How to write a check with cents (and amounts under a dollar)

How do you write cents on a check?

Cents always go on the written line as a fraction with 100 underneath. The number of cents sits on top: 5 cents is 05/100, 50 cents is 50/100 and 99 cents is 99/100. The word and stands in for the decimal point, so it appears once, right before the fraction.

The numeric box uses ordinary digits with a decimal point. Write the dollars right against the printed dollar sign, then the decimal point, then two digits of cents. Some checks print a small line or a raised space for cents; if yours does, write the cents there in smaller digits.

Why write cents as a fraction instead of in words?

You can write Twelve dollars and five cents, and a bank will understand it. The fraction is the convention because it is short, it is hard to alter, and it leaves little blank space on the line. Writing cents in words also tempts people to squeeze the words in, leaving gaps before the line ends.

The written line matters more than the numbers. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, when a check has contradictory terms, words prevail over numbers. A clear written line with a tidy fraction protects the amount you meant to pay.

Should you hyphenate numbers like forty five on a check?

Standard English spelling hyphenates compound numbers from twenty one to ninety nine, so a style guide would join Forty and five with a hyphen in the $45.60 example. Many people write it as two words. The hyphen is a spelling convention; it does not change the amount, and the check reads the same either way.

What matters more is that the words are legible and start at the far left of the line. Choose one habit and use it consistently so your own checks look uniform, which makes an altered one easier to spot.

How do you write a check for less than a dollar?

Checks under a dollar are rare, but refunds and small balance payments produce them. The goal is to make it obvious that there are no dollars. Common forms for 75 cents:

Any of these is clear. Draw a line through the rest of the written line after the fraction so nothing can be added in front of it. Put the zero before the decimal point in the box; a bare .75 is easier to alter into 9.75.

How do you write a check with no cents?

Write 00/100 after the dollar amount on the written line and .00 in the numeric box. For $500, write 500.00 in the box and Five hundred and 00/100 on the line. Some people write no/100, which is equally clear.

Never leave the cents blank. An empty space after the dollars is exactly where someone could add a fraction or more words, and an empty space after the decimal point in the box invites extra digits.

What are the most common mistakes with cents?

• Writing and twice, as in One thousand and two hundred and 50/100
• Using and for the dollars and writing no fraction, as in Twelve and five
• Writing a single digit fraction such as 5/100, which is less clear than 05/100
• Leaving the fraction off because the amount is round
• Writing a numeric amount with no decimal point, such as 1250 50
• Putting the cents fraction in the numeric box instead of on the written line

Before signing, read both amounts aloud. If they do not say the same thing, void the check and start over. Our guide on how to void a check covers how to mark and record it.

How do you write large amounts with cents?

Large amounts follow the same pattern: thousands, then hundreds, then tens and ones, then and, then the fraction. Use commas in the numeric box to separate thousands. Leave out the word and inside the dollar words; use it only before the cents.

For $24,315.07, write 24,315.07 in the box and Twenty four thousand three hundred fifteen and 07/100 on the line. If the words run long, write smaller rather than continuing below the line. Business checks often have a longer written line for this reason, and laser checks printed from software fill in the words automatically, which removes spelling errors on payroll and vendor runs.

Amounts between 1,100 and 9,999 can also be written in hundreds, the way people say them aloud. For $1,250.50, Twelve hundred fifty and 50/100 is just as valid as One thousand two hundred fifty and 50/100. Pick whichever fits the line without crowding, and keep the fraction at the end either way.

What else should you check before handing over the check?

Cents are one field of six. Confirm the date, the payee's exact name, both amounts, the memo and your signature. Use a pigmented gel pen and leave no gaps. Then record the exact amount, cents included, in your register so the balance stays right to the penny. Our step by step guide on how to write a check shows every field in order, and our guide to balancing a checkbook shows how a single transposed cent can throw off a reconciliation. For example, if the check says 1,250.50 but you record 1,250.05, your register will be 45 cents higher than the bank at month end, and the gap will look like a missing transaction until you find it.

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