A checkbook is a small booklet of pre-printed paper checks tied to your bank account, used to make payments by writing out the amount and signing your name. Each check authorizes your bank to transfer a specific sum from your account to the person or business you name on it. While digital payments have largely replaced them for everyday spending, checkbooks are still used for rent payments, certain bills, and situations where electronic transfers aren’t accepted.
What’s Inside a Checkbook
A standard checkbook comes with a set of numbered checks, typically 25 to 100 per order, bound together in a small booklet or wallet-style cover. Each check is pre-printed with your name, address, and bank account information. Most checkbooks also include a check register, which is a small lined pad for tracking your transactions by hand.
Some checkbooks come with duplicate checks, sometimes called carbon copies. These have a thin sheet behind each check that automatically creates a copy of whatever you write, giving you an instant record of the payment without needing to fill in the register separately. Checkbooks may also include a few deposit slips, which are pre-printed forms you can fill out when depositing money at your bank’s branch.
The Numbers on a Check
Every check has three sets of numbers printed along the bottom. The leftmost number is the routing number, a nine-digit code that identifies your bank. Next is your account number, which tells the bank which specific account the money should come from. The third number, on the far right, is the check number itself, which matches the number printed in the upper corner of each check. These numbers allow the recipient’s bank to process the payment and pull funds from the correct account.
You’ll also find blank lines and boxes where you write the date, the payee’s name (the person or company you’re paying), the dollar amount in both numbers and words, and your signature. Writing the amount in two places is a simple security measure that makes it harder for someone to alter the check after you’ve written it.
How a Check Register Works
The check register is your personal ledger for tracking every transaction that moves money in or out of your checking account. Each entry records the check number, the date, a description of the transaction, and the amount. You subtract payments and add deposits to keep a running balance, so you always know roughly how much is in your account.
A typical register has columns for the check number, date, description, payment amount, deposit amount, and your updated balance. There’s usually a small checkbox column on the left side where you can mark off transactions that have cleared your bank, which is helpful when you compare your register against your monthly bank statement. This process, called reconciling, helps you catch errors or unauthorized charges. Most people now track their balances through banking apps, but a paper register can still be useful if you write checks regularly and want to avoid overdrawing your account.
What Checkbooks Cost
Your bank may provide a starter set of checks when you open an account, but replacement orders cost money. Ordering directly from your bank tends to run about 40 to 66 cents per check for standard single checks, or 43 to 75 cents per check for duplicate checks that include carbon copies.
Third-party check printers are significantly cheaper. Based on Bankrate’s research, you’ll typically pay 5 to 24 cents per single check and 8 to 31 cents per duplicate check from a non-bank provider. These checks work exactly the same way since they’re printed with your bank’s routing number and your account number. Just make sure any third-party printer includes standard security features like microprinting and watermarks.
When You Still Need a Checkbook
Certain landlords and property management companies require rent payments by check. Some government offices, courts, and small businesses also prefer or require checks over card payments. You might need a check for a security deposit, a contractor who doesn’t accept digital payments, or a situation where you want a paper trail with a signed record of the transaction. Wedding and graduation gifts are another common reason people keep a few checks around.
That said, most routine payments can now be handled through online bill pay, direct bank transfers, or payment apps. Many people go years without writing a check. If you only need to send money occasionally, your bank’s online bill pay feature will often mail a physical check on your behalf at no extra cost, which eliminates the need to keep a checkbook on hand at all.
Security Risks of Paper Checks
Paper checks carry more fraud risk than most digital payment methods because they contain your bank account number, routing number, name, and address right on their face. Anyone who gets hold of a check, whether it’s stolen from your mailbox or intercepted in transit, has the information they need to attempt unauthorized withdrawals.
The most common form of check fraud starts with mail theft. Criminals steal checks from residential mailboxes or postal facilities, then use chemicals to wash the ink and rewrite the check to a different payee or for a larger amount. Digital alteration has also become more sophisticated. Fraudsters can scan a legitimate check and digitally change the payee name while keeping the signature, check number, and bank logo intact, making the forgery difficult to spot at a glance.
If a fraudulent check does clear your account, recovering the money can be slow. Banks have a very short window (midnight of the next banking day) to return a suspicious check, and most consumers don’t monitor their accounts closely enough to catch unauthorized debits that fast. After that window closes, your bank may need to pursue the claim directly with the other bank involved, a process with no guaranteed timeline. In March 2025, the federal government issued an executive order to stop using paper checks for its own payments and receipts, a move partly driven by the scale of check fraud.
If you do use checks, drop outgoing mail directly at the post office rather than leaving it in an unsecured mailbox. Store your checkbook in a secure place, and never pre-sign blank checks. Some banks offer a service called Positive Pay, which lets you register the details of each check you write so the bank can flag any check that doesn’t match your records before paying it.