To endorse a check, flip it over and sign your name inside the short endorsement strip at the top of the back, using the signature style that matches what you plan to do with the money. Learning how to endorse a check well is mostly about picking the right wording above your signature: nothing at all if you’re standing at the teller, “For Deposit Only” if the check has any distance to travel, or “Pay to the order of [name]” if you’re handing it to someone else.
Where to Sign on the Back
Turn the check over so the back faces you. The endorsement area runs along the left side, which lines up with the left edge of the front. Most checks print a few horizontal lines there along with the warning “Do Not Write, Stamp, or Sign Below This Line.” Keep everything you write — signature, account number, any instructions — inside that strip, roughly the top 1.5 inches.1eCFR. Part 229 Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (Regulation CC) The space below is reserved for the bank’s processing stamps, and writing there can jam the automated systems that clear checks.
Use dark ink, blue or black. Pencil and light-colored ink can fade or wash out during scanning, and a check the bank can’t read is a check the bank can reject.
Sign your name as it appears on the “Pay to the order of” line on the front. If the payer misspelled your name or used a nickname, sign the incorrect version first and then write your correct legal name underneath. The Uniform Commercial Code lets you endorse with the name on the check, your actual name, or both, but banks often want both to close any doubt.2Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 3-204 – Indorsement
Adding your account number under your signature is optional. It gives the bank a fallback for routing the deposit if your handwriting is hard to read.
Pick the Right Type of Endorsement
Three endorsement styles cover almost every situation. What you write above your signature is what decides which one you’ve used.
Blank Endorsement
A blank endorsement is just your signature, nothing else. It’s the fastest option, but it also turns the check into something close to cash: whoever holds it can deposit or cash it.3Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 3-205 – Special Indorsement; Blank Indorsement; Anomalous Indorsement Save this one for the moment you’re at the teller window or the ATM, ready to deposit.
Restrictive Endorsement
A restrictive endorsement adds an instruction that limits what can be done with the check. The usual wording is “For Deposit Only” above your signature, optionally with your account number.4Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 3-206 – Restrictive Indorsement That tells the bank to deposit the funds rather than pay out cash, which protects you if the check is lost or stolen on the way there. This is the safest choice for any deposit you aren’t handing to the teller in person, including mail deposits.
Special Endorsement
A special endorsement signs the check over to someone else. Write “Pay to the order of” followed by the new recipient’s full name, then sign underneath. From that point only the person you named can negotiate the check.3Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 3-205 – Special Indorsement; Blank Indorsement; Anomalous Indorsement Many banks are wary of third-party checks because of fraud risk, so have the recipient confirm with their bank that they’ll accept it before you sign it over. Signing a check over also carries a catch worth knowing: if the check bounces, the person you handed it to can come back to you for the money unless you wrote “without recourse” with your endorsement.5Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 3-415 – Obligation of Indorser
Endorsing for Mobile Deposit
Mobile deposits use the same basic rules with one addition. Most banks now require you to write “For Mobile Deposit Only” beneath your signature, and some also want the bank’s name or your account number. Regulators treat that language as a restrictive endorsement tied to a specific deposit method, which is what keeps the same check from being deposited twice, once through the app and once at a branch.1eCFR. Part 229 Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (Regulation CC)
Once you’ve endorsed, open your bank’s app and photograph both sides of the check. Get the whole check inside the frame, use good light, and make sure the endorsement is legible. After the deposit confirms, hang on to the paper check for at least 30 days or until the full amount has posted to your account. Then write “VOID” across the front, or shred it, so it can’t be presented again by accident.
Checks Made Out to More Than One Person
When two names appear on the front, the word between them matters. If they’re joined by “and” (“Jane Doe and John Doe”), both payees usually have to endorse before the check can be deposited or cashed. If they’re joined by “or,” either one can endorse alone.6Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 3-110 – Identification of Person to Whom Instrument Is Payable A slash or a comma is ambiguous; the UCC default is to treat it as “or,” but individual bank policies differ. If a co-payee isn’t available to sign, call the bank before you try to deposit.
Business, Minor, and Estate Checks
For a check made out to a business, an authorized person endorses on the entity’s behalf. Write the business name as it appears on the front, sign your own name below it, and add your title (Owner, Treasurer, and so on). Adding “For Deposit Only” and the business account number gives the same protection a restrictive personal endorsement does.
For a check made out to a child, a parent or legal guardian can endorse it. Print the minor’s name on the endorsement line with “minor” next to it, then print your own name below with your relationship (parent or guardian), sign beneath both, and add the deposit account number. Bank policies on this vary quite a bit, so call the branch first.
For a check issued to someone who has died, an executor or administrator of the estate can endorse. The standard format writes the deceased’s name, then the signer’s name, then the signer’s role: “John Jones by Mary Jones, executor of the estate of John Jones.” The signer’s capacity has to be part of the endorsement.7eCFR. 31 CFR 240.15 – Checks Issued to Deceased Payees That rule governs federal government checks specifically; checks from private parties made out to someone who has died may need to be reissued to the estate, depending on the bank and state law.
When to Endorse and How Long a Check Is Good For
Wait to endorse until you’re actually ready to deposit or cash the check. A signed check that’s lost or stolen is much easier to misuse than an unsigned one, and a blank endorsement makes it payable to whoever finds it. If the check has any distance to travel — mail, mobile app, glove compartment for a day — use a restrictive endorsement so it can’t be cashed.
On the other end, banks aren’t required to honor a check presented more than six months after the date on the front. A bank can choose to process an older check, but it has no legal obligation to.8Cornell Law School. Uniform Commercial Code 4-404 – Bank Not Obliged to Pay Check More Than Six Months Old If a check has been sitting for a while, deposit it before that window closes or ask the payer to reissue.