Writing amounts in words on a cheque
Banks in Nepal and India require the amount on a cheque in both figures and words, and the words decide the value if the two differ. Mistakes like "one lakh twenty five thousand" written as "twelve lakh" or a missing "only" are common reasons a cheque gets bounced or questioned. Type the figure above and copy the exact wording.
Good cheque habits
- Start the words as close to the left edge as possible and end with "only".
- Draw a line through any empty space after the words.
- Use the same amount in figures, grouped the local way: 1,25,000.50.
Common amounts in words
| Figure | Cheque wording | International |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | Rupees five thousand only | five thousand |
| 10,000 | Rupees ten thousand only | ten thousand |
| 25,000 | Rupees twenty-five thousand only | twenty-five thousand |
| 50,000 | Rupees fifty thousand only | fifty thousand |
| 75,000 | Rupees seventy-five thousand only | seventy-five thousand |
| 1,00,000 | Rupees one lakh only | one hundred thousand |
| 1,50,000 | Rupees one lakh fifty thousand only | one hundred fifty thousand |
| 2,50,000 | Rupees two lakh fifty thousand only | two hundred fifty thousand |
| 5,00,000 | Rupees five lakh only | five hundred thousand |
| 10,00,000 | Rupees ten lakh only | one million |
| 25,00,000 | Rupees twenty-five lakh only | two million five hundred thousand |
| 1,00,00,000 | Rupees one crore only | ten million |
Lakh and crore explained
The South Asian system groups the first three digits, then every two digits:
- 1,000 = one thousand
- 1,00,000 = one lakh (100 thousand)
- 1,00,00,000 = one crore (10 million)
- 1,00,00,00,000 = one arab (1 billion)
Switch the number system above to see the same figure in millions and billions, which is handy for invoices sent abroad.
Need the cheque date in BS? Use the Nepali date converter. Adding tax to an invoice? Try the VAT calculator.
Questions people ask
How do I write 1,50,000 in words on a cheque?
Write "Rupees one lakh fifty thousand only". The word "only" at the end stops anyone from adding more words after the amount.
What is the difference between lakh/crore and million/billion?
Nepal, India and neighbouring countries group digits as 1,00,000 (one lakh) and 1,00,00,000 (one crore). The international system groups by thousands: 100,000 is one hundred thousand and 10,000,000 is ten million. One crore equals ten million.
How are paisa written?
Add them after the rupees with "and", for example "Rupees five hundred and fifty paisa only" for 500.50. Amounts with more than two decimal places are rounded to the nearest paisa.
What comes after crore?
In the Nepali system: arab (100 crore = 1 billion) and kharab (100 arab = 100 billion). This tool supports amounts up to 99 kharab.
Updated · 26 Kartik 2083 BS