How to Write Cents on a Check

Last Updated on January 3, 2022 by Patrick Todd

Do you know how to write cents on a check? If you don’t, you’re not alone. A lot of times, it is the simplest things that are overlooked and we get wrong. Don’t worry, Nothing Common About Cents has you covered. Today we are going to show you how to write cents on a check, so you know you’re writing them correctly.

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The Lost Art of Writing Dollars and Cents on a Check

In this digital age, not as many people are writing checks as they use to. A couple of decades ago, the only way to make payments was cash or personal checks. Nearly every payment was made by mailing the merchant or service provider a check.

Today, most people are paying bills online or having bills paid through direct payment. It’s quick and easy, and usually automated. Paying bills is one more thing that technology has made more efficient. Venmo, Zelle, and Paypal have made payments even easier with their mobile app payment systems.

Every now and then you will find a company that bills you and you can’t pay by credit card through mail or online. This recently happened to me with a doctor. They wanted me to drive 45 miles to come into the office to use a credit card or cash, or I could mail them a check.

It had honestly been so long since I wrote a check I wasn’t sure where my checkbook was. It took me at least a half hour to find it. Nonetheless, once I found it I had to reference other checks I had previously written to make sure I was getting it write.

Step by step guide to writing a check with dollars and cents

Step 1 — Fill out the dollars and cents in the amount box

The first step of completing a check is to fill in the box to the right of the dollar sign.

In this box, you will numerically write the full amount the check will be for — see the figure below.

Start writing the numbers to the right of the dollar sign (“$”). In the case, “119.24”. Make sure to include the decimal point when writing the cents.

The cents can also be written as a fraction, like “24/100”. Either way is correct, the first way is easier and faster and more common.

Step 2 — Using words, write out the full dollar amount

The next step is to write out the dollar amount in words. This is the total amount you will be paying the person or business and will match what you wrote in the box. In the case of our example, you would write “one hundred nineteen.”

Because the example includes 24 cents, we need to add them to the line as well. Therefore, after “one hundred nineteen, we need to add “ and 24/100.” The “and” is very important, so make sure you include it.

For your protection, strike out or put a line from the end of your xx/100 all the way to the word dollars! You want to make sure unscrupulous people cannot change the amount you wrote on the check and alter it to a new amount.

In this example, we’ve just dashed out the rest of the line.

Step 3 — Fill in the date

This part is easy. The date can be written as Month Day, Year, as in the example below. Or you can write the date as two digit month, two digit day, four digit year: MM/DD/YYYY or 01/03/2022.

Pretty straight forward.

Step 4 — What business or person are you paying

The next step in the check writing process is to complete the Pay to the Order of line. Here you write the name of the business or person you will be paying with your check.

In our example, we are paying Doctor Jenny Smith, so we write her name on the line. The example has “Doctor” written out but it would also be correct to abbreviate it as “Dr.”

Other examples might be:

Dave’s Automotive Repair

Phoenix Book and Music

Landscape Artists

Step 5 — Memo information

Step 5 in how to write cents on a check is to complete the memo section of the check. In our example check, the memo area is titled “For” but “Memo” is much more common.

On this line you will write a short line of detailing the service or product you are paying for with your check.

The example shows doctor visit.

If there is an account number associated with the service you are paying for, be sure to include that here.

An example would be:

For electrical service, account # 12456

Be detailed but you don’t need to write a paragraph either.
Completing the memo section is very helpful when you go back to reconcile your accounts and don’t remember what you purchased.

It is also helpful to the person you our writing the check for, so be sure to take the couple of seconds required and fill it out.

Step 6 — Endorsing the check

The final step in the check writing process is to endorse the check. I always save this for last for several reasons, notable, the check is a worthless piece of paper until you endorse it.

After the check is endorsed, it is worth the amount you wrote on the check.

Make sure your signature is consistent across all your important documents so it matches if you are trying to cash a check written to you. But be creative so your signature is not easy to copy and forge.

It’s important you are actively taking steps to prevent fraud and theft with little things like your signature.

How to void a check

Okay, you’ve crafted a perfect check, endorsed it and now something happened and you need to void it.

Or you’ve made a mistake in writing your check and only noticed it once you’ve endorsed it.

What do you do?

No problem, it’s easy. Simply write the word “VOID” in large capital letters covering each area of the check. Problem solved.

Another time you might use a voided check would be to enroll in direct deposit. Honestly, I am not sure how relevant this is but in the past when starting direct deposit some employers would ask for a voided check.

In this case, you would just tear out the signature line and write “VOID” across the check like below.

Congratulations, you now know how to write cents on a check. Further, you know how to void a check if there are errors on it or if there is some other reason you need to void the check.

Where to order checks

If its been a while since you last ordered checks, and you are not sure where to order them, below are a few places where you can order new checks:

If you’ve made it this far you are well versed in how to write cents on a check, how to void a check and where you can buy more checks. We thank you for reading this blog and hoped you learned something today.

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All the best in 2022!

Originally published at https://nothingcommonaboutcents.com on January 3, 2022.