# Check number **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 20, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227 "2018-02-20T20:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/21 "2018-02-21T06:15:20Z")
From reconciling my checking account, I can see that 75% of the entries are on line. Our checks are to the utilities that have varying charges but which require online payment to be automatic withdrawals, to our insurance company (a few a year) and to things like clubs which aren’t online yet. I haven’t written a check outside the house in years. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/22 "2018-02-21T11:03:00Z")
I can’t remember the last time I wrote a check. Many shops have stopped accepting them altogether (this is in the UK), and for everyone else it’s debit card, direct debit, standing orders or bank transfers - including for friends, cleaner and dog walker. I had a casual plumber round this morning, paid him cash. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/23 "2018-02-21T12:27:08Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I hate checks and am glad to see them dying. Twenty years ago my business took in more checks than other forms of payment. Way too many of them bounced and it became a pain in the ass. So I cold turkey stopped accepting checks. It created some controversy when my competititors and other merchants followed suit, but I’m glad I did it. I write a couple checks a year. I probably spend way more cash than average. In restaurants, for example, I pay with plastic but tip cash. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/24 "2018-02-21T13:28:24Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > Businesses still use a lot of cheques, as they’re better for accounting and record-keeping. You can add notes to the memo lines. Earlier I mentioned taking checks at my business. I left out what you said, but I much prefer checks for B2B transactions. With ACH, finding out what bills they were paying can sometimes be a pain since the money is just suddenly in your account. With credit cards, there can (will) be a fee. Paying the processor $30 so someone can pay a $1000 bill gets old. With checks, they usually show up with a list of invoices they’re paying and most business just pay a set fee per check. That $1000 bill, paid with a check might cost 25 cents to deposit. This is, of course, assuming the check is good, which you usually can with B2B stuff. > [@kayaker](#): > > Twenty years ago my business took in more checks than other forms of payment. Way too many of them bounced and it became a pain in the ass. So I cold turkey stopped accepting checks. It created some controversy when my competititors and other merchants followed suit, but I’m glad I did it. I’ve been nagging the boss for probably 10 years to stop taking them and, like I said, he finally did. If I go back to the 80’s/90’s even into the 00’s, we were taking probably 30-40 checks per day. We’d have at least two or three a week bounce. 9 times out of 10, we could call the person and they’d stop in within a day or two to repay us (plus a fee). But those last ones were a PITA. A few calls, a certified letter, turning it over to the police etc. Glad to be done with them. ---
**Author:** ![biometricks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@biometricks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biometricks)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/25 "2018-02-21T14:22:37Z")
I just happily wrote two checks yesterday-- a very rare occurrence. I can’t seem to get rid of them. They have a mailing address on them that I haven’t lived at in 12 or 13 years. I probably have 10 year supply left. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/26 "2018-02-21T15:34:46Z")
Being an old geezer (65 come April), I still use them, probably more than I need to (I still pay my utilities and internet/phone by check although I could arrange for Direct Debit), but I take some comfort in being able to track my expenses on a pen-and-ink ledger than relying on checking a card on-line (I did mention I was old, didn’t I?). Still, no more than 4-5 a month and one of these days I will join the 21st Century (or get dragged kicking and screaming into it). Oh, and get off my lawn! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/27 "2018-02-21T16:23:06Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > Being an old geezer (65 come April), I still use them, probably more than I need to (I still pay my utilities and internet/phone by check although I could arrange for Direct Debit), but I take some comfort in being able to track my expenses on a pen-and-ink ledger than relying on checking a card on-line (I did mention I was old, didn’t I?). Still, no more than 4-5 a month and one of these days I will join the 21st Century (or get dragged kicking and screaming into it). > > Oh, and get off my lawn! You can, if you want, use direct debit or a credit card or some other form of payment and still track your expenses. I use Quicken\*, every credit card charge I make, every check I write, every everything is put into Quicken, and with that, no money comes out of my checking account without me entering into Quicken first. Overdrew my checking account one time about 15 years ago doing it the other way around and never did it again. \*But there’s no reason this can’t be done with pen and paper. Quicken is just a glorified check register. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/28 "2018-02-21T17:20:07Z")
There is no need to use a check to pay the IRS: > [@](#): > > The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System® tax payment service is provided free by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. After you’ve enrolled and received your credentials, you can pay any tax due to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) using this system. [https://www.eftps.com/eftps/](https://www.eftps.com/eftps/) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/29 "2018-02-21T17:45:31Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > There is no need to use a check to pay the IRS: > > [Welcome to EFTPS online](https://www.eftps.com/eftps/) yes, but sometimes it’s easier just to write a check. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227/30 "2018-02-21T20:33:53Z")
I write checks about as often as I use stamps - twice a year, to the one thing I still do business with that doesn’t take credit cards; my dentist. “What about your doctor?” I don’t think I’ve had to pay more than the $25 co-pay with my current doctor, and that is always in cash. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-number/809227.md?page=1)