{"id":9916,"date":"2025-11-28T10:07:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T10:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/how-to-write-a-check-example-2\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T10:07:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T10:07:49","slug":"how-to-write-a-check-example-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/how-to-write-a-check-example-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Check Example"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alright, let me tell you about the first time I had to write a check. It was for my kid\u2019s school fundraiser \u2014 you know, the kind where they\u2019re selling overpriced wrapping paper that\u2019s thinner than tissue. I stood there with a pen in one hand and my checkbook in the other, sweating like I was defusing a bomb. What if I mess this up?<\/em> I thought. Spoiler: I did. But hey, that\u2019s how you learn, right?<\/p>\n

So picture this: I scribbled \u201cTwenny Dollars\u201d in the amount line because, honestly, I wasn\u2019t sure if \u201ctwenty\u201d needed a \u2018y\u2019 or an \u2018ie\u2019. (Turns out, neither \u2014 just write the numbers, Karen.) The school secretary called me later, gently asking if I could\u2026 uh\u2026 \u201cclarify\u201d my payment. Mortifying. But guess what? Now I\u2019m the go-to mom in our PTA group for check-writing advice. Life\u2019s funny that way.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve nailed down after 4 years of writing checks for everything from rent (my landlord still refuses Venmo) to my niece\u2019s Girl Scout cookies:<\/p>\n

1. Date Line:<\/strong>
\nDon\u2019t just slap down \u201c3\/4\/24\u201d like I did. Banks can be picky. Write it out: March 4, 2024<\/em>. Pro tip? Use the full month name. My cousin once wrote \u201c12\/1\u201d in June because she forgot to update her checkbook \u2014 her gym thought she\u2019d time-traveled.<\/p>\n

2. Payee Line:<\/strong>
\nThis is where you write who<\/em> gets the money. But here\u2019s the kicker: If you\u2019re paying \u201cABC Electric Co.\u201d, don\u2019t shorthand it to \u201cABC Electric\u201d. I learned this when my check to \u201cVerizon\u201d (instead of \u201cVerizon Wireless\u201d) got sent back. Cue the late fee and a very patient customer service rep named Linda who\u2019s heard it all.<\/p>\n

3. Amount Box vs. Amount Line:<\/strong>
\nThe box wants numbers: $125.75<\/em>. The line wants words: One hundred twenty-five and 75\/100<\/em>. Oh, and draw a squiggly line after the cents to fill the space \u2014 stops sneaky folks from adding digits. My husband once left room, and our handyman (bless him) jokingly wrote \u201cand a million<\/em>\u201d in pencil. We still laugh about it.<\/p>\n

4. Memo Line:<\/strong>
\nThis part\u2019s like Twitter for checks \u2014 short and sweet. \u201cJune rent\u201d or \u201c#43B\u201d works. I once wrote \u201cFor the love of coffee \u2615\u201d on a check to my local caf\u00e9. The barista circled it and framed it. Americana at its finest.<\/p>\n

5. Signature:<\/strong>
\nSeems obvious, but under stress? I\u2019ve signed checks \u201cMom\u201d or even \u201cN\/A\u201d. Yeah, don\u2019t do that. Use the name your bank knows. My friend autographed one \u201cTaylor Swift\u201d as a joke \u2014 her bank called it \u201csuspicious activity\u201d.<\/p>\n

Wait \u2014 what about security?<\/strong> Glad you asked. Always fill out the payee before<\/em> signing. I learned this after my toddler \u201chelped\u201d me by doodling on a blank check. (Chase flagged it as \u201cabstract art\u201d, apparently.)<\/p>\n

Real talk:<\/strong> Checks feel retro, like using a fax machine or buying CDs. But they\u2019re still clutch for certain things \u2014 security deposits, formal gifts, or that stubborn aunt who thinks PayPal\u2019s a scam. Just keep your checkbook somewhere safer than your junk drawer (lesson learned post-dog incident).<\/p>\n

So next time you\u2019re hovering over that check, remember: Even if you mix up \u201cforty\u201d and \u201cfourty\u201d (guilty), banks deal with worse daily. You\u2019ve got this. And if all else fails? Bake cookies for your bank teller. Works every time. \ud83c\udf6a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alright, let me tell you about the first time I had to write a check. It was for my kid\u2019s school fundraiser \u2014 you know, the kind where they\u2019re selling overpriced wrapping paper that\u2019s thinner than tissue. I stood there with a pen in one hand and my checkbook in the other, sweating like I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}