Singapore Cheque Writing — Amount in Words
Write Singapore cheques with confidence. Convert SGD amounts into the cheque amount in words used by DBS, OCBC, UOB and Standard Chartered — “Two thousand three hundred forty and 80/100 dollars” — follow MAS and local bank crossing rules, and copy banking-standard wording onto the legal line.
If you have any questions, please email: support@chequewriting.com
How to Write a Cheque in Singapore
Singapore cheque writing requires the date in DD/MM/YYYY, the payee's full legal name as registered with their bank, the numeric amount in SGD, and the cheque amount in words on the legal line in dollars. Cents are written as a fraction — S$ 2,340.80 becomes “Two thousand three hundred forty and 80/100 dollars” — and the word “dollars” must close the legal line so the amount cannot be extended. Under the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) framework and the rules every licensed bank follows, the written amount in words controls over the numeric box when the two differ, so spelling the amount correctly is the single most important step in how to write a cheque in Singapore. Major banks including DBS, OCBC, UOB and Standard Chartered all clear cheques against the same conventions through the Banking Computer Services cheque clearing system, and a cheque is generally treated as stale (and may be refused) if presented more than six months after its date. Crossing a cheque with two parallel lines and writing “Account Payee Only” or “A/C Payee Only” between them restricts payment to the named payee's account and is standard practice for business cheques, because it prevents the cheque being cashed over the counter by anyone else. Any alteration to a Singapore cheque must be confirmed with a full signature, otherwise the cheque will be rejected at clearing. Common reasons for dishonour include a missing or mismatched signature, a date in the wrong format, the words and figures disagreeing, and a stale cheque presented after six months — the bank will return it marked “refer to drawer.” Our Singapore cheque tool automates the SGD wording on the legal line so you can focus on signing, crossing and dating the cheque correctly.
MAS and local bank cheque guides
How to fill in a Singaporean cheque
- 1
Date and payee
Write the date in DD/MM/YYYY format — the standard every Singapore bank uses — and the payee's full legal name exactly as registered with their bank. Avoid abbreviations or nicknames, because a mismatch between the payee name and the account holder's record is a leading cause of cheque rejection at DBS, OCBC and UOB. A cheque is treated as stale and may be refused if presented more than six months after its date.
- 2
Numeric amount
Enter the figure in the amount box in SGD, using a decimal point for cents (for example 2340.80). Draw a line after the last digit or begin close to the currency symbol so the figure cannot be extended — a common fraud precaution every Singapore bank expects.
- 3
Amount in words
Use the tool for the legal line: S$ 2,340.80 becomes “Two thousand three hundred forty and 80/100 dollars.” Cents are written as a fraction over 100, and the word “dollars” must close the line. The written amount controls over the numeric box if the two differ, so spelling it correctly is the most important step.
- 4
Sign
Sign exactly as per the specimen signature your bank holds on file. Any alteration to the date, payee or amount must be confirmed with a full signature, otherwise the cheque will be rejected at clearing and returned marked “refer to drawer.”
Common Singaporean cheque errors
Why use the Singaporean cheque tool
Cheque Writing FAQ