Some banks will accept a current address hand-written onto a check with an old address, but contact your bank first to make sure this is acceptable. [1] X Research source
Failing to verify funds before writing a check has serious consequences. First of all, your payees won’t get the money you intended for them. Second, your bank and the payees’ bank will charge you an insufficient funds fee for bouncing the check. Such fees can be high, so it’s always worth it to double-check your account before committing yourself. [2] X Research source
Some ball point pens deliver ink in such a way that it smudges easily, which can obscure important information on the check and, if it smudges to the point of illegibility, even cause the check to get rejected. You can avoid unwanted smudging by making sure that you select a pen and ink that doesn’t bleed easily. Never use a pencil to write a check. It can be easily altered to reflect an amount or payee which is different from your original intention. [4] X Research source
While most financial institutions will accept and cash checks if a payee’s name is misspelled, you shouldn’t bank on this likelihood. [5] X Research source Avoid any potential delays or confusion by double-checking your payees’ information beforehand.
Most banks will refuse to cash or deposit a check that is more than six months old, so make sure your payees know to use the check as soon as possible. [6] X Research source
Use “and” if you want both individuals to sign the check. Alternately, use a plus sign or comma in place of “and. ” Choosing this option means that neither party can do anything with the check unless they have express consent and cooperation from the other payee, so it’s a good idea to use this option if you aren’t very familiar with the payees’ relationship or whether or not they have a joint account. [7] X Research source Use “or” if you want only one of the parties to endorse the check. This means that either payee can cash or deposit the check with only their own endorsement. This is a good option if you know your payees very well and can be sure neither party would use the check without the other’s knowledge. In this case, it makes the process more convenient for the payees, since either of them can deposit or cash the check at any time. [8] X Research source Be aware that, even if you decide to use “or” to link the payees’ names, the bank might use their discretion to require both parties to sign in any case. This policy varies from bank to bank and is designed to protect both bank and customer from fraudulent activity. [9] X Research source
For example, if paying two individuals with different last names, write “John Doe and/or Jane Smith. ”[10] X Research source Find out if the two payees have the same surname. If so, you won’t need to repeat the last name on the “Payable To” line. For example, if paying a married couple, address the couple as “Mr. and Mrs. John Doe” instead of “Jane Doe and John Doe. ” If the couple is married but keeping distinct last names, or if the two payees are linked by business purposes, you will need to enter both their full names.
If you write a lot of checks, you should keep a memo or other notation system which describes the purpose or purchase of each check.
