How to Fill Out a Check with Dollars and Cents

The little things can hurt you sometimes. Even though you may be accustomed with checks, you always have trouble writing out the amount. Writing a check with cents is particularly challenging, but with with practice, you'll soon be able to do it automatically.

Sample Check With Dollars and Cents

Check example. For a detailed explanation, see below. Pitchard, Justin Consider the situation where you need to write a check for $8.15 (i.e., $8.15). Two steps are involved:

Write the amount using numbers (see the red number one in the picture above).
Write the amount using words (see the red number two in the image above).

First, enter the amount in numeric form in the dollar box, which is adjacent to the dollar symbol ($) on the right side of your check. Start by entering the amount in dollars (8), then a period or decimal point ("."), and finally the amount in cents (15). The dollar box will eventually contain "8.15". Scroll down for additional illustrations and test questions.

The following two stages are comparable to writing out the check's amount in words:

Write out the dollar amount.
Write the word “and.”
Write out the number of cents.

Putting the cents amount in fractional form is the challenging step. To do this, first write the amount in cents, then a slash ("/"), and then the number 100. In a technical sense, this is a fraction of a dollar.

Write the following using our $8.15 example:

“Eight dollars”
“and”
“15/100”

"Eight dollars and 15/100" should be written on a single line as a single paragraph. See a step-by-step tutorial using the same amount for a thorough demonstration of how to write a check. Now that you understand the fundamental concept, let's take a closer look at the example. No “cents”: You'll see that the word "cents" isn't used once; this is because writing checks doesn't require it. Simply entering the quantity of cents into the aforementioned format will do. Although you can write "fifteen cents" if you like, it is simpler and faster to use the fraction format. It wouldn't make sense because your check most likely has the term "Dollars" at the end of the line. The word “and”: Just before you write the amount in cents on the cheque, add the word "and" (or just after you write out the full dollar amount). You are making a check for exact change. If you'd prefer, you can substitute the plus sign ("+") or ampersand ("&"). When writing out the sum, it is better to exclude the term "and" elsewhere. For instance, the sentence "One hundred and five dollars" is improper and the word "and" needs to be deleted.

Percentages

Thinking in terms of percentages might be helpful: The Latin root of the word "percent" roughly translates to "per 100" in English. Because each cent is one percent of a dollar, it is why they are named "cents." A different perspective is to think of each cent as being one hundredth of a dollar. When writing a check, you must include both whole and fractional dollars—or cents—as well as how many total dollars the check is for.

More Examples

Exam time! To make the idea more clear, try a few more. Try a few different cash sums to help the idea stick and the habit take root. Example: write a check for $10.99.

10.99
Ten and 99/100

Example: Write eleven dollars and five cents on a check.

11.05
Eleven and 5/100

Example: Write a check for five dollars.

5.00. Note the double zero—you should always have two digits to the right of the decimal.
Five and 00/100. Here, you can use one or two zeros, but two would be safer.

Example: Write a seventy-five-cent check.

0.75
Zero dollars and 75/100

The last example was for less than a dollar, as you may have observed. To write a check for less than a complete dollar, use a zero to signal that there aren’t any dollars. Then, as in all the other examples, include the number of cents. If you'd rather, you may put "No bucks and...." instead. It can be confusing to use the $5 example. When there is no alternative number to use, simply write a zero (or double zero). That number might alternatively be written out as "Five bucks only," which is acceptable.

How to Write Fewer Checks

There are quicker and frequently free alternatives to make payments. Do you wish to make your life more simpler? Reduce your check usage or, at the very least, have your bank write your checks. Online bill payment enables you to schedule automatic payments or pay whenever you want. If electronic payment is feasible, your bank will do so; otherwise, a check will be printed and mailed. With most checking accounts, this service is often free, and you can use it to send payments to both businesses and people. Merchants and online shops both accept debit cards. Your debit card draws money from your checking account similarly to a cheque. To lessen the possibility of mistakes and fraud impacting your bank account, it can be wiser to utilize credit cards for regular purchases. Peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services make it easy and frequently free to send money to loved ones. These services electronically withdraw funds from your checking account, so you will always have a record of every transaction.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What happens if a cheque has two different amounts on it?

The bank will use the written words rather than the figures if the amounts on the two lines of your check are different. To make sure that your check doesn't clear for a different amount than you anticipated, double check the quantities to make sure they match.

How should a voided check be written?

To set up direct deposit for your paychecks, you might need to give your employer a voided check. Simply write "VOID" on the face of the cheque to do that. Make sure it reads properly and covers the check's lines, but don't cover the bottom of the check's written digits. These are necessary for your employer to link to your bank account.

How do you make a cashier's check?

Make the check payable to "Cash" rather than a person or other entity if you wish to withdraw cash directly from the bank teller. On the payee line, just type "Cash," and then fill in the desired amount in the two places where you would normally write the amount. The cheque must be signed both front and back in order to be cashed. But making the check payable to yourself would be a more secure move.