The check number on a check is the short sequence, usually three or four digits, printed in the upper right corner near the date line. The same number appears again at the far right end of the coded line along the bottom edge. Because it’s the shortest group of numbers anywhere on the check, it’s easy to spot once you know where to look.1American Bankers Association. ABA Routing Number
The Two Places It Appears
Look first at the top right corner, just above or beside the date line. On a new checkbook the number often starts at 101 and climbs by one for each check in the book. Now look at the bottom edge. The last group of digits on the right side of that printed line is the same number.
Those two copies should match. If they don’t, the bank may pull the check aside for review during processing. Comparing the two is also the quickest way to be sure you’re reading the check number and not one of the longer sequences next to it.
Telling It Apart from the Routing and Account Numbers
The line printed along the bottom of every check is called the MICR line, and it’s printed in magnetic ink so bank equipment can scan it at high speed. Three groups of digits sit on that line, separated by small bracket-like symbols.
- The routing number is on the far left. It’s nine digits and identifies the bank that holds the account. The bracketing symbol looks like a vertical line with two dots on either side.1American Bankers Association. ABA Routing Number
- The account number sits in the middle. It’s commonly eight to twelve digits, though some banks use longer sequences, and it points to your specific account at the bank.
- The check number is on the far right and is almost always the shortest group. It matches the number in the upper right corner of the check.
If your check shows an extra group of digits on the far left of the MICR line, that’s an auxiliary field used by a company’s internal accounting system. It’s common on business checks and isn’t part of the routing or account information.
Starter and Temporary Checks
Starter checks, the small set a bank hands out while your personalized checks are being printed, don’t always carry a preprinted check number. When they do, the sequence often begins at 101. Some businesses decline starter checks precisely because the missing check number, along with missing name and address, makes the check harder to verify. If you have to write one before your regular checks arrive, ask the recipient first.
Business Checks, Cashier’s Checks, and Money Orders
Business checks use the same layout, but the check number can run longer, up to ten digits, so a company’s accounting system can handle high payment volumes. On voucher-style or three-per-page business checks, the number still sits in the upper right of each check portion and again at the right end of the MICR line.
Cashier’s checks and money orders are a different case. The identifying number on those is called a serial number, not a check number, and it’s printed in a larger or bolder font near the top of the document. The MICR line at the bottom still carries an encoded number, but the serial number at the top is the reference you’ll give the issuing bank if you ever need a stop payment or a trace.
When You Actually Need the Check Number
Stopping Payment
If you need to cancel a check you’ve already written, the bank will ask for the check number and the exact dollar amount. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, you have to describe the check well enough to give the bank a reasonable chance to catch it before it clears.2Legal Information Institute. UCC 4-403 – Customers Right to Stop Payment Burden of Proof of Loss A verbal stop-payment order lapses after 14 calendar days unless you confirm it in writing, and a written order runs for six months before it needs to be renewed. Most banks charge a fee.
Tax Records
The IRS treats canceled checks as proof of business expenses. If the canceled check is gone, a bank statement will do, but only if it shows the check number, the amount, the payee’s name, and the date the check posted.3Internal Revenue Service. Publication 583 – Starting a Business and Keeping Records Logging check numbers in the register as you write them saves work at tax time.
Disputing a Check That Cleared Wrong
If your account is charged for a check that was improperly processed, such as a substitute check posted for the wrong amount, Regulation CC gives you up to 40 calendar days after receiving your statement to file a claim for a recredit.4eCFR. 12 CFR 229.54 – Expedited Recredit for Consumers The check number lets you point the bank straight at the transaction.
Mobile Deposit
Banking apps photograph the front and back of a check and read the MICR line, check number included, to route the deposit and screen for duplicates. If any part of the bottom line is cut off or blurred, the app will usually reject the image and ask for another photo.
One thing the check number isn’t needed for: setting up direct deposit or online bill pay. Those use the routing and account numbers only, which is why a voided check works for sharing that information.