A check has six fields that need to be filled in correctly for your bank to process it. Miss one, or make them inconsistent with each other, and your check can bounce or get flagged. Here's the order most people find easiest to work through.
1. The date
In the top right corner. Use the date you're writing the check, not a future date — postdating a check doesn't guarantee your bank will honor the delay, and in some states it isn't enforceable at all.
2. The payee
On the line that starts with "Pay to the order of." Write the full legal name of the person or business being paid. If you're not sure of a business's exact legal name, check an invoice or their website footer.
3. The amount in numbers
In the small box on the right, written as digits: 1,240.00. Write the digits close together so nothing can be inserted before or after them.
4. The amount in words
On the line below the payee, spelled out: "One thousand two hundred forty and 00/100." This is the legally controlling amount if it ever disagrees with the numeric box — banks are required to honor the written-out amount.
5. The memo line (optional)
Bottom left. Use it to note what the payment is for — an invoice number, account number, or "rent for March" — mainly for your own records and the recipient's.
6. Your signature
Bottom right, on the signature line. This has to match the signature your bank has on file, or at least be recognizably yours — an unsigned check is not valid and a bank can refuse to cash it.
If you write a lot of checks for a business, doing all six fields by hand invites exactly the kind of inconsistency banks flag. Check Writer 123 fills in the amount-in-words line automatically and keeps every check number in sequence, so there's one less way to make a mistake.