to this area. Whether you are having problems with this section, you may write a sample check and verify with your bank to see if you filled out the check correctly.
5. Write a memo
The check’s note area is optional, but it’s a good idea to fill it out since it may serve as a reminder of why the check was written.
For example, if you’re writing a check to pay for a haircut, you may write “haircut.” If you’re paying a bill, insert your account number in the note line.
A corporation may request that you provide your account number or invoice number in this part to guarantee that the payment is applied to the right account.
6. Sign the check
The last — and maybe most critical — step is to sign the cheque.
A check that has not been signed is void and cannot be cashed. So, once you complete, don’t forget to write your name on the signature line (which is usually in the bottom right corner of many checks).
Routing, Account, and Check Numbers
The numerals that go across the bottom of the check stand for the following:
- Transit routing number. The first number sequence is the route transit number of your banking institution. This code identifies your bank, enabling the check to be sent to the proper processing location.
- Account number. The second set of digits is your account number. When you opened the checking account, the bank allocated it to you.
- Check number. The check number is the final number sequence. It’s also at the top of the check, just below the date. It allows you to trace the payment later if necessary.
What Are the Advantages of Writing a Check?
According to Statista, in 2018, the United States was the most likely to write a check during a transaction, with 56 percent of respondents doing so within one month. British respondents were the least likely to write a check, with fewer than one-third having done so in that time period.
As we can see, checks are still relevant, which means they have a number of advantages.
There Are No Extra Costs
Did you realize that many businesses that accept electronic payments levy a convenience fee for each transaction? The sum of each transaction may seem little, but the total may quickly add up. Checks do not include a convenience fee, so you may save every dime.
The Secure Method of Saving Money
Carrying big sums of money is risky since they may be stolen or destroyed in transit. What’s to stop someone from squandering your money if they get their hands on it? Checks, on the other hand, are a secure means to transfer money from one bank account to another. If you stole your cheque, a stranger would have a difficult time cashing it.
This is because banks need depositors to leave a signature and produce ID to authenticate their deposits.
It Saves Time
Checks are not required to be cashed on the day specified on the paper. Three months later, you may cash a check and it will still be valid. This creates a potential for the account holder and the beneficiary to transact in the future, even if they are not physically near to each other. The receiver may come into the bank and cash the cheque at their leisure.
Conclusion
In this post, we hope to have addressed all of your questions on how to write a check. Remember that practice makes perfect. There are always subtle methods to customize your check writing procedure. When writing the recipient’s name, some individuals use full capitals, while others use sentence caps.
Filling out a check isn’t as difficult as many make it out to be; all you have to do is make sure your writing is legible and that you know what a filled-in check should look like.
Read also: How to Check Your Bank Balance Online