How to write a cheque in Bangladesh, step by step

If you want to know how to write cheque Bangladesh banks will accept, here is the short answer: write the date as day/month/year, write the full name of the person or company on the "Pay" line, write the amount in words starting with "Taka" and ending with "Only" (for example "Taka Twenty-Five Thousand Only"), write the same amount in figures in the box, and sign exactly as your signature appears in the bank's record. If the money should go into an account, cross the cheque and write "A/C Payee". Everything else in this guide is about getting each of those parts right so the cheque is not returned.

The parts of a Bangladeshi cheque

Most cheques issued by banks in Bangladesh today follow the same layout. Before you write anything, find these parts on the leaf:

Part	Where it is	What goes there
Date	Top right, often 8 small boxes	Day, month, year: 05/11/2026
Pay	Long first line	The payee's full name
Or bearer	End of the Pay line	Leave it, or strike it out (see below)
Taka (in words)	Second line	The amount in words, ending with "Only"
Tk box	Right side	The amount in figures
Signature	Bottom right	Your signature, as in the bank's record
MICR line	Very bottom strip	Printed by the bank; never write on it

The strip at the bottom with the cheque number and codes is read by machines during clearing. Keep it clean: no writing, folding, stapling or stamps over it.

How to write cheque Bangladesh style: the 7 steps

1. Write the date

Write the date you are giving the cheque, in day, month, year order. If the leaf has boxes, put one digit in each box: 0 5 1 1 2 0 2 6 for 5 November 2026. Without boxes, write 05/11/2026 or 05-11-2026.

Two rules matter here. A cheque is valid for six months from its date; after that it is "stale" and the bank returns it. And if you write a future date (a post-dated cheque), the bank will not pay it before that day.

2. Write the payee's name

On the "Pay" line, write the full name exactly as it appears on the payee's bank account: "Md. Rahim Uddin", not "Rahim"; "ABC Traders Ltd.", not "ABC". A name that doesn't match the account can delay or stop the deposit.

Start close to the word "Pay" and draw a line after the name to the end of the line, so nobody can add words.

3. Decide: bearer or order

Most leaves say "Pay ... or bearer". A bearer cheque can be paid to whoever brings it to the counter, which is risky if it is lost. If you strike out "or bearer", the cheque becomes an order cheque, payable only to the named person or on their endorsement. For anything except cashing a cheque yourself, it is safer to strike it out or, better, cross the cheque (step 6).

4. Write the amount in words

This is where most mistakes happen. In Bangladesh, cheque amounts use lakh and crore, not million:

• 1 lakh = 1,00,000 (one hundred thousand)
• 10 lakh = 10,00,000 (one million)
• 1 crore = 1,00,00,000 (ten million)

Start with "Taka", write the amount, and end with "Only". Paisa, if any, come after the Taka with "and":

Amount	In words on the cheque
5,000	Taka Five Thousand Only
25,750	Taka Twenty-Five Thousand Seven Hundred Fifty Only
1,25,000	Taka One Lakh Twenty-Five Thousand Only
15,00,000.50	Taka Fifteen Lakh and Fifty Paisa Only
1,25,00,000	Taka One Crore Twenty-Five Lakh Only

Writing in Bangla is also accepted on Bangla cheques and by many banks: "এক লক্ষ পঁচিশ হাজার টাকা মাত্র". Here "Taka" comes after the number and "মাত্র" means "only".

If you are not sure of the wording, type the amount into our Number to Words tool. With the currency set to Taka it gives the English cheque line ("Taka One Lakh Twenty-Five Thousand Only") and the Bangla one ("এক লক্ষ পঁচিশ হাজার টাকা মাত্র") at once, with paisa written as "and Fifty Paisa".

Start writing right at the beginning of the line, leave no big gaps between words, and draw a line after "Only" to fill the rest of the space.

5. Write the amount in figures

In the Tk box, write the same amount in digits, starting right next to the printed "Tk" so nothing can be squeezed in front: 1,25,000/- or 1,25,000.00. The "/-" after the number is a common way in Bangladesh to show there are no paisa.

The words and the figures must match exactly. If they differ, banks usually return the cheque. If you are adding up several bills to get the total, a running list on our Tape Calculator helps you check the sum before you write it.

6. Cross the cheque if it is for an account

Draw two short parallel lines across the top left corner and write "A/C Payee" (or "A/C Payee Only") between them. This means the cheque can only be deposited into the account of the named payee. It cannot be cashed at the counter, so it is much safer to post or hand over.

Use A/C Payee for rent, school fees, supplier payments and anything you hand to someone else. Leave the cheque uncrossed only when you or someone you trust will withdraw cash with it.

7. Sign it

Sign in the signature space, the same way you signed the specimen card or account form when you opened the account. A shortened signature, a different style, or a signature in Bangla when your record is in English (or the other way round) is a common reason for return. For a joint account or a company account, check whether one or more people must sign.

For a cash cheque, the bank will usually ask the person collecting the money to sign on the back and may ask for ID.

Finally, fill in the counterfoil (the stub that stays in your chequebook) with the date, payee and amount. You will need it later to check your statement.

Why banks return cheques

A returned (dishonoured) cheque wastes days. These are the usual reasons, and how to avoid each:

Reason	How to avoid it
Not enough money in the account	Check your balance before the payee deposits it
Signature differs from the bank's record	Sign exactly like your specimen signature
Amount in words and figures differ	Write both from the same number; check twice
Stale cheque (over six months old)	Deposit cheques soon after receiving them
Post-dated cheque	Don't deposit before the date written
Corrections or overwriting	Don't correct; cancel the leaf and write a new one
Payment stopped by the writer	Talk to the person who gave you the cheque
Damaged or written-on MICR line	Keep the bottom strip clean and unfolded

Bouncing a cheque is not only an inconvenience. In Bangladesh it can lead to a criminal case under section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, so never give a cheque you cannot cover.

Some banks also ask account holders to confirm large cheques in advance (often called "positive pay"). Bank notices citing Bangladesh Bank instructions put the limit at Tk 5 lakh and above for personal accounts, and lower for business accounts. If you write a large cheque, check your bank's rule; an unconfirmed cheque may be returned.

How long does a cheque take to clear?

A cheque from the same bank is usually paid or transferred at once. A cheque from another bank goes through Bangladesh Bank's automated clearing house (BACH), using its cheque system, BACPS. The cheque is scanned and settled electronically, and cheques of Tk 5 lakh or more go through a separate high-value session. Cut-off times change from time to time, so ask your branch when the money will reach your account.

Clearing only runs on bank working days. Around Eid and other long breaks, a deposit can wait several days. Our list of Bangladesh government holidays 2027 shows the long breaks, and the Working Days Calculator counts bank days between two dates.

Quick checklist before you hand over a cheque

• Date in day/month/year order, not older than six months
• Payee's full name, matching their account
• "Taka ... Only" in words, using lakh and crore
• Same amount in figures, written close to "Tk"
• Lines drawn after the name and after "Only"
• "A/C Payee" crossing unless it is a cash cheque
• Signature matches the bank's record
• No corrections, nothing written on the bottom strip
• Counterfoil filled in

If you write cheques in Bangla and your old documents are typed in Bijoy, our guide to Bijoy vs Unicode explains why that text turns into gibberish and how to convert it.