To endorse a check, flip it over and sign your name inside the small boxed area at the short left end, using blue or black ink. If you want the bank to put the money straight into your account and nothing else, write “For Deposit Only” and your account number above your signature. That is the whole job for most people, and knowing how to endorse a check this way protects you if the check is lost or stolen before it reaches the bank.
The rest comes down to which wording fits your situation and what you are agreeing to when you sign.
Where and How to Sign
Federal check-processing standards reserve a 1.5-inch strip at the trailing edge of the check (the left side when you flip it over) for the payee’s endorsement.1Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM). 4 FAM 340 United States Treasury Checks – Section: 4 FAM 345 Endorsement and Payment of Checks Writing outside that strip can interfere with the bank’s own stamps and routing marks, and the check may be kicked out during automated processing. Use permanent blue or black ink so the signature survives being scanned at speed.
Under the Uniform Commercial Code, an endorsement is a signature made for the purpose of negotiating the check, restricting its payment, or accepting liability on it.2Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. UCC 3-204 – Indorsement That signature can be handwritten, a simple mark like an “X” from someone who cannot write, or an authorized business stamp.
If your name is misspelled on the front, sign the back twice: first with the misspelling exactly as it appears, then with your correct legal name beneath it. Banks expect both so the endorsement matches the payee line and still ties back to your real identity.
Which Endorsement to Use
Blank Endorsement
A blank endorsement is just your signature, nothing else. The moment you sign, the check effectively becomes cash: anyone holding the paper can deposit or cash it, because a blank endorsement converts the check into a bearer instrument. Fine if you are standing at the teller window. A bad idea if you are signing at home and the check will sit in your bag or in the mail.
Restrictive Endorsement
A restrictive endorsement limits what the bank is allowed to do with the check. The common version is “For Deposit Only” written above your signature, usually with your account number. The check can then only be deposited into that account; it cannot be cashed at the counter or signed over to someone else.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Does It Mean for a Check to Be Indorsed For Deposit Only If a check endorsed this way is lost, whoever finds it cannot walk into a branch and cash it. For anyone who receives checks with any regularity, this is the safest default.
Special Endorsement
A special endorsement signs the check over to someone else. Write “Pay to the order of [Name]” on the back, then sign under it. That legally reassigns the right to collect to the new recipient, who then endorses the check themselves before depositing. Write clearly: the receiving bank may want both signatures legible.
Checks With More Than One Name
When a check is made out to two or more people, the small word between the names decides who has to sign. Under UCC Section 3-110, if the names are joined by “and,” every listed payee must endorse before the bank will process it.4Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. UCC 3-110 – Identification of Person to Whom Instrument Is Payable Insurance settlement checks often name both the policyholder and a contractor or lienholder for this reason. Miss one signature and the check comes back.
If the names are joined by “or,” any one of the payees can endorse and deposit independently. When a slash separates the names or the phrasing is ambiguous, most banks treat it as “or” and accept a single signature, though some will ask for everyone’s endorsement to be safe. Call the bank first if you are not sure which rule applies to your check.
Signing on Behalf of Someone Else
Checks Made Out to a Business
An authorized person signs for the company by writing the business name exactly as it appears on the front of the check, then signing their own name, then adding their title (such as Owner, Treasurer, or Authorized Signer). Many businesses add “For Deposit Only” and the account number underneath. High-volume depositors often use a pre-made endorsement stamp carrying the business name, account number, bank routing number, and the deposit-only language, which replaces the handwritten endorsement entirely. Confirm the layout with your bank before you order a stamp, since preferences vary.
Checks Made Out to a Minor
A child generally cannot hold or manage a bank account, so a parent or legal guardian endorses. Write the guardian’s name followed by “parent and natural guardian of [child’s name],” then sign the guardian’s name on the next line. Adding the deposit account number helps the bank process it. Some banks require both the child’s and the guardian’s names to appear on the receiving account.
Checks Made Out to Someone Who Has Died
Only the executor or administrator of the estate can endorse a check made out to a person who has died. The format is “Estate of [Deceased Person’s Full Name], by [Your Name], Executor” (or Administrator, depending on your court appointment). The money must go into the estate’s bank account, not a personal one. Banks are strict here, so call ahead and confirm the exact wording the branch wants to see.
Endorsing for a Mobile Deposit
Most banks let you deposit a check by photographing the front and back through a smartphone app, and many require the endorsement area to say “For Mobile Deposit Only,” sometimes along with the bank’s name or your account number. That restrictive wording blocks the same check from being deposited a second time at a branch or ATM. Skip it and some apps will reject the image; others will accept it but flag the deposit for review.
After the deposit posts, hold onto the paper check for about 30 days, or until you have confirmed the full amount is in your account. Then mark it VOID and shred it. There is no federal rule setting a retention period, but destroying it too soon leaves you with no backup if the bank questions the digital image.
What You’re Promising When You Sign
Endorsing a check is not just a formality. Under UCC Section 3-415, an endorser becomes a secondary obligor, which means you are guaranteeing the check will be honored.5Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. UCC 3-415 – Obligation of Indorser If the writer’s account is empty or they issue a stop-payment order, the bank can come back to you for the amount plus returned-item fees, which commonly run $10 to $15 on the depositor’s side.
This bites hardest when you have used a special endorsement to sign a check over to someone else, because you are vouching for a check you did not write. To disclaim that backup liability, write “without recourse” above your signature. The UCC recognizes that language as a qualified endorsement that releases the endorser from the obligation to pay if the check is later dishonored.5Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. UCC 3-415 – Obligation of Indorser Some banks are wary of qualified endorsements and may refuse them or place a longer hold on the funds, so ask the receiving bank before you sign that way.
Forging Someone Else’s Signature
Signing another person’s name on the back of a check is a crime, not a shortcut. Forging an endorsement on a U.S. Treasury check carries up to 10 years in federal prison, dropping to a one-year maximum if the face value is $1,000 or less; the same penalties apply to knowingly buying, selling, or holding a Treasury check with a forged endorsement.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 510 – Forging Endorsements on Treasury Checks or Bonds or Securities of the United States For other checks, the federal bank fraud statute allows up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $1,000,000 for a scheme to defraud a bank through a forged endorsement.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1344 – Bank Fraud Most states treat check forgery as a felony on top of that, regardless of the amount. If a check is made out to someone else, get their signature or use a special endorsement with their cooperation.