Can i make a check payable to cash

As long as the check has been signed, a check written out to cash can be cashed by absolutely anyone. Along the way, the check falls out of your wallet. If a random person finds that check before you get a chance to get your bank to stop payment on it, that person can head to the nearest bank, cash the check and take your money. In this case, the person who lost the check may even try to get you to write them another one. Rather than write the check to cash, write the check out to yourself.

This way, only you can cash the check. In this case, just wait and find out who really should get the check before filling in the name.

Now you know exactly how to write a check out to cash and why writing a check to cash is an awful idea. Even if you don't like to carry money, you still might find an instance or two when cash is the preferred method of payment. Perhaps you'd like to visit a flea market or leave the tip when a friend takes you out to lunch. You can use your debit card to access the funds in your bank account, but writing out a check to "cash" gives you the opportunity to list what the money is being used for in the memo section.

That can help you when creating a budget or act as proof of payment when a friend doesn't remember you repaid her for your half of the joint wedding gift you gave. Begin writing your check by listing the date in the provided space at the top right-hand corner of the check.

At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Your Money. Your Practice. Popular Courses. Personal Finance Banking. Table of Contents Expand. You Don't Have an Account There. The Check is Made to a Business. Large Transactions. Stale Checks.

Hold Payment Requests. Key Takeaways You will need a government-issued photo ID when cashing a check. If the check is made payable to your business, make sure you have a business account at the bank and that the business is properly registered with the state. Banks may require advance notice to cash large checks.

Checks can be difficult to cash if they're "stale-dated. Article Sources. Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts.

We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence. The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories.

But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.

While we adhere to strict editorial integrity , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. Founded in , Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. All of our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy.

Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens.

We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy.

You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate.