To write a check for $300, put 300.00 in the small box on the right side of the check and write Three hundred and 00/100 on the long line below the payee’s name. Those two entries tell your bank the amount. The date, payee, signature, and optional memo complete the check.
Filling In the Number Box
The box on the right side of the check is where the bank’s scanning equipment looks first. Write 300.00 inside it, including the decimal point and two zeros for the cents. If the box doesn’t already have a printed dollar sign, add one immediately to the left of the 3.
Start writing as close to the left edge of the box as possible. A gap before the 3 leaves room for someone to slip in a digit and turn your $300 check into $1,300 or $9,300. Tight spacing is one of the simplest fraud-prevention steps you can take, and most people skip it.
Writing Three Hundred on the Words Line
The line below the payee’s name is sometimes called the legal line, because what you write there is the legally controlling amount. Write it like this:
Three hundred and 00/100
The fraction 00/100 represents zero cents. Writing “no/100” or “xx/100” works the same way. After the fraction, draw a horizontal line from the end of your writing all the way to the printed word “Dollars” at the right edge. That line fills the empty space so nobody can squeeze in extra words to inflate the payment.
The words line carries more legal weight than the number in the box because of the Uniform Commercial Code, which every state has adopted. Under UCC Section 3-114, when words and numbers on a check conflict, the words control.1Cornell Law Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 3-114 – Contradictory Terms of Instrument If you accidentally write 300.00 in the box but spell out “Three hundred fifty” on the line, the bank follows the words and pays $350. Check that both entries match before you sign.
The Other Fields on the Check
Beyond the two amount entries, four more fields need attention:
- Date. Write the current date in the upper right corner, usually in MM/DD/YYYY format. A missing or illegible date can delay processing.
- Pay to the order of. Write the full legal name of the person or business receiving the payment. Avoid nicknames or abbreviations that might not match the payee’s bank records.
- Memo. The small line in the lower left is optional. A brief note like an invoice number or “June rent” isn’t legally binding and won’t change the terms of the check, but it helps with your own record-keeping and can serve as informal evidence of the payment’s purpose if a dispute comes up later.
- Signature. Sign on the line at the bottom right. An unsigned check is invalid and your bank will reject it.
Use a Pen That Resists Check Washing
Check washing is a fraud technique where someone steals a check from a mailbox, uses chemical solvents to dissolve the ink, and rewrites the payee name and amount. Standard ballpoint pens are especially vulnerable because their ink dissolves easily in common solvents like acetone.
Gel ink pens with pigment-based ink hold up significantly better against chemical washing. No pen makes a check completely fraud-proof, since physical scrubbing can still remove some inks, but gel pens raise the difficulty enough to deter most opportunistic thieves. If you’re mailing a $300 check, drop it at the post office counter rather than leaving it in an unsecured mailbox. That one step eliminates the most common point of theft.
Confirm Your Account Can Cover It
Before handing over a $300 check, confirm your balance can absorb it, keeping in mind any other outstanding checks or pending transactions that haven’t cleared yet. This is where people get into trouble. They check their balance, see $400, and forget about the $150 check they wrote last week that hasn’t been deposited.
If the check bounces, your bank may charge a non-sufficient funds fee. Most large banks have eliminated NSF fees in recent years, saving consumers roughly $2 billion annually, according to the CFPB.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Vast Majority of NSF Fees Have Been Eliminated, Saving Consumers Nearly $2 Billion Annually Plenty of smaller banks and credit unions still charge them, and the payee’s bank may charge a returned-deposit fee as well. Beyond the fees, the payee can come after you for the original amount plus any penalties their state allows.
Writing a check you know will bounce can cross the line from an honest mistake into criminal fraud. The distinction turns on intent: prosecutors generally need to prove you knew the account lacked funds when you wrote the check. Penalties vary by state and depend on the dollar amount. For a $300 check, most states would treat a first-time bounced check as a misdemeanor at worst, but the real cost is usually the compounding fees and damaged relationships.
Post-Dating Doesn’t Delay the Payment
Writing a future date on a check does not prevent your bank from paying it early. Under the UCC, a bank can charge a post-dated check against your account before the written date unless you separately notify the bank in advance.3Cornell Law Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 4-401 – When Bank May Charge Customer’s Account That notice needs to include the check number, amount, and account details, and it must arrive early enough for the bank to flag the check before it comes in for payment.
Without that separate step, the date on your check is essentially a suggestion the processing system will ignore. If you write a $300 check dated two weeks out, assume it could clear tomorrow.
If You Make a Mistake, Void the Check
If you slip up while filling out a check, don’t try to scratch it out and write over it. Banks are understandably suspicious of altered checks. Write “VOID” in large letters across the front and start fresh with a new one. Use a pen that can’t be erased.
Record the voided check’s number in your register or banking app so you can account for the gap in your check sequence. Then shred or cut through the voided check, making sure to destroy the account number, routing number, and signature line. If you don’t have a shredder, most bank branches will dispose of it for you.
How Long the Check Stays Valid
A personal check is generally valid for six months. After that, it becomes stale-dated, and your bank is no longer obligated to honor it.4Cornell Law Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old A bank can still choose to pay a stale check if it acts in good faith, so the six-month rule gives banks discretion rather than a hard cutoff.
If you’ve written a $300 check that hasn’t been cashed after a few months, reach out to the payee. If they’ve lost it or forgotten about it, consider placing a stop-payment order with your bank and writing a replacement. Leaving an outstanding check floating indefinitely makes it harder to manage your balance and creates a risk of an unexpected withdrawal months later.