To endorse a check, flip it over, find the short “Endorse Here” strip at one end, and sign inside it using the method that matches what you’re doing: a plain signature if you’re about to hand it to a teller, “For Deposit Only” with your account number if you’re depositing by mail, ATM, or app, or “Pay to the order of [name]” and your signature if you’re transferring it to someone else. Knowing how to endorse a check comes down to picking the right wording for the situation, because the words you add (or leave off) decide who can cash it and what the bank is allowed to do with it.
Where to Sign on the Back
Federal banking standards reserve the first 1.5 inches from the trailing edge of the check — the left side when you flip it over — as the endorsement area.1U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 4 FAM 340 – Check Handling and Control Most checks mark this zone with lines and the words “Endorse Here.” Keep every mark inside that strip. Writing outside it can collide with the processing stamps banks add later, and a check that can’t be read cleanly may be delayed or rejected.
Your signature has to match the name on the “Pay to the Order Of” line on the front. If the person who wrote the check misspelled your name, sign the misspelled version first, then sign your correct legal name directly below.2Wells Fargo. How to Endorse a Check: Everything You Need to Know The two signatures let the bank match both and confirm you’re the intended payee. Many banks also want you to write your account number under the signature so the deposit lands in the right place.
The Three Endorsement Types
How you word the endorsement decides what anyone holding the check can do with it. The Uniform Commercial Code, adopted in some form by every state, recognizes three main forms.
Blank Endorsement
A blank endorsement is just your signature, nothing added. Under UCC Section 3-205, a signature with no further instructions turns the check into a bearer instrument, meaning whoever physically holds it can negotiate it.3Legal Information Institute. UCC 3-205 – Special Indorsement; Blank Indorsement; Anomalous Indorsement That’s acceptable at the teller window with the check about to leave your hand. It’s a problem anywhere else. If the check falls out of your wallet after you’ve signed, anyone who picks it up can deposit it. Don’t use a blank endorsement until you’re ready to hand the check over.
Restrictive Endorsement
A restrictive endorsement adds instructions above your signature that limit what the bank can do. The standard version is “For Deposit Only,” your account number, then your signature. Under UCC Section 3-206, any bank that handles the check has to act consistently with those instructions, so it can’t be cashed over the counter or signed over to someone else. This is the safe default for mail-in deposits, night drops, and ATM envelopes, and it’s the version most people should use most of the time.
Special Endorsement
A special endorsement names the next person who can negotiate the check. Write “Pay to the order of [full name]” and sign below. Once you do, only that named person can cash or deposit it, and they’ll have to add their own endorsement when they do.3Legal Information Institute. UCC 3-205 – Special Indorsement; Blank Indorsement; Anomalous Indorsement
Endorsing for Mobile Deposit
Most banks now require specific wording for checks deposited through their app. The usual format is “For Mobile Deposit Only” followed by your signature; some banks also want the account number. Beyond complying with the app’s requirements, the wording matters for a reason worth knowing. Under Regulation CC, if a bank later accepts the original paper check and that check already carries a “for mobile deposit only” endorsement, that bank loses its right to make an indemnity claim for a duplicate deposit. The restrictive language is what protects you if the same check somehow gets deposited twice.
Check the exact wording your bank wants in its app or help pages. Some will reject a mobile deposit that’s missing the required language; others accept a plain signature but kick it to manual review, which slows down availability. Write the endorsement before you take the photo.
Checks Made Out to Two People
When a check lists two payees joined by “and,” both have to sign before any bank will accept it. When the names are joined by “or,” either payee can endorse and deposit alone. If the check is ambiguous and doesn’t clearly use either word, the UCC treats it as “or” and either person can handle it.4Legal Information Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 3-110 – Identification of Person to Whom Instrument is Payable
The “and” rule catches people with tax refunds, insurance settlements, and wedding checks. If the co-payee lives somewhere else, you both have to sign before either of you can deposit. Some banks will let one payee mail the endorsed check to the other; many insist both signers have accounts at the same bank. Ask yours before assuming there’s a shortcut.
Endorsing a Business Check
When a check is made out to a company, an authorized representative signs for it, and the endorsement uses three lines. Write the business name exactly as it appears on the front, sign your own name on the second line, then print your title — owner, treasurer, authorized signer — on the third.5Capital One. How to Endorse a Business Check The title shows the bank you have authority to act for the company.
Sole proprietors operating under a trade name sometimes get checks written to the business while the bank account is in the legal name. Endorse with the business name first, then your legal name underneath, the same approach as a misspelled personal check. A bank that already holds your business account will usually have your signature on file and process it without a problem.
Signing a Check Over to Someone Else
The special endorsement is how you redirect a check to another person. Write “Pay to the order of” and the recipient’s full name, then sign below. The recipient adds their own endorsement when they go to deposit it.3Legal Information Institute. UCC 3-205 – Special Indorsement; Blank Indorsement; Anomalous Indorsement
In practice, banks are wary of third-party checks because they’re a frequent vehicle for fraud. Some refuse them outright. Others accept them only if both parties show up together with ID. Expect extra scrutiny, and don’t assume the recipient’s bank will cooperate just because the endorsement is legally valid. If the amount is significant, paying by wire or sending the money directly from your account is usually easier.
One point people miss: signing a check over to someone without getting equal value in return is legally a gift. For 2026, the federal gift tax reporting threshold is $19,000 per recipient per year.6Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions on Gift Taxes Endorsing more than that to a single person in a calendar year can trigger a filing requirement on IRS Form 709, though no tax is typically owed until you’ve used up the lifetime exemption.
Checks That Are Too Old or Dated Ahead
Endorsing a check is only worth doing if the check itself is current enough to clear. A check more than six months old is considered stale-dated, and banks have no obligation to honor it, though they can choose to pay it in good faith.7Legal Information Institute. UCC 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old If you find an old check you never deposited, ask the issuer for a replacement instead of taking your chances at the teller window.
A post-dated check carries the opposite problem. The bank can legally charge the writer’s account before the date on the check unless the writer gave advance notice not to.8Legal Information Institute. UCC 4-401 – When Bank May Charge Customer’s Account If you deposit a post-dated check early, it may clear, but it may also bounce and leave you with a returned-item fee. Waiting until the date on the check is the safer move.