Check writing is a dying art, but it’s not in the grave just yet. Not everyone accepts debit or credit cards, and while there are dozens of online payment platforms, they’re useless if the person you want to pay doesn’t use them.
Sometimes only a check will do, and when you find yourself in such a situation, it helps to know the proper way to fill one out.
When writing a check, you’re filling out a small form, with each line labeled so you know exactly what to put where.
Yet there is one finicky aspect when it comes to writing out the amount, and that’s what I want to help you with here. Just how do you write a check in an amount with no cents?
The Anatomy of a Check
To answer your question, I will briefly explain how to fill out each line of the check correctly.
If you’re a check-writing pro who is only looking for clarification on how to make out a check without cents, you can skip to Line 4.
For those of you who are less confident in this area, don’t worry, you’ll know everything you need to by the end of this article.
Line 1: Date
This line will appear near the upper-right corner of the check. Write the date using the “month, day, year” format. You can use a numerical style (12/31/2020) or write out the month (December 31, 2020), either method is fine.
Line 2: Pay To The Order Of
Here is where you write the name of the person or company to whom you are making the payment. If you’re paying John Smith, then you would write “John Smith————” on this line. If you’re donating to Red Cross, write “Red Cross———-“.
Are you wondering what those dashes are for? Follow the name with a long line that crosses out any remaining space, so that nothing can be added by anyone else when you’re done.
Line 3: $ Box
At the end of the “Pay to the order of” line, you’ll find a dollar sign followed by a blank box or line. This is where you write out the amount of the check numerically.
Use the standard format: dollar amount, followed by a decimal, followed by the cents amount. For example: “10.00—” for ten dollars and no cents, “50.00—” for fifty dollars even, and so on. Note that because the dollar sign is printed on the check already, you don’t have to write it again.
Don’t Miss: Learn How to Write Dollars and Cents on a Check.
Line 4: The Dollars Line
This line is directly below the “Pay to the order of” line. Instead of having a label at the front, there is one at the end that says “Dollars”. This is where you write the payment amount again, this time using words.
The title of this article is mainly about how to write a check without cents, or lack of cents, on this line. I’ve seen it done many ways over my lifetime, and you may have too. Here are some examples:
| 10.00: Ten dollars even |
| 32.00: Thirty-two dollars and no/100 |
| 50.00: Fifty dollars and zero cents |
| 100.00: One hundred dollars and 00/100 |
| 5000.00: Five thousand dollars and xx/100 |
The truth is, it is likely that any of these methods will be accepted by the bank in the United States.
However, using the fraction is standard practice, and for amounts without cents, “no/100” seems to be considered the clearest and safest method.
While “00/100” gets the point across, those zeros can be converted into nines by criminals looking to skim an extra dollar from the unsuspecting.
IMPORTANT
In case you have a compound number like 32 (as opposed to 30), you should always place a hyphen between the two parts of the word when writing it out (thirty-two, for example).
More Examples
1. How to Write a Check for 100 Dollars?
Answer: One hundred dollars and 00/100
2. How to Write a Check for 1000 Dollars?
Answer: One thousand dollars and 00/100
3. How to Write a Check for 10000 Dollars?
Answer: Ten thousand dollars and 00/100
4. How to Write a Check for 100000 Dollars?
Answer: One hundred thousand dollars and 00/100
Line 5: Memo
Sometimes labeled as “For”, this line can be used in a variety of ways. A company may ask that you put your order number here. For your own records, you might choose to write the purpose of the check, something like “Birthday” or “March Rent”.
Banks will cash a check regardless of what is written here. In fact, you can just as safely leave it blank
Line 6: Signature
This is where you sign your name. Without your signature, it doesn’t matter what else is written on the check — it won’t be cashed. Be certain to carefully review the previous lines before you sign.
Likewise, never sign a blank check. If someone were to get their hands on it, they could fill out the rest of it for any amount they wanted. You definitely don’t want to give strangers open access to all the money in your bank account.
