Properly Writing Dollar Amounts on Checks: A Guide

A check has two spaces where you need to include the dollar value.

Checks are an easy way to make business payments while maintaining a paper record of your transactions. But you need to ensure that your checks are properly filled out or they may not be honored by the bank. Be sure to properly write out the dollar value numerically and in words.

Numerical Value

Write out the dollar value on the long line that says "dollars" at the end. Write the dollar value numerically on the small line to the right of the "$" symbol. For example, if you are writing a check for $55.45, write "55" in this spot. To the immediate right of this spot, write the cent value of the dollar value using a fraction of 100. In this example it would be 45/100. If there is no cent value, write 00/100.

Written Numbers

Write out the dollar value on the long line that says "dollars." In this example, you would write out "fifty-five." Write out the cent value as a fraction to the immediate right of the dollar value, just as you did with the numeric value. In this case it would read "fifty-five and 45/100." Draw a wavy line between the fraction and the word "dollars" on the check to fill in the blank space.