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How to say the total amount?

Which is the correct way to spell out dollars and cents?

Forty-Two Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($42,000.00)

or

Forty-Two Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($42,000.00)

Community
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Sheryl
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2 Answers2

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If you're writing the amount on a check, where the word "dollars" is preprinted at the end of the line, the convention is to write "Forty-two thousand and 00/100", which is then followed by the pre-printed "dollars".

If you're writing in most other contexts, the convention is to write "forty-two thousand dollars and fifty-seven cents". If there are no cents, you simply leave that off, as in "forty-two thousand dollars".

Jay
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I would write forty-two thousand dollars even. (42,000.00)

00/100 cents is a very awkward formulation, doesn't provide more information, and takes up space.

Others can let me know if using even to clarify that no cents is involved is a regional/American thing.

Lawton
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  • In Britain, only would be more usual than even. – neil Jun 07 '12 at 16:34
  • Interesting, that isn't something I hear. Forty-two thousand dollars exactly would also work. – Lawton Jun 07 '12 at 16:37
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    @neil: I think we only use "only" like that on cheques, to stop someone from fraudulently adding "and ninety-nine pence" before cashing it. – FumbleFingers Jun 07 '12 at 16:48
  • @FumbleFingers - I think you're right, but I wouldn't normally expect "ten pounds and zero pence" to be written - it would either be "ten pounds" or "ten pounds only". – neil Jun 07 '12 at 17:08
  • @neil: Well, cheques are a bit passé now, but even if you had lots to cash, decades of inflation mean it would be a bad risk/reward activity to try adding 99p to each one. Today, I think this usage of the word "only" is just archaic convention. – FumbleFingers Jun 07 '12 at 17:12
  • @Fumble: I put "only" at the end of my checks when they are of even amounts. Are you calling me archaic, or just my writing convention? ;^) – J.R. Jun 07 '12 at 18:38
  • In America it's common to put "and 00/100" or "and 00/xx", and then to write a squiggly line through the rest of the available space. That stops people from adding something in. I'm not so worried about somebody changing "five" to "five and 99/100", as I am about somebody changing "five" to "five thousand four hundred ninety-two". – Jay Jun 07 '12 at 21:12
  • This use of /100 is something I have seen on American checks, but in the UK it is completely unknown, on cheques or anywhere else. – Colin Fine Jun 07 '12 at 22:57
  • @Colin Hmm, so what comes pre-printed on UK checks? In America, you normally get a long blank line with "Dollars" pre-printed at the end. So you can't write "ten dollars and fifty cents", because with the pre-printed "dollars" that would then be "ten dollars and fifty cents dollars". I've always thought it would make more sense to print "_____________ dollars and _____ cents", but that's not how they do it. – Jay Jun 08 '12 at 15:43
  • Nothing at all, on that line. When we went decimal in 1971, the standard instruction from the banks was, IIRC to write the pounds in words, and the pence in figures, as "Five pounds 75". – Colin Fine Jun 08 '12 at 23:01