How to Write Numbers on Checks: Digits, Words, and Corrections

To write numbers on a check, put the digits in the small box on the right (for example, 1,250.38) and spell the same amount on the long line below as One thousand two hundred fifty and 38/100. The word “and” stands in for the decimal point, and the cents always appear as a fraction over 100. Both fields need to match, because if they don’t, the written words legally control the check’s value.¹

The Numeric Amount Box

The small box on the right side of the check, marked with a dollar sign, holds the amount in digits. Banks call this the “courtesy amount.” Tellers and automated scanners read it first for a quick figure, even though the words below are what legally control.

Start the first digit as close to the left edge of the box as possible. A gap on the left invites someone to squeeze in an extra number and inflate the amount. Write the dollars, a decimal point, then the cents. For a payment of $1,250.38, that’s exactly what you write: 1,250.38. For an even amount like $500, write 500.00 so nobody can add cents after the fact.

Keep the digits legible and tight. Bank scanning equipment reads this box, and a smudged 3 that reads as an 8 causes problems downstream.

The Written Amount Line

Below the payee’s name, the long line is where the dollar amount goes in words. This figure is the legally controlling one, so accuracy here matters more than in the box above.

The pattern is simple: spell out the dollar amount, write “and,” then write the cents as a fraction over 100.

For $1,250.38: One thousand two hundred fifty and 38/100. The word “and” acts as the decimal point, separating dollars from cents, and it appears only once, right before the fraction. For a whole-dollar payment like $500.00: Five hundred and 00/100. Some people write “no/100” or “xx/100” for even amounts instead of “00/100.” All three are accepted.

After the last word, draw a horizontal line straight across to the right edge of the printed line. That filler prevents anyone from squeezing in extra words to turn “Five hundred” into “Five hundred thousand.” If the check has “DOLLARS” already printed at the end of the line, you don’t need to write the word yourself.

Hyphenate compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine. So $75.00 is “Seventy-five and 00/100,” not “Seventy five.” Banks won’t bounce a check over a missing hyphen, but clean formatting reads as a carefully prepared document.

One common wording slip: the word “and” doesn’t belong between the hundreds and tens places. “One hundred fifty” is correct; “One hundred and fifty” is not. A bank won’t reject your rent check over this, but the cents fraction is where precision really counts. If the box says .24, the words must say 24/100.

Common Amounts in Both Formats

Several everyday amounts, shown in the box and on the line:

$8.50: Numeric box: 8.50 | Written line: Eight and 50/100
$42.75: Numeric box: 42.75 | Written line: Forty-two and 75/100
$150.00: Numeric box: 150.00 | Written line: One hundred fifty and 00/100
$1,298.24: Numeric box: 1,298.24 | Written line: One thousand two hundred ninety-eight and 24/100
$10,000.00: Numeric box: 10,000.00 | Written line: Ten thousand and 00/100

When the Digits and Words Don’t Match

If the numeric box says $500.00 but the written line says “Five thousand and 00/100,” the bank goes with the written words. The Uniform Commercial Code sets a clear hierarchy for conflicts on negotiable instruments: handwritten terms beat typed terms, and words beat numbers.¹

In practice, a real mismatch between the two amounts is one of the warning signs banks train tellers to flag as possible fraud or alteration.² A teller who catches it may hold the deposit, call the issuing bank, or refuse the check outright. Read both amounts before you sign.

Pen Choice Protects Both Fields

Use a black or blue gel ink pen. Gel ink bonds with paper fibers more tightly than the dye-based ink in a standard ballpoint, which makes it far harder for someone to chemically wash your check and rewrite the amount. Check washing accounted for a significant share of the estimated $21 billion in U.S. check fraud losses in 2023. A fine-tip gel pen also keeps your digits sharp in the small amount box, which helps bank scanning equipment read them cleanly.

Between a pen that resists washing, digits pressed against the left edge of the box, and a line drawn to the end of the written amount, the amount fields become substantially harder to alter after the check leaves your hands.

Fixing a Mistake

If you slip while writing either amount, don’t cross out and correct it. A check with visible corrections looks like an altered document and may be refused. Write “VOID” in large letters across the face of the check with your pen, spanning the payee and amount areas so it clearly can’t be used. Avoid writing over the routing and account numbers at the bottom, since those digits may still be useful for setting up direct deposit or automatic payments. Record the voided check number in your register, and shred the check once you no longer need it.

Then start over on a fresh check. Sign it last, after both the box and the written line are complete and match. A signed check with a blank or half-written amount is a withdrawal slip for your account in someone else’s pocket.³

1
Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 3-114 – Contradictory Terms of Instrument
2
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Check Fraud – A Guide to Avoiding Losses
3
Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 3-104 – Negotiable Instrument