Do's and Don’ts When Writing Cheques

There is always a risk for cheques to be stolen or for the information written on a check to be changed after the cheque has been given.

Moreover, if cheques are not written correctly, they will not be accepted by banks.

Safety best practices while writing a cheque

• Always keep your cheque book safe. Never lend your cheque book to anyone.

• Always add a slash “/-” after entering the amount in numbers. For example, write “5,000/-” instead of “5,000” so that later on, the cheque cannot be changed into “50,000” by adding another zero.

• Be sure to spell the name correctly and there should be no space between the letters so that no one can change the name written on the cheque.

• Always add a dash “—” after writing the payee’s name. E.g. “Shahrukh Khan——”

• Always cross off the “OR BEARER” text printed on the cheque. This will tell the bank that no one other than the person whose name is mentioned on the cheque will be able to receive the money you want to send.

• Always place your signature in the bottom right-hand corner. Signing anywhere else on the cheque will not be accepted by the bank.

• The amount written in words should match the amount written in numbers.

• Put two parallel lines on the left-hand side top corner of the cheque. This is called a “cross cheque”, which means the cheque cannot be cashed, and it’s sent only to the bank account of the payee.

• Register for an SMS alert on your mobile phone with your bank to keep tabs on transactions on your accounts