The best memo is short and specific: a reference number, a month or a few words that say what the check pays for. Below are more than forty examples you can copy, grouped by situation. If you only want the basics first, read what the memo line on a check is.
A simple formula for any memo
When you are stuck, use this order: what it is, then the reference, then the period. For example, Invoice 2210, March. That covers most bills in three words, and the person who receives the check can match it without asking you.
Memo examples for rent and housing
- July rent
- August rent, Unit 12
- Rent, 41 Oak Street, September
- Security deposit
- Pet deposit
- Last month's rent
- Late fee, October
- HOA dues, Q3
Memo examples for business payments
- Invoice 10482
- Invoices 3310 and 3311
- PO 7781
- Office supplies, March
- Monthly service, April
- Deposit, design project
- Final payment, project 204
- Equipment repair
- Shipping and freight
- Account ending 3921
Memo examples for payroll and contractors
- Pay period ending 10/15
- Wages, week of 9/30
- Bonus, Q2
- Reimbursement, mileage
- Subcontractor, framing, job 118
- Progress payment 2 of 4
- Materials, roofing job
A memo is a note, not payroll records. Keep the real payroll figures in your payroll system, and use the memo only to label the check. Check Writer 123 prints the check and keeps a register, and it does not calculate wages or taxes.
Memo examples for taxes, insurance and loans
- 2026 estimated tax, Q4
- Property tax, second half
- Insurance premium, policy ending 4417
- Loan payment 5 of 24
- Account ending 8830
- Registration renewal
When a government agency or lender asks for specific wording or a number in the memo line, use exactly what they ask for. That is the one case where the instructions on the bill override a style guide.
Memo examples for donations, schools and gifts
- Building fund
- General donation
- In memory of M. Hale
- Spring registration
- Class trip
- Happy birthday
- Wedding gift
- Thank you
Memo examples when you want the line left simple
Sometimes the right memo is nothing. If the payee already knows what the check is for, or you track the detail in your own register, a blank memo line is fine. A cluttered memo is worse than an empty one.
What never to write on the memo line
- A full account, credit card or Social Security number
- Passwords, PINs or security codes
- Medical, legal or family details
- Anything you would not want a stranger who handles the check to read
- Words such as paid in full, unless you truly mean to settle the whole debt
Using memo examples when you print checks
If you print your own checks, you can reuse the same wording every month and the memo prints in the correct place each time. With check printing software you type the memo once on the check form, see it in the live preview and find it again later by searching your register. For a first-time walkthrough, read how to print checks online.
Keep track of every check you write with our free printable check register, a one-page sheet you can print or type into. Not sure if check software is for you? See who needs check printing software.