Although credit cards, cash, and digital payments are now the norm, paper bank checks still have advantages.
According to John Cabell, J.D. Power’s director of banking and payments intelligence, “The buyer has better control over when money will be taken out of their account, can securely direct payment to a particular seller, and can make sure that everyone involved in the transaction, including the bank, has a record of the transaction. Due to these benefits, checks are especially beneficial for mail-order transactions, expensive purchases, or purchases where the buyer wants to reduce the risk of fraud.”
Checks are frequently another acceptable form of payment for businesses and service providers. Do you intend to make a future purchase using a check? The sections of a check, how to write a check, how to write a checkbook, and further advice are all covered in this article.
Before writing a check, it’s important to understand the unique fields a check contains and which ones you’ll be responsible for.
On the front of the check, you’ll find the following:
The dateline: This is where you’ll write the date on which you’re issuing the check. Make sure to include the year.
Payee: This field begins with “Pay to the order of” and is where you’ll write the name of the check’s recipient.
Written amount: This is a blank box on the right side of the check. You’ll put the check’s amount in numerals here.
Legal amount: This is a blank line followed by “dollars” and is where you’ll write out the check’s amount in words.
Memo line: Located in the bottom left corner of the check, this is a blank line preceded by “For.” This area is optional and is where you can write the purpose of your check.
Signature line: Located at the bottom right of the check, this is where you’ll sign your name and approve the payment.
Then there’s the back of the check where you’ll find:
The endorsement line: This is used by the check’s recipient when they deposit it into their bank account.
