To what extent have you used checks before, or are you opening a checking account for the first time? When something goes wrong with your check, knowing the various components is crucial.

What should you tell the bank, for instance, if your check goes missing in the mail and you need to have it voided?

Mailing and Account Numbers The account holder's real name, street address, city, state, and ZIP code can be found on the top left of a standard check. Some checks, however, may have a manager's or accountant's address rather than the account holder's.

There have been cases of financial institutions including a driver's license number and a place of employment or residence telephone number in this check section. The check number is located in the upper right corner. So that you can keep tabs on your check history and locate a specific check if it gets lost, the bank stamps a unique number on each one.

Dateline: How to Write a Check

This is the place on a check where the date it was reportedly written should be entered. Although the date on a check is typically the date it was written, a "post-dated" check might be issued with a date in the future. The negotiation period of the check is limited to the number of days specified in this section. The date on a check may or may not indicate the earliest possible date it can be deposited.

A post-dated check was likely done so on purpose. Asking the person who wrote the check is the best course of action. It is important to ensure the check is still young while figuring out whether or not it is still good. Keep an eye out for warnings like "Not valid after 90 days" or an issue date over six months in the past.

Pay to

The "Pay to" field can be found just below the account holder's address (on the left side of the check). The account holder's name, as well as the name of the individual or organization to which the check is being written, appears on the document. It could be someone's name, a business, or the name of a corporation. You can put your name or "Cash" here if you're writing a check to yourself at the bank.

The Sum (Written Numerically)

Input the monetary amount to be paid on the cheque here. Enter "$100.00" if the cheque amount is to be one hundred dollars. Numbers are easier to read at a glance than words (as demonstrated in #5). The bank will use the written amount if there is a mismatch between the written and numeric amounts.

Owning precious metals stored in a vault directly, You can buy, trade, and redeem at any time of day or night, and your funds are always safe from theft or loss. Number Five: The Amount (Written Out In Words)

The words "one hundred" need to be spelled out in full if the check is for $100. Common practice dictates including a lengthy hyphen after the final word to prevent tampering with the amount by adding a decimal point or other decimal separator, such as "fifty," to make the sum "one hundred fifty" dollars.

The check's official amount is the amount you write in words. This amount, together with the issuer's handwritten note, is likely the total he had in mind.

Note to Self

The check's "Memo" area, located below the bank's address, allows the issuer to include a brief description of the payment's purpose. This will come in very handy for your documentation needs. If you paid the plumber who fixed your sink with a personal check, you might fill out the memo line: "Plumber's charge - September."

The Final Touch This will include the check issuer's official signature. If you are the recipient of a check and notice that the signature line is blank, you may have difficulty cashing the check, and your bank may assess additional fees if the check bounces. If something is wrong with the check that was issued to you, you need to return it to the issuing bank immediately.

This first instalment will cover the basics of creating a check. Eighth, the ABA Routing Number To be precise, this is the bank's official ABA (American Bankers Association) routing number, which serves as its unique identifier within the United States banking system.

To make it possible for a computer with a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) application to read and process these numbers, magnetic ink is used for printing. Although this method of processing checks dates back several decades, it is still widely used.

Bank Account Number for Payments The account number listed here is the one from which the money to cash the check will be withdrawn. The bank will find this information useful, but it isn't particularly important to you as the check's payee.