How to Fill a Cheque Correctly (with Example)

Filling a cheque correctly protects you from fraud and prevents the cheque from bouncing on a technicality. Here's exactly what goes where.

The five fields on a cheque

1. Date — write the current date in the boxes (DD/MM/YYYY). A cheque is valid for 3 months from this date.
2. Payee name — on the "Pay" line, write the full name of the person or company. Add "or bearer" only if you intend it to be a bearer cheque.
3. Amount in words — on the "Rupees" line, e.g. "Twenty Five Thousand Only". Always end with "Only".
4. Amount in figures — in the box, e.g. "25,000/-". This must match the words exactly.
5. Signature — sign at the bottom right exactly as registered with your bank.

Should you cross the cheque?

For safety, draw two parallel lines in the top-left corner and write "A/C Payee". This means the cheque can only be deposited into the payee's account, not cashed over the counter. Learn more about the different types of cheques.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Amount in words and figures not matching — the bank will reject it.
• Overwriting or correcting — banks may dishonour corrected cheques.
• Forgetting "Only" after the amount in words.
• Leaving gaps where extra digits or words could be inserted.

Software eliminates these mistakes by converting the amount to words for you and printing everything in the right place. Try Cheque Print free.