# Is there a proper way of writing .00 on a check? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 27, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531 "2003-04-27T19:52:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/1 "2003-04-27T19:52:11Z")
For example, I just wrote a check for **"Thirty-five and 00/100** \_\_\_\_\_\_(Dollars). I’ve been told this is wrong. I’ve also seen **xx/100** and **no/100** with lines through the zeros. Does it really matter? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/2 "2003-04-27T19:53:51Z")
No. If the bank honors the check, it was written well enough. ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/3 "2003-04-27T20:11:13Z")
I agree. If it’s honored, it’s fine. Personally, I just write the dollar amount and draw a line through the excess space, when there are no cents, involved. Like this; “Thirty-five ---------- Dollars”. I’ve been told it’s bad to leave the area between the last dollar word and the pre-printed word Dollars blank. I guess the idea is that someone could fill in the word “thousand”, and then cash it. The line prevents this. ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/4 "2003-04-27T20:20:30Z")
I agree. If it’s honored, it’s fine. Personally, I just write the dollar amount and draw a line through the excess space, when there are no cents, involved. Like this; “Thirty-five ---------- Dollars”. I’ve been told it’s bad to leave the area between the last dollar word and the pre-printed word Dollars blank. I guess the idea is that someone could fill in the word “thousand”, and then cash it. The line prevents this. ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/5 "2003-04-27T20:28:36Z")
I agree. If it’s honored, it’s fine. Personally, I just write the dollar amount and draw a line through the excess space, when there are no cents, involved. Like this; “Thirty-five ---------- Dollars”. I’ve been told it’s bad to leave the area between the last dollar word and the pre-printed word Dollars blank. I guess the idea is that someone could fill in the word “thousand”, and then cash it. The line prevents this. ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/6 "2003-04-27T21:07:46Z")
I just write “Thirty-Five Dollars Exactly.” No need for a line. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/7 "2003-04-27T22:58:56Z")
I write “Thirty-five dollars only,” with the line. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Hand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mr.Hand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Hand)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/8 "2003-04-27T23:48:58Z")
[hijack] Anybody ever play the game Sniglets (sort of like Balderdash, but with made up words)? You play the game by inventing a word for a given definition; you got points if other players voted for your word, or if you vote for the “correct” word (i.e., the one supplied by the gaming company). About the only word I remember from this game was the line that people draw on the “amount” line of checks to prevent someone from adding “and a million dollars”: the meganegabar. [/hijack] **hillbilly queen** , I write “xx/100”; no check has not been honored. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/9 "2003-04-28T00:01:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hillbilly queen \* > \*\*For example, I just wrote a check for **"Thirty-five and 00/100** \_\_\_\_\_\_(Dollars). I’ve been told this is wrong. \*\* I don’t think it matters, as long as it is unambiguous. But on what basis did they say it was wrong? ---
**Author:** ![dbygawdcapn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dbygawdcapn/32/3995_2.png) [@dbygawdcapn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbygawdcapn)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/10 "2003-04-28T00:39:07Z")
I write Thirty-five dollars and no sense, and have rarely been disagreed with. ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/11 "2003-04-28T01:13:01Z")
One remotely possible problem with **hillbilly queen** ’s method would be that thirty five and 00/100’s is fairly easily turned into thirty five and **1** 00/100’s, which gets the alterer a whole extra dollar, whoohoo! So obviously not a big deal, and I have a hard time imagining that a bank wouldn’t find that (_and 100/100’s_) a bit suspicious, in any case. But that might be what someone thought was “wrong” with it. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/12 "2003-04-28T01:26:17Z")
I’ve always written 00/100 and have never had a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/13 "2003-04-28T01:44:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dbygawdcapn \* > \*\*I write Thirty-five dollars and no sense, and have rarely been disagreed with. \*\* A dollar amount _plus_ a personal commentary: Great Idea!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/14 "2003-04-28T02:04:46Z")
Well, Davebear, I’m sure it’s happened before, but that is the first time I have seen a hat trick. Congrats. Oh, I just write the number. Hasn’t bit me yet. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/15 "2003-04-28T02:25:06Z")
Having flown checks at night from bank to bank to Federal reserve and having hung around them guys, what adds and subtracts them by the thousands a night in a panicked frenzy…(( You really, really don’t want to know how and who does what with your checks, trust me on this.)) As long at the numerical part is relatively clear, they don’t look at the written part nor the signature until something bounces. If the payee is anywhere close to who is trying to get the money, American Express, AMEX , A XPS, X press, AMX ad infinitum for example, and the dollar is clear and there is a squiggle in the signature line, the check flies… Odd ball stuff, temporary checks and um-imprinted checks get a better look see. (( Crazy guys in little airplanes rushing through the night ignoring weather, in over loaded and under powered airplanes staying awake on coffee and cigarettes are hauling the checks hither and yon.)) Bawahahahaha CASH my friend, Cash… Only way to fly… ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/16 "2003-04-28T03:06:53Z")
In the interest of science, I invite all interested patries to make out $35 checks (pay to the order of Paul Casey) in each of the formats mentioned (thirty five--------------dollars, thirty five and 00/100, thirty five and xx/100, and thirty five and no/100), and mail them to me. You can e-mail me for my mailing address. I will take them to my local branch, attempt to cash each of them, and report back to this thread when I come back from vacation…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/17 "2003-04-28T03:16:26Z")
The reason that people tell you not to write 00/100 is not that it could be turned into 100/100, which would be a dead give-away, but that it could easily be turned into 99/100. On the other hand, it’d be pretty tough to turn xx/100 into anything else. These days, of course, 99 cents isn’t much to get excited about, and it’s hard to imagine anyone risking being arrested for raising a check, just to cheat you out of 99 cents. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/18 "2003-04-28T04:13:15Z")
“Thirty Five Dollars Even”. Although, since I online banking 3+ years ago, I couldn’t tell you the last time I hand wrote a check. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/19 "2003-04-28T05:07:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cleops \* > \*\*Well, Davebear, I’m sure it’s happened before, but that is the first time I have seen a hat trick. Congrats. > \*\* I had seven of the same post once, in various stages of completeness; I have no idea how I managed to do it. And to answer the question, I write “00/100” or “no/100”. ---
**Author:** ![Erika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/47e85d/32.png) [@Erika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erika)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531/20 "2003-04-28T05:19:58Z")
I generally just draw the line through [as **Davebear** demonstrated]. The only ones that “bother” me [in the loosest measing of the word, I know this is silly stuff] are the ones where people write in “dollars.” It’s printed at the end of the line, so now your check reads “Thirty-five dollars XX/100 ----- Dollars” … and I think it looks silly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-proper-way-of-writing-00-on-a-check/171531.md?page=2)