Many people do not realize that, in any situation, they can sign a check made out to them to someone else. It does not have to be an emergency or any special type of situation. If you want to get someone cash but you have not cashed that check yet, then there is a way you can cut out the middle man and just sign the check over to another party.
Check With The Bank
Before you sign a check over to someone else, you should make sure that a bank will cash the check. Not every bank will cash a check in that situation, so you should be sure before you do it. You would start with the bank that issued the check, if that bank has a branch in your area. If that bank will not cash the check or you cannot find a local branch, then go to a bank where either of you has an account.
If neither of your banks will cash the check, then you need to start calling around to find a bank that will. You may have to pay a fee to cash the check, but at least you will get it cashed.
Endorse The Check
The next step is to endorse the check as though you were going to cash or deposit it yourself. When you endorse the check, be sure to endorse it as close to the top of the check as possible to leave yourself plenty of room to write below your endorsement but above the line that cuts off the endorsement box. You should never try to write anything below that line as most banks will not cash a check that has writing below that line.
Sign It Over
Below your endorsement signature on the back of the check but above the endorsement box cut-off line you will write “Pay to the order of” and then the person’s name. Once again, you should try to leave some space between this line and the endorsement box cut-off in case the bank requires the recipient to endorse the check as well.
Simplify The Process
Instead of trying to cash the check, your recipient should consider depositing it into their bank account and letting it clear. This method is easier for banks to process and your recipient would not encounter any problems with their bank if they did it this way. Many banks credit the first 100 dollars of a deposited check to the person’s account, so your recipient may get access to a portion of the check immediately if they use this method.
There are a lot of reasons why people decide to sign checks over to other recipients. If you do not have a bank account but need to cash a check, then signing the check over to someone who does have an account can save time. All you need to do is follow a simple process and you can sign your check over to anyone you want and they should be able to cash it.
Jim Treebold is a North Carolina based writer. He lives by the mantra of “Learn 1 new thing each day”! Jim loves to write, read, pedal around on his electric bike and dream of big things. Drop him a line if you like his writing, he loves hearing from his readers!