Writing a check requires filling in six fields: the date, the payee name, the numerical amount, the written-out amount, a memo (optional but helpful), and your signature. Get all six right and the check clears without issues. Here’s exactly how to do it, field by field.
The Six Fields on Every Check
A standard personal check has blank spaces you need to complete before handing it over. Starting from the top right and working your way across, here’s what each one does and how to fill it in.
Date line (top right): Write today’s date in month/day/year format. This timestamps the check. You can postdate a check (write a future date), but many banks will still process it if the recipient deposits it early, so don’t rely on postdating to control when money leaves your account.
Payee line (“Pay to the order of”): Write the full name of the person or organization you’re paying. If you’re paying a business, use its official name, not a nickname. For a person, use their full legal name so they won’t have trouble depositing it. Write the name in large, clear print that fills the line so no one can squeeze in extra text.
Dollar box (small box with “$”): Write the check amount in numbers. For $1,250.00, write “1,250.00” inside the box. Always include the cents, even for round amounts. Writing “1,250.00” instead of “1,250” leaves less room for someone to tamper with the figure.
Written amount line (below the payee line): Spell out the same dollar amount in words. This is the legal amount of the check. If the written amount and the numerical amount disagree, the bank typically honors the written version. For $130.45, write “One hundred thirty and 45/100.” Always express cents as a fraction over 100. For a round number like $5,250.00, write “Five thousand two hundred fifty and 00/100.” After the fraction, draw a line through any remaining blank space on the line so no one can add words after your amount.
Memo line (bottom left): This field is optional but useful. Write a note about what the payment is for, like “March rent” or an invoice number. Some billers ask you to write your account number here so they can match your payment to your account.
Signature line (bottom right): Sign the check the same way your signature appears on file at your bank. A check without a signature is invalid, and your bank can refuse to process it. Never sign a blank check before filling in the other fields.
How to Write the Dollar Amount Correctly
The written amount line trips people up more than any other field. The key rules are simple: spell out the dollar portion in words, use “and” to separate dollars from cents, then write the cents as a fraction over 100.
- $85.50: “Eighty-five and 50/100”
- $1,200.00: “One thousand two hundred and 00/100”
- $47.03: “Forty-seven and 03/100”
- $500.00: “Five hundred and 00/100”
Even when the amount is a round number with no cents, include “and 00/100” for clarity. This prevents anyone from writing in a cents amount after the fact. After you finish writing, draw a horizontal line through any empty space remaining before the word “Dollars” printed at the end of the line.
The Numbers Along the Bottom
You’ll notice three sets of numbers printed along the bottom edge of every check. You don’t write these yourself, but understanding them helps when someone asks for your routing or account number (for direct deposit setup, for instance).
The first set of numbers on the lower left is your bank’s routing number. This nine-digit code identifies your financial institution and tells other banks where to send or pull funds. The second set is your account number, which identifies your specific checking account. Sometimes the placement of the account number and the third set of numbers (the check number) is swapped. An easy way to tell them apart: the account number is the longer one. The check number is the shortest set and simply helps you track which checks you’ve used.
Protecting Yourself From Fraud
Check fraud remains common, and a few simple habits make your checks much harder to alter.
Always use black ink. Gel-based black ink is ideal because it’s harder to wash off the paper. “Check washing” is a technique where criminals use chemicals to erase the ink on a check, then rewrite it to a different payee or for a larger amount. Black gel ink resists this better than blue ballpoint.
Fill every blank space completely. If you’re writing a check for $15, a fraudster who gets hold of it could add two zeros in the dollar box to make it $1,500 and write “hundred” after “Fifteen” on the amount line. Writing in large print, filling the payee line entirely, and drawing a line through leftover space on the amount line all close these gaps.
If you order checks, choose ones printed on chemically reactive paper. If someone tries to wash the ink, the alteration will leave visible marks on the paper, making the tampering obvious to the bank.
How to Void a Check
If you make a mistake while writing a check, or if someone (like your employer or a biller) needs a voided check to set up direct deposit or automatic payments, the process is straightforward. Write the word “VOID” in large letters across the front of the check. You can write it once in big letters spanning the entire check, or write it smaller on each key field: the date line, payee line, amount line, and signature line.
Don’t write over the routing number or account number along the bottom. Those numbers are the whole reason someone needs a voided check: to identify your bank and account for electronic transfers. Record the voided check in your check register with the check number and a note explaining why you voided it, so you don’t wonder later why a check number is missing from your records. If you use duplicate checks (the kind with a carbon copy underneath), make sure “VOID” shows clearly on the copy too.
A Quick Walkthrough
Say you’re writing a check to your landlord, Alex Johnson, for $975.00 in rent on June 15, 2025. Here’s what the completed check looks like, field by field:
- Date: 06/15/2025
- Pay to the order of: Alex Johnson
- Dollar box: 975.00
- Written amount: Nine hundred seventy-five and 00/100 ————
- Memo: June rent
- Signature: Your signature
The dash after “00/100” represents the line you’d draw through the remaining space. Double-check that the numerical amount and the written amount match, confirm the payee’s name is spelled correctly, and you’re done. Tear the check along the perforation, and if you have a register or duplicate, record the check number, date, payee, and amount so you can track it when it clears your account.