To endorse a check to someone else, flip the check over, write “Pay to the order of” followed by the recipient’s full legal name, and sign your own name directly beneath that line. Before you do any of that, call the bank where the recipient plans to deposit the check. No federal law forces a bank to accept a third-party endorsed check, and many refuse them outright because the extra signature is a common fraud pattern. If the bank says yes, ask what identification the recipient will need and whether they must already have an account there.
Writing the Endorsement
The back of the check has an endorsement area running about 1.5 inches from the trailing edge, sometimes marked with lines or shading. Inside that space:
- Write Pay to the order of [Full Name]. Use the recipient’s full legal name exactly as it appears on their government-issued ID. Print it clearly.
- Sign your name directly below that line. The signature is what actually transfers your payment rights; without it, the endorsement is incomplete and the bank will reject the check.
Naming a specific person matters. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, once you identify someone by name in your endorsement, only that person can deposit or cash the check. If you skip the “Pay to the order of” line and just sign your name, you’ve created a blank endorsement, which turns the check into a bearer instrument that anyone holding it can cash.1Legal Information Institute. UCC 3-205 – Special Indorsement; Blank Indorsement; Anomalous Indorsement
Don’t write “For deposit only” above your signature either. That phrase creates a restrictive endorsement meant to route the check into your own account, and a non-bank party who tries to cash a check bearing that instruction can be held liable for conversion.2Legal Information Institute. UCC 3-206 – Restrictive Indorsement If you’ve already written those words on the back, you generally can’t undo it. You would need to ask the original issuer for a new check.
Spelling counts. If the name in your endorsement doesn’t match the recipient’s ID exactly, the teller may refuse the transaction. That includes maiden versus married names and minor misspellings.
What the Recipient Does at the Bank
After you hand over the check, the recipient signs their own name on the back, directly below your endorsement. Banks require both signatures before they’ll process the check. The recipient should bring a valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport, because the teller will compare the name on that ID to the name you wrote.3HelpWithMyBank.gov. Can the Bank Require Two Forms of Picture ID to Open an Account?
Mobile deposit almost never works for a third-party check. Most banking apps require the payee name on the front of the check to match the depositing account holder, and they can’t verify a hand-written endorsement chain remotely. Plan on an in-person branch visit.
If the Check Is Made Out to Two People
Look at how the payee line reads on the front. If the check is made out to two people joined by “and” (for example, “Pat and Chris Doe”), both payees generally need to endorse it before it can be signed over to anyone else.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Do Both My Spouse and I Have to Sign the Back of a Check Made Out to Us? If the names are joined by “or,” either payee can endorse independently.
Checks You Cannot Sign Over
Some checks carry restrictions that a special endorsement cannot get around.
U.S. Treasury and Social Security checks. Federal regulations require Treasury checks to be endorsed by the named payee or by someone with specific legal authority, such as a court-appointed fiduciary.5eCFR. 31 CFR Part 240 – Indorsement and Payment of Checks Drawn on the United States Treasury A “Pay to the order of” endorsement to a friend or family member doesn’t qualify. Social Security is stricter still: the Treasury Department does not recognize a power of attorney for negotiating Social Security or SSI payments, and anyone managing benefits for someone else must apply to become an official representative payee through the Social Security Administration.6Social Security Administration. Representative Payee Program – FAQs
IRS tax refund checks. IRS rules bar tax practitioners, power-of-attorney holders, and third-party designees from endorsing or negotiating a taxpayer’s refund check.7Internal Revenue Service. IRM 13.1.23 – Taxpayer Representation Banks also routinely refuse third-party endorsements on refund checks because of the fraud risk. If someone else needs the money, deposit the refund yourself and transfer it electronically.
You Stay on the Hook If the Check Bounces
Signing a check over doesn’t end your involvement. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, every endorser is liable to pay the face value of a dishonored check to any later holder or endorser who paid it.8Legal Information Institute. UCC 3-415 – Obligation of Indorser If the check bounces, the recipient or their bank can come after you for the full amount.
You can limit that exposure by writing “without recourse” next to your signature. Those words tell the recipient you aren’t guaranteeing the check will clear.8Legal Information Institute. UCC 3-415 – Obligation of Indorser The recipient may push back, since it shifts the risk to them. Your endorser liability is also discharged if the check isn’t presented for deposit within 30 days of your endorsement.
Deposit Promptly, and Warn About Holds
A bank isn’t required to honor a check presented more than six months after the date on the front.9Legal Information Institute. UCC 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old Some banks will still process older checks, but the older it gets, the higher the odds of rejection. Get the endorsed check to the recipient quickly, and tell them to deposit it soon.
Even when everything goes right, the recipient should expect a hold. Banks treat third-party endorsements as a fraud risk factor, which gives them grounds under Regulation CC to delay releasing funds. For 2026, at least $275 of a deposited check must be made available by the next business day, and holds can extend up to seven business days when the bank doubts the check will clear, when total check deposits on a single day exceed $6,725, or when the account has been open 30 days or fewer.10Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (Regulation CC) – Threshold Adjustments11HelpWithMyBank.gov. Are There Exceptions to the Funds Availability (Hold) Schedule? The recipient should avoid spending against those funds until the hold clears. If the check comes back unpaid, the bank will debit the deposited amount from their account whether the money is still there or not.
Gift Tax If the Amount Is Large
If you’re endorsing the check as a gift rather than to settle a debt, the IRS may treat the transfer as a taxable gift. For 2026, you can give up to $19,000 per recipient per year with no reporting requirement.12Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026 Married couples who agree to split gifts can give up to $38,000 per recipient.13Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes
If the check you’re signing over pushes you past the annual exclusion, you’re required to file IRS Form 709 (United States Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Return) for that year. Filing doesn’t necessarily mean you owe tax, since most people apply the excess against their lifetime exemption, but failing to file when required can bring penalties.