owner's name on business checks (?)

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
User avatar
Topic Author
legio XX
Posts: 699
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:37 am
Location: Stack 12

owner's name on business checks (?)

Post by legio XX »

My credit union recently started requiring both a modest minimum balance and minimum activity to avoid fees on accounts. I've had a (very) small business acc't for decades and use it mostly for eBay and PayPal these days. I decided to pay the renewal fee for the business PO box by check to log an activity ... oops.

The clerk looked as if I'd handed her something either ticking or smelly and told me "Nobody pays by check any more." She demanded ID and refused to accept the check because the name on my driver's license isn't the same as the name of my business. She told me, "You have to have your name on the check too." Can someone tell me if small businesses (sole proprietor, DBA as xxx) include the proprietor's name on their checks these days? Or can I assume the ditz simply had never been taught how to process a payment by check and was winging it. I was also mailing a certified/return receipt non-business letter and she insisted that I add my name to the return address where I had just written my apartment number.

I realize some kids may never have seen a check. I use the business checks maybe twice a year. But, this strikes me as odd so I thought I would ask, just in case. If it wasn't a royal PITA, I'd laugh, but I suddenly feel very old ...
bob60014
Posts: 3768
Joined: Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:59 pm
Location: The Land Beyond ORD

Re: owner's name on business checks (?)

Post by bob60014 »

Tell her you're in good company, Jeff Bezos name isn't on his Amazon checks either! :)
User avatar
JoeRetire
Posts: 15381
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 1:44 pm

Re: owner's name on business checks (?)

Post by JoeRetire »

legio XX wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 4:22 pmOr can I assume the ditz simply had never been taught how to process a payment by check and was winging it.
Other than the part about being a ditz, I think your assumption is correct.
This isn't just my wallet. It's an organizer, a memory and an old friend.
User avatar
Sandtrap
Posts: 19590
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:32 pm
Location: Hawaii No Ka Oi - white sandy beaches, N. Arizona 1 mile high.

Re: owner's name on business checks (?)

Post by Sandtrap »

Inevitable “generational” encounters in the age of Apple Pay, etc.

We still use business checks for contractors, subs, tenant refunds, supply houses, etc.
Checks are still mainstream in many places.

j🌺
Wiki Bogleheads Wiki: Everything You Need to Know
vtjon
Posts: 285
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 12:53 pm

Re: owner's name on business checks (?)

Post by vtjon »

I'm a one-person S-Corp and have a couple of business accounts. You can normally have printed whatever you want on the check. On my business Fidelity CMA where Fidelity provides the checks for free, they include my full name under my corp name. Nobody has ever asked me for ID for my business checks over the years but I can't say I've ever written one in person as opposed to mailing a check. That said, there is certainly no requirement to have your personal name on a business check. They should accept it especially if the check name matches the business name on the PO box.

I pay my business PO Box via credit card online. It's possible they take ACH to renew the PO Box online which would serve the same purpose as you're trying to accomplish.
Post Reply