How to Fill a Cheque Correctly
A step-by-step guide to filling every field on an Indian bank cheque — date, payee, amount in words, amount in figures, and signature — so your cheque clears first time.
The 5 fields on every Indian cheque
Date
Write the date in DD/MM/YYYY format in the top-right corner. Use the current date or a future date for post-dated cheques. Never use a past date — banks reject stale cheques older than 3 months.
e.g., 02/07/2026
Pay (Payee Name)
Write the full legal name of the person or company you are paying. Use the same name as it appears on their bank account. Start from the leftmost edge of the "Pay" line. Draw a line through any unused space.
e.g., Sunrise Traders Pvt Ltd
Amount in Words
Write the amount in words on the "Rupees" line, followed by the word "Only". Begin immediately after "Rupees" — leave no gap. Write in capital letters for clarity. Strike a line through unused space.
e.g., Forty Seven Thousand Five Hundred Only
Amount in Figures
Write the numerical amount in the box in the top-right area, followed by "/–" (the Indian rupee dash). The amount in words and figures must match exactly. Even a small discrepancy causes the cheque to be returned.
e.g., 47,500/–
Signature
Sign in the bottom-right "Authorised Signatory" box. Your signature must match exactly the specimen signature on file with your bank. Sign after filling all other fields.
Sign within the box, not outside it
Common mistakes that get cheques returned
Overwriting or corrections
Any overwriting invalidates a cheque. Banks will not accept it. If you make a mistake, use a fresh cheque leaf.
Amount mismatch
If the amount in words and figures differ, the bank returns the cheque. ChequeGuru auto-converts figures to words to prevent this.
Unsigned cheque
A cheque without a signature is invalid. Always sign after filling all fields.
Wrong date format
Use DD/MM/YYYY only. Ambiguous dates (e.g., "July 2") can cause rejections at the clearing desk.
Leaving gaps in payee name
Gaps before the payee name allow someone to add words (e.g., changing "Ravi" to "Mr Ravi Kumar"). Start the name immediately.
Stale cheque
Cheques older than 3 months from the date written are considered stale and are rejected by Indian banks.
Should you cross the cheque?
For any significant payment, draw two parallel lines in the top-left corner and write "A/c Payee" between them. This makes it an account-payee cheque, which can only be deposited into the named payee's bank account — it cannot be cashed at the counter. Learn more about account payee cheques →
Skip the manual filling entirely
ChequeGuru fills the payee, date, amount in figures, and amount in words automatically — and prints directly onto your bank chequebook.
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